2024 Reflections Program

Reflections In celebration of eastern Missouri Girl Scouts who have earned Girl Scouting's highest community service award, the Girl Scout Gold Award.

June 23, 2024

Saint Louis Science Center

Event Program

Opening Remarks

Brunch

2024 Gold Award Impact Gold Award Committee Members

Keynote Speaker Meghan Jachna, Gold Award Alum

2024 GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship Presentation

Gold Award Ceremony

Closing

Special Thanks To Representatives

Board of Directors

Officers Dawn L. Kotva, Board Chair

Our Missouri State Representatives and Senators and the Girl Scout Auxiliary Chairman for the South St. Louis Marine Corps Auxiliary, for honoring our Gold Award Girl Scouts. Girl Scout Volunteers and Committee Members All volunteers who helped plan the event and assisted on-site today. Frank and Elsie St. Cyr Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is grateful for the support of Frank and Elsie St. Cyr in establishing a charitable trust for the future benefit of the Girl Scout Gold, Silver and Bronze Award Program. Their gift ensures funding for future Reflections ceremonies and other Council services related to the Girl Scout Gold, Silver and Bronze Award Program.

Kimberly Hodge-Bell, 1st Vice Chair Jenny M. Bartlow, 2nd Vice Chair Mike Kiefer, Treasurer Vicki Dawkins, Secretary

Members-at-Large Laurel "Buff" Burkel

Lisa Bell-Reim Michael Dozier Eric Eoloff

Meghana Hebbar Christine Iovaldi Keith Marty Thuy Vi Quach-Braig Alexandria Seay Jeff Steiner Anastasia Stevenson Mikayla Woods

Milestone Awards

10-Year Girl Scouts Emily Ackermann Jordan Best Katelyn Bigard Addison Bruni Maria Gambaro Jasmine Gura Legacy Jackson Nyeela Johnson-Burns Ella Landman Kayleigh Landman Margaret McCarthy Maddie Mills Salina Oldham Luisa Parker Olivia Rushing

Eliana Fitzhugh Kyra Goudsmit Allison Heilich Mckenna Hilgendorf Ava Hillebrandt True Howard Brianna Kaiser Rachel Kramme Ella Mackinson Emilia Mccann Rory Mcnelley Alex Nichols Elizabeth Paterson Brianna Pikey Lexi Rechek Richelle Rickermann Katelyn Tynes

Rayna Brewer Madison Carpenter Jordan Dale* Sophia Dominicis Mabry Elmore Eliana Fitzhugh* Maria Gambaro Scarlett Gonz Kyra Goudsmit* Jasmine Gura Allison Heilich Mckenna Hilgendorf Ava Hillebrandt True Howard Brianna Kaiser* Rachel Kramme Ella Mackinson* Emilia Mccann Margaret McCarthy Rory Mcnelley Alex Nichols* Elizabeth Paterson Brianna Pikey Lexi Rechek* Richelle Rickermann Ebba Schroeder Katelyn Tynes Rylee Walker Bethany Wareing Sarena Wear Madeline Wiechel* Mackenzie Winkler

Ebba Schroeder Kaeyln Turnbull Bethany Wareing Kira Winchcombe

Rylee Walker Sarena Wear

Madeline Wiechel Mackenzie Winkler

13-Year Girl Scouts Jessica Aldenderfer McKenna Baan

Graduating Girl Scouts Jessica Aldenderfer

McKenna Baan* Heather Bana* Alivia Bartlow Leah Beilman Isabelle Bequette Jordan Best Katelyn Bigard* Clara Bonstead*

Heather Bana Alivia Bartlow Leah Beilman Isabelle Bequette Clara Bonstead Rayna Brewer Jordan Dale Sophia Dominicis

*2023 Graduate

Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts who pursue their Gold Award aspire to transform an idea and vision for change into an actionable plan with measurable, sustainable and far-reaching results. Those honored today are part of an elite group who used their knowledge, talents and leadership skills to improve the world around them. Gold Award Girl Scouts are community leaders in the truest sense. Their accomplishments reflect outstanding courage and civic duty. Earning the Gold Award represents the culmination of at least 80 hours of work on a leadership project that leaves a sustainable, lasting benefit on the local community. The Gold Award class of 2024 made a big impact as you can see highlighted below!

