29 girl scouts earn highest honor in Girl Scouts
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Girl Scouts of Colorado revealed that 29 Girl Scouts from across Colorado have earned the highest honor for the scouts which is the Gold Award for projects that create lasting change in their communities and beyond.
According to the Girl Scouts, the Gold Award is for Girl Scouts in high school who address issues they’re passionate about with a project that creates lasting change. The project also helps Girl Scouts discover they have the power to create the future they want for themselves and others.
The Girl Scouts shared five award winners who are from the Colorado Springs area:
Olivia Agbo: Community Food Drives
Agbo organized neighborhood food drives aimed at raising awareness about food insecurity and fostering solidarity with those in need. Girl Scouts said Agbo collected 871 pounds of food for families in southern Colorado Springs. She also worked with Care & Share Food Bank to help with future donations and enable younger Girl Scouts to organize similar drives.
Serena Flaxenburg: Art & Soul – Increasing Accessibility and Closing the Gender Gap
Glaxenburg addressed the lack of representation of women in art and provided free educational resources for young people, especially girls. Flaxenburg created a website that covered topics such as gender equity in jazz, interviews with women in the arts, and materials aