Swimming on the other hand is a different story. Lexi can swim as much as she wants because it’s minimal impact exercise that causes her much less pain than other activities. In high school, she joined the Eden Prairie swim and dive team and the synchronized swimming team. She loved the water, and swimming became a true passion.

That passion turned out to be a great starting point for Lexi’s Girl Scout Gold Award project last year. Around the same time she was considering what to do for her project, she met Debbie Townsend, head coach for the Clownfish Swim Club, an organization that provides a swim team environment for kids with disabilities. With Debbie’s encouragement, Lexi began volunteering with Clownfish, and that’s when things started to click in her mind. “I could relate to how much the water is such a healer, and that’s kind of when I was like, oh my goodness, I can relate to these kids. They love to swim. I love to swim. And I think that this is a really cool opportunity for me to come in and work on my Gold Award.”

To complete her Gold Award project, Lexi took action by supporting the Clownfish Swim Club in three different ways. She created a brochure to recruit volunteers, a function that in the past was mainly done by word-of-mouth. She also created ten different lesson plans that will be used by volunteer coaches. And finally, she organized a Swim-A-Thon to collect new and gently used swimming equipment for the club.

To hold the Swim-A-Thon, Lexi rented out Eden Prairie Community Center’s pool for a Saturday afternoon. People could swim with their family or swim laps and enjoy the pool after making a donation. The event was a big success; about 100 people attended and a variety of equipment such as float belts, goggles, nose clips and swimsuits was collected for the Clownfish Swim Club.

Lexi says the best part about doing her Gold Award project was being able to work on something she was passionate about and making a difference in other kids’ lives. “It was really, really cool to see how a weakness of mine and a painful experience of mine—I kind of flipped it around and drove it into a passion, and helped kids who are going through the same thing I am. Now they can also continue to have the joy that water can bring, and they can do it in a safe way.”

To receive the Girl Scout Gold and Silver Awards, girls spend hours planning and implementing projects that innovatively address a need in the community. Each girl must take leadership in planning and implementing her project, working with others in the community to act on her plan.

Linda B. Keene, chief executive officer of River Valleys says, “When our girls achieve this level of accomplishment while still in high school, we cannot wait to see what they will do for their communities in the future.”

All 103 Girl Scout Gold Award recipients and 466 Girl Scout Silver Award recipients were honored during ceremonies in Owatonna and Minneapolis in May and June.

“Being on the board is rewarding in so many ways,” explains Kate. “It’s a really educational experience. I am gaining a lot of skills I’ve never been exposed to before.”

Serving on the board is not Kate’s only way of giving back to girls in the community. She has been working towards her Girl Scout Gold Award by starting a debate club and public speaking team for middle school students. Kate encourages kids to voice their opinions through spirited yet respectful conversations.

Since sixth grade, Kate has been a Girl Scout Juliette and focuses her time on learning and connecting with her community. She says that working with younger Girl Scouts has taught her the importance of patience and perspective.

“I’ve learned how to approach problems in different ways,” she says. “It’s important to consider different ways to come to a conclusion—the way that different age groups look for solutions has taught me that.”

Report Deadline Approaching

To be recognized at the 2013 Silver Award and Gold Award Ceremonies, girls must submit their final reports by March 1. Final reports submitted after March 1 will be recognized the following year. As a reminder, project proposals are accepted year-round.

Silver Award + Gold Award Workshops

Attend one of our upcoming award workshops and discover what it takes to earn the highest awards in Girl Scouting. Learn about the resources available to you through the council, review award information, brainstorm with other girls and identify possible project opportunities in the community.

Upcoming Workshops

• Going for Gold Webinar: March 19, April 17, May 16
• Gold Award at Here and Now: April 20–21, April 20 only
• Silver Award at the Cadette Getaway: March 8, March 9

She gathered a group of volunteers from The Rivers, a senior living facility in Burnsville, and engaged them in her project. Along with the seniors, Kjerstin and her friends cut and sewed patterns, and crocheted blankets.

“I chose this project because I have a soft spot for the elderly in my heart. My grandma loved to sew and this is a great way for me to honor her memory,” explained Kjerstin.

The group met weekly at The Rivers, contributing to the more than 100,000 annual donations collected on behalf of Bundles of Love. Everyone really enjoyed the project, especially the seniors. Some women from Kjerstin’s church are still meeting weekly to continue the project.