25+ Organizations Benefited

Skills Gained: Project leadership, decision making, public speaking, time management

2,700+ Service Hours

18 Gold Award Committee Members

Issues Addressed:

• Environmental Sustainability • Racial Justice • Mental and Physical Well-Being • Gender Inequality in STEM • And many more

Robin Ackerman Kayla Burch Dr. Meredith Byers Emery Corley Rhonda Eitel Dr. Sherry Fichtinger Kensa Koeppen

Judy Newell Melinda Orskog Dawn Overmann Pat Puller Lynn Schmidt Mariah Skelly, MT-BC Dr. Ruby Trice Lauren Vanlandingham Georgette Williams

Lou Kramme Dana Meyer

Jessica Aldenderfer Jessica decided to take action to do her part for the environment after she recognized the lack of recycling bins at schools and the misuse of recycling bins when they are in place. To earn her Gold Award, Jessica educated local elementary school students about the importance of recycling. Jessica taught the students the recycling process, what should go into recycling bins, and how recycling is sorted. She also worked with the students to collect plastic caps to construct a school bench from them. In addition to her work with the elementary school, Jessica collaborated with the environmental club at her high school, creating a recycling program for their cafeteria, complete with a video presentation educating students about recycling. “I loved helping the Earth with my Gold Award Project. It was important to me and I want others to learn how to make the Earth cleaner and more sustainable.” McKenna Baan After recognizing that many students were struggling to go back to school post-pandemic, McKenna wrote a poetic children’s book about anxiety titled “Kindred Creatures, The Emotions We Share.” The book examines the situations students encounter in school that may cause anxiety. McKenna educated her readers on how they might experience anxiety throughout the day and what anxious behaviors may look like. Along with the book, McKenna designed a bookmark that listed healthy coping mechanisms and calming strategies for the students to use to reduce anxious feelings. In addition to authoring the book, she worked with school administrators at Pond Elementary to coordinate days when she was able to read excerpts from her book to older elementary school students. Her book is also displayed each year at libraries in her district for Mental Health Awareness Month in October.

District 12, Troop 696 Marquette High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 12, Juliette Eureka High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

“I am focused on continuing to help others and growing my leadership skills in the future.”

Heather Bana Heather became concerned about the lack of education regarding the importance of physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. So, Heather set out to educate her community with the many fun and unique ways they can be active each day to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Heather worked with the Wentzville Parks and Recreation Department to educate adults through a presentation held as part of a popular annual volleyball tournament. In the presentation, Heather covered the benefits of physical activity, proper nutrition, ways to stay active, and healthy tips. Her presentation also lives on the park department's website, so community members can access the information anytime they need inspiration to take on a new physical challenge. “The Gold Award has taught me perseverance and determination as well as the importance of problem solving and flexibility. It also allowed me to improve some of my leadership skills such as communication, organization, and decision making. Overall, it has left me with a new sense of self and a better understanding of my capabilities.” Alivia Bartlow As a lifelong Girl Scout, Alivia knows firsthand the impact camp can have on young girls. Alivia wanted to share her love of camping with new Girl Scout troop leaders so they felt more confident throughout the planning process, ultimately helping more girls experience the outdoors. To earn her Gold Award, Alivia created a Girl Scout troop camping website, complete with sample itineraries for various age levels so leaders could confidently plan an overnight for their troop. She also created camp boxes that included items such as cooking supplies, games, Girl Scout song lyric sheets and more. She then donated one box to be stored at each GSEM camp property for troops to use while at camp as needed. “The Gold Award teaches you a lot about yourself! I'm happy that my project can impact so many other Girl Scouts. It is a family and I have made many friends over the years."

