Girl Scouts of South Carolina–Mountains to Midlands to honor six Gold Award Girl Scouts

May 1, 2022

Through the Gold Award, girls not only provide solutions that last to some of society’s biggest problems—like cleaner oceans, equity in girls’ education, and greater access to science and technology training—they grow more confident and strengthen skills that will carry them into a successful future in both school and their career.

While the Girl Scout Gold Award receives little publicity, it is the most prestigious award in the world for girls, the most difficult to earn, AND it is only available to Girl Scouts.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are making the world a better place. They are inspiring leaders whose Gold Award projects are impacting the world of STEM, education, agriculture, medicine, and on a local, national, or global level.

Girl Scouts who demonstrate outstanding leadership by initiating and completing sustainable service projects will be recognized with the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award in Belk Auditorium at Presbyterian College on Sunday, May 1, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.

This year’s Gold Award Girl Scouts are:

Samantha Miller, Aiken: Samantha’s project addressed the lack of awareness of juvenile arthritis in children in her community. Often portrayed as an ailment that develops later in life, Samantha’s goal was to educate members of her community, including local Girl Scouts, to learn about arthritis, its distinct types, what it can be like to have a physical disability, and the importance of physical activity while having a disability.

Aurielle Pinckney, Irmo: For her Gold Award, Aurielle saw the isolation of groups and lack of self-expression within her community. To promote self-expression and encourage community cohesion.  Aurielle met with a variety of social groups and presented the basic rules of the artwork – specifically on monochromatic and non-objective art in a workshop. In this workshop, everyone used their own creativity to create a piece of artwork to represent what the basic rules of artwork meant to them. After collecting over one hundred pieces of individual artwork from nine separate groups, Aurielle created a mobile art installation.

Ashlyn Mobley, Chester: Ashlyn saw a need to have a safer and more equipped play area for the children in her community at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. Ashlyn worked with the local church to update the playground. She also worked with the Chester Parks and Recreation Department and Chester School District, to educate children about the importance of playground safety.

Emily Gue, Graniteville: Emily partnered with Westminster Memory Care to address the issue of elderly people with Alzheimer’s and dementia through the use of baby dolls. In her research, Emily found that baby dolls are therapeutic to people with Alzheimer’s as it is a helpful way to calm and soothe them when they are agitated. Working with her troop, Westminster Memory Care, and her youth group, Emily was able to educate her community on Alzheimer’s and doll therapy and collect dolls to be used at the memory care facility. After distributing the dolls, Emily saw firsthand how the dolls improved their mood and their use on a day-to-day basis.

Carson Atkins, Irmo: For her Gold Award project, Carson noted that the Children’s Hospitals rely on single-use surgical caps and do not use reusable surgical caps. Working with Prisma Health, Carson collected fabric, sewed caps, created a video tutorial, and enlisted the help of school groups to make surgical caps. When going in for operations, children now pick their surgical caps and help reduce anxiety in young patients. Throughout her project, Carson learned the importance of leadership and community support.

Hailey Duncan, Blythewood: Hailey focused on giving teens transitioning out of foster care a mentor/pen-pal to guide them to be successful after foster care. During her research, Hailey found that older teens in foster care typically do not have a dedicated support system and that they are more susceptible to falling victim to hard circumstances and do not have support helping them navigate the challenges of transitioning to independent living. In order to solve that problem, Hailey developed a mentorship/pen pal program in which the mentors provided them with a support system and someone to ask for job readiness/guidance. Hailey also worked with the Links of Columbia organization to host workshops on mental health, career development, financial literacy, and workforce readiness. Finally, Hailey created a website where teens and anyone else can find resources that can help teens who are aging out of foster care.

Since 1916 Girl Scouts have been earning the Gold Award by making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. The Girl Scout Gold Award acknowledges each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself but making the world a better place for others.

Gold Award Girl Scouts spend, on average, one to two years on each project. The requirements of the Gold Award are designed to strengthen each girl’s leadership skills, encourage her to explore career opportunities and to make a commitment to self-improvement.

These girls are inspirations to our communities. We hope you will consider stories on the girls from your area to really highlight the difference these girls are making and will continue to make in our world. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for pictures and contact information.

 

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit gssc-mm.org.