After graduating from Burnsville High School, Kjerstin plans to attend college at North Dakota State University. She also wants to continue helping people by using the leadership skills she gained from this project and her confidence in connecting people of all generations in her community.

Upcoming Dates:

• December 7–8
• December 8

Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the Girl Scout sisterhood with other Seniors and Ambassadors. Attend the day or overnight event and leave with new friendships and strong leadership skills.

The forum offered the chance for Skky and Artisha to meet other girls from around the world while working on common goals shared by each country represented. The girls spent their days in workshops, getting to know each other and exploring Chicago.

A trip to remember, Skky says that her favorite event was the international night when girls wore traditional dress from their countries.

• You must be a current, registered member of River Valleys in order to be recognized as an award recipient. Make sure your membership is current; if it isn’t, register now and continue your membership.
• The final report deadline is quickly approaching. Those of you working on your Gold Award must submit your final report to River Valleys no later than September 30 after high school graduation. Those of you working on your Silver Award must submit your final report to River Valleys no later than September 30 after completion of grade 8.

We also invite you to check out this upcoming volunteer opportunity for older girls. This year, Girl Scouts River Valleys will have a booth and a parade float at the Minnesota State Fair August 25–26. The parade will start at 2 p.m. both days. Adult and girl opportunities are available and all volunteers will receive a complimentary ticket into the fair.

Interested in volunteering? Contact Sheila Her for more information at 800-845-0787.

In researching of the needs of the hospital, Jessica and her troop member Amber discovered that while the hospital receives many donations for children, they don’t receive many donations for teenagers. They were interested in helping these young adults feel more comfortable during their stay in the hospital. To achieve this, they put together teen activity packs, which included magazines, games, craft items and toiletry items.

They worked with the hospital to determine what to include in the packages, and held garage sales and car washes to raise proceeds for the items and educate the public about the need. The girls were originally planning to make 100 packs for teens; however, their hard work and inspirational attitude paid off and they girls raised enough funds to make activity packs for 216 teenagers.

In order to continue their project, the girls provided their supply list and other resources to the hospital to pass on to other who want to help. They also worked with a Brownie troop to make their own care packages for children in the hospital.

Each of the girls is required to put 65 hours into their Gold Award Project and each must have an individual role. The Gold Award Project provided many new native plantings to enhance the building and landscape of Katherine Abbott Park, a historical display with artifacts on an indoor wall of the park building, and a new flag pole and flag. In addition, the girls directed volunteers in buckthorn removal, painting, raking and bird house cleaning.

The girls hope their project will remind the community of the park’s historical significance. The seventy-two acres of hardwood forest, prairie, and wetlands known today as Katherine Abbott Park, were the inspiration of Miss Katherine Abbott, the daughter of a prominent St. Paul physician. As an active adult volunteer, she dreamed of creating a troop camp for area Girl Scouts.  “Katie” died on Oct. 3, 1946 before her dream could be realized, but many friends worked in her memory to create the camp just a few years later. In 1952 the Girl Scout Camp was officially opened and dedicated to the memory of Katherine Abbott.

Its location along a busy streetcar line (extending from St. Paul to Wildwood Amusement Park) made the camp very accessible and allowed it to serve thousands of St. Paul girls for many years. In 1989 the City of Mahtomedi purchased the property and it became a community park. The Mahtomedi Girl Scouts sponsor a park cleanup twice a year as a public service and to supplement to the maintenance provided by the City of Mahtomedi.

Special thanks go to Timberline Tree Service of White Bear Lake, the White Bear American Legion, Hisdahl’s Trophies, Mahtomedi High School’s National Honor Society & Interact Club, the Ford and Catherine Nicholson Family, Rick Finn, Boy Scout Troops 89 and 433, Midge Andreas, Don Lee, and the City of Mahtomedi for providing generous and invaluable assistance. Funds for this project were provided through donations and a variety of fund raisers including cookie sales, selling homemade goods at the Mahtomedi Farmers’ Market, working at the St. Paul Farmers’ Market, and bagging at Cub Foods and Pine Tree Apple Orchard.

Saturday was a picture perfect day for a flag raising, brisk outdoor work and a walk in the park!