District 14, Troop 4818 Wentzville Holt High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

District 14, Troop 4902 Liberty High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

Katelyn Bigard To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Katelyn wanted to share her love of reading and encourage young readers at her local elementary school. So, she took action to create a new library organization system so non-readers or early readers could still find the books they needed and that interested them. Katelyn partnered with the school's librarian to complete her Gold Award project and learn more about library organization systems. Katelyn reorganized the books by the author's last name instead of using the METIS method which was the library's original organization system. The new system will allow readers to easily find books and ease their frustrations when looking for something new. Katelyn also contacted other libraries in the area to pass along her concept to consider at their locations. “My advice for other Girl Scouts going for the Gold Award would be to pick a topic that you really enjoy, like a hobby or future career idea. This will help make your project more fun!” Clara Bonstead Clara was passionate about helping children recently diagnosed with dyslexia and wanted to provide a resource to help them understand their diagnosis better. Clara researched, wrote, illustrated, and published a children's book titled "My Superpower: The Story of a Girl with Dyslexia." The story follows the journey of Ella, a bright 3rd grader, as she struggles with reading and finally discovers her superpower. Clara included handwritten diary entries in the book to highlight how Ella's brain works. She also provided materials for young readers to get more information about dyslexia at the end of the book. Clara donated 273 copies of her book to public schools across eastern Missouri to complete her Gold Award project. “My Gold Award project has encouraged me to continue learning and growing all the time.”

District 4, Troop 2610 Francis Howell High School 12 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

District 4, Troop 3993 Francis Howell North High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Jordan Dale To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Jordan set out to improve children’s awareness and understanding of nature and animals by constructing an outdoor classroom that enabled hands-on learning in a school environment. Jordan transformed the courtyard at St. Patrick School into an outdoor classroom complete with animal cages and a garden to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Jordan's outdoor classroom will allow elementary school students the opportunity to carry out real-life science projects in nature, and even raise small farm animals with the cages she constructed to accompany the outdoor classroom. The school administrators and students will partner together to provide continued care for the garden and animals for years to come. “The Gold Award is a good way to distinguish yourself and help you learn how to fix problems in your community.”

District 14, Troop 3995 St. Dominic 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Sophia Dominicis Inspired by the lack of accessible theater performances and theater opportunities in her school, Sophia took action to create an inclusive and welcoming improv club. Sophia wrote and filmed a demonstration video showing how an improv show can be performed at any location along with following new health guidelines from the pandemic. After recruiting members to join the club, she scheduled performances with the Creek Valley Retirement Community so the residents could enjoy live entertainment while the improv actors improved their skills and boosted their self-confidence. To complete her Gold Award Project, Sophia authored and published a children’s book about using theater to overcome fears.

District 12, Troop 696 Marquette High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

“Writing this book made me realize that I can focus on big tasks and accomplish them. I have determination.”

Mabry Elmore Concerned about local female veterans' ability to access the food and hygiene products they need, Mabry partnered with the St. Louis Food Bank and Disabled American Veterans to provide feminine hygiene products free of charge. Mabry worked with fellow Girl Scout troops, school and church groups, the Rotary Club, and area first responders to collect $3,000 worth of personal care items for donation to three VA hospitals across the state. Through several media interviews, Mabry spread awareness about her project and the need for continued contributions. She also continues volunteering at various veteran’s events to learn more about the issues affecting our female veterans.

District 15, Troop 9190 Kirksville High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

“After the Gold Award, I am a better public speaker and I am able to connect with my community.”

Eliana Fitzhugh To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Eliana decided to take action to ensure young women in Antigua, Guatemala, had access to sanitary supplies so they can attend school when they are menstruating. Eliana partnered with her church and high school to collect feminine hygiene products. She also collected material to make reusable pads so the girls would have permanent supplies, even after the donated disposable products were no longer available. To complete her project, Eliana traveled to Guatemala to distribute the supplies. Eliana’s church will continue trips to the area in the future, bringing additional hygiene products with them. “The Gold Award benefited me and taught me a lot! I would love to share the experience with other Girl Scouts. I want to show others that you can make a difference.”

District 8, Troop 782 Parkway North High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Scarlett Gonz Scarlett’s Gold Award project provided much-needed opportunities for elementary school students in urban areas to learn more about agriculture. She created three lesson units for first grade elementary school teachers to use with their students, helping them discover more about the world of agriculture and where their food comes from. Scarlett presented the units to students at Nance Elementary School. During her lessons, she covered topics such as different types of farms, agriculture vocabulary and various livestock found on farms. She made her project accessible on a website she created, complete with slides and lesson plans for teachers to follow. Scarlett taught in four classrooms reaching 100 students with her Gold Award Project. “I love to teach others about agriculture! I wanted kids to have opportunities to learn about farming and agriculture that I didn’t have when I was little.” Kyra Goudsmit Concerned about the increased use of daily technology and lack of nature experiences for young students, Kyra partnered with Shaw Nature Reserve to create outdoor adventure backpacks to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Each backpack contains informative, interactive, and fun activities that children can use in the outdoors to draw them away from screens and into nature. Kyra included binoculars and a magnifying glass, a first aid kit, sketchbooks and colored pencils, and several worksheets and guides in each kit. To ensure the provided activities were a good fit, Kyra and her team of volunteers led groups of kids between the ages of 6-12 over three days in a series of mini camps. The backpacks are available for the public to use and will be updated by the Shaw Nature Reserve for years to come. “I have learned so much about time management and working with others. I had to motivate myself to get started and continue working. I learned to be patient, respectful and how to work with adults and teens.”

District 11, Troop 2624 Ste. Genevieve High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 6, Troop 1891 Kirkwood High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Jasmine Gura To earn her Gold Award, Jasmine addressed the issue of declining bee populations in our area due to habitat loss and overuse of pesticides. Jasmine partnered with Forest Park Forever to construct structures for solitary bees and raise awareness of the importance of pollinators. Jasmine jumped into action, creating and testing multiple prototypes of bee houses, ultimately installing a special bee house at Bethesda Garden, as well as various private residential homes in the St. Louis area. Jasmine also designed information pamphlets to include with each bee house. Jasmine shared her prototypes with a middle school teacher in her school district, who plans to continue working with students to create and distribute more bee habitats each year. “For those unsure about starting their Gold Award, I would say ‘do it!’ It feels so good to start something this big and accomplish your goal.” Mckenna Hilgendorf Propelled by her passion for inclusion and accessibility, Mckenna created a beautiful sensory garden at the Ballwin Athletic Association so children of all ages and abilities can safely explore the association’s park using their five senses. She cleared out the area, mulched and planted the garden, and added a brick border around the area. The sensory garden also serves as a quiet and peaceful location where parents visiting the athletic association can take their children to deescalate big feelings and help them re-center. The Ballwin Athletic Association’s team is excited to keep the gardens maintained for decades to come. “I put leadership skills into practice like asking my peers to help with the project, and teaching them what to do. I overcame my fears by speaking with new people and engaging them on my project.”

District 6, Troop 766 Kirkwood High School 12 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award Graduating Girl Scout

District 8, Troop 2101 Parkway South High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

Ava Hillebrandt Concerned about the lack of awareness and education regarding sexual harassment, Ava set out to address this issue for her Gold Award project. She created and distributed posters around Ladue Horton Watkins High School with statistics and definitions on sexual harassment in the St. Louis area, as well as tips for helping fellow students stay safe. She also created a website and an Instagram page, titled Never Ending Victims, with links to resources and ways students could find help if they needed it. Additionally, she presented at multiple Girl Scout Day Camps to educate young Girl Scouts on what to do if they experience or witness sexual harassment, and presented to Girl Scout caregivers on how they can help stop sexual harassment in their communities. “Through the Gold Award process, I grew my team building skills and public speaking skills. I will continue to expand the outreach for my project in coming years as well.” Legacy Jackson To earn her Gold Award, Legacy partnered with the Gateway 180 Shelter to create the “Legacy Play Space,” a fun, safe and interactive area for children 12 and under who reside at the shelter. After researching other shelters across the country, Legacy provided educational toys and learning aids, books, and new play sets. She then assembled all of the toys and furniture. Once the new space was complete, Legacy had the opportunity to present her Gold Award project to the mayor of St. Louis City and she hosted a grand opening celebration for the play space. The Little Legacies Community Service Organization and Gateway 180 Shelter will continue to maintain the space in the future. "My favorite part of the Gold Award process was seeing the joy on the kids’ faces at my grand opening event. It felt amazing!”

District 7, Juliette Ladue Horton Watkins High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 9, Troop 941 Cardinal Ritter College Prep 10 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 10-Year Girl Scout

Brianna Kaiser As an avid hiker and passionate Girl Scout camper, Brianna decided to help improve the hiking experience of all eastern Missouri Girl Scouts after she noticed the inaccessibility of one of the trails. Brianna constructed a new bridge at Camp Tuckaho to cross the creek on the Sycamore Trail to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Brianna’s bridge will ensure the Sycamore Trail can be fully utilized and was built with durability in mind to withstand storms and erosion. The bridge can be used from an educational standpoint, as the structure provides a wonderful vantage point for viewing the many different types of trees and foliage throughout the landscape of Camp Tuckaho.

District 6, Troop 2900 Lindbergh High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

“I know how to build a bridge now! I learned so much about using tools and planning for a project.”

Ella Mackinson After learning how light pollution negatively affects bird migration, biodiversity, and even human health issues, among other impacts, Ella partnered with DarkSky Missouri to develop an educational brochure to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. The brochure covers what light pollution is, why it matters, and what we can do to minimize its effects. Once she completed her brochure, Ella hosted booths at local community events, where she gave tailored presentations, including fun activities and a prize wheel for the attending children. Ella then shared copies of her brochures to several organizations: Lights Out Heartland and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center. She also created a digital version of her brochure for the organizations to share online. “This was by far the longest and biggest project I’ve ever done! I built many skills like organization, leadership, communication, and time management. This felt very important and meaningful to me."

District 6, Troop 2742 Lindbergh High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Margaret McCarthy Concerned about the growing STEM workforce gap between males and females, Margaret wanted to encourage young students to develop an interest in future STEM careers. Margaret created a series of five engaging videos to help spark a love of STEM with elementary and middle school students, with the goal of breaking down stereotypes of these typically male-dominated fields. The videos feature science experiments on varying topics such as chemical reactions, the periodic table and parts of the atom. Margaret uploaded the videos to YouTube and also shared these science experiments with a Girl Scout Day Camp. In the future, local schools will continue to show her videos throughout the year. “It is important for young women to be able to explore their interests. Girl Scouts has opened so many opportunities for me.” Alex Nichols After recognizing the benefits of owners bonding with their dogs, Alex decided to create a lending library of toys for dog owners to use when at local parks. Owners can now use the toys during their visit to the park and leave toys for future visitors to use. For her Gold Award project, Alex built, sanded and stained two crates to hold the toys. She then filled the crates with donated dog toys, including balls and rope she made from leftover materials. Alex placed the crates at Happy Hounds Playground, which will continue to maintain and stock the crates. Once her project was completed, Alex created flyers detailing her project, the issue addressed and the solution and shared with 29 schools to further educate her community. “I personally benefited from my Gold Award project by knowing that I made so many dogs happy and content. I assisted owners and they really appreciated the support. That all made me feel good inside.”

District 6, Troop 1964 Nerinx Hall 11 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 10-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 12, Troop 327 Marquette High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Elizabeth Paterson For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Elizabeth looked at diversity and inclusion issues within the St. Louis metro region and examined how she could increase the awareness and education available on these issues to those within her school community. After joining FOCUS St. Louis, one of the region’s premier nonprofit leadership organizations, Elizabeth began a monthly column for Nerinx Hall’s newsletter, Common Ground, where she shared her findings from FOCUS St. Louis each month. By educating her school community, including teachers, students, and administrators, they learned ways to directly combat exclusion and barriers within their communities and school. “I now have a more open mind set. I learned a lot about being the leader of a big project, along with organization skills and leadership skills to guide my team. This project opened my eyes to what’s happening in my community around me.” Lexi Rechek Lexi wanted to teach about proper hand hygiene and support her church community through her Gold Award project, so she set out to complete a much-needed renovation of two restrooms that served her congregation. Lexi replaced the bathroom flooring, patched up holes in the walls, painted murals, refreshed the counter space and added new bathroom accessories. She transformed the old spaces into a unisex restroom and a family restroom, which accommodates families with young children and those with disabilities. She also gave a special sermon to the Sunday School children during one of the services about proper hand washing, sung to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me.” “I loved telling everyone about my project and I smile every time I do. I grew my leadership skills by working with a large team and developed patience for working with adults and dealing with delays. I also developed multi tasking skills by working on several parts of the project at once with different teammates.”

District 6, Troop 1964 Nerinx Hall 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

District 8, Troop 782 Parkway North High School 13 years in Girl Scouts

Milestones Girl Scout Silver Award 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

Jocelyn Ryan Driven by the desire to help her fellow teens relieve their daily stress, Jocelyn worked with the organization Sew Hope to create special sewing support classes for teens. To earn her Gold Award, Jocelyn taught other youth the skill of sewing and helped them discover that hobbies can help release the burden of stress and anxiety from their lives. Jocelyn hosted three day camps where she taught the students how to make pillows, pillowcases and tote bags. She also made a video about how stress can negatively affect teens and tips for ways they can manage it that was shared through Sew Hope’s social media channels to reach a wider audience. “I have increased my presentation skills and grown my leadership skills by sharing my project with many groups of children and adults.” Ebba Schroeder Knowing how expensive it can be to receive private music lessons, Ebba decided to share her knowledge and love of music to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Ebba created a website with basic violin lessons to help kids learn how to play scales and beginner concert pieces. The lessons included different tempos and tips on scales to improve a student's skills. Ebba’s website is an excellent resource for beginning musicians who may not have the resources available for private lessons or access to a music teacher. She also sent the link with a local music teacher who will continue to share the videos with students and fellow teachers. “Seeing the positive impact my Gold Award project had on others, especially kids, has inspired me to volunteer more. I now volunteer at area food banks and will continue to do so.”

District 9, Juliette John Burroughs School 12 years in Girl Scouts

District 6, Troop 766 Kirkwood High School 11 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award 10-Year Girl Scout Graduating Girl Scout

Bethany Wareing Working in partnership with the Community Action Coalition, an organization focused on stabilizing and enriching vulnerable households, Bethany renovated one of the organization’s children’s rooms. The children’s room is a special space for young family members to wait while their caregivers meet with social workers. Bethany cleaned and rearranged the space, added new bookshelves and lamps, and bought new sensory-friendly decor. Bethany’s renovation brought life into the space and now encourages children to use their imaginations and draw, complete puzzles or read to help promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills. “During my Gold Award project, I had a great time and met a lot of kind people. I grew my leadership skills in ways I couldn’t have otherwise.”

District 7, Juliette Middleton High School 11 years in Girl Scouts Milestones Girl Scout Bronze Award Girl Scout Silver Award Graduating Girl Scout

Madeline Wiechel Madeline wanted to address the growing issue of workplace rights violations of minors to earn her Gold Award. To help her fellow teens become educated on their rights as young workers, Madeline built a robust website so they could find information easily on both the state of Missouri and federal employment laws. Madeline also collaborated with a business teacher at her school to have him share her website with all his students throughout the year. Madeline’s website will help student workers become more confident in their knowledge and stand up for themselves if they encounter an unjust working situation in the future.

District 6, Troop 1891 Kirkwood High School 13 years in Girl Scouts Milestones 13-Year Girl Scout 2023 Graduate Girl Scout

“I hope my Gold Award project can inspire other Girl Scouts who want to ‘think outside the box’ for a unique project idea.”

Changemaker Scholarship All Girl Scouts who earn their Gold Award at the 2024 Reflections Ceremony will be considered for the 2025 Changemaker Scholarship; a $5,000 higher-education scholarship awarded at Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s annual Dessert First event. The Changemaker Scholarship Committee will begin the selection process in summer 2024. Lifetime Membership Our 2024 Gold Award Girl Scouts will be gifted a Lifetime Membership from Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri upon graduation. Lifetime members have access to a supportive group of like-minded individuals to help alum continue their involvement and engagement with our organization, in whatever way that inspires them, for years to come. Learn more about the benefits of a Lifetime Membership at girlscouts.org/lifetime . Tribute Gifts Celebrate your Girl Scout by making a tribute gift in their honor to the Gifts for Girls campaign. Your donation will help Girl Scouts continue to improve their communities for years to come. Additionally, your gift will be recognized in our next Impact Report . Please utilize the donation envelope provided in the program, or visit girlscoutsem.org/donate . By earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, your Girl Scout has joined an elite group of rock stars, role-models and real life heroes. They have made a lasting impact in their communities—and beyond. And we can't wait to see what they do next! Now that you have celebrated their remarkable accomplishment, there are several opportunities for our Gold Award Girl Scouts to pursue! Congratulations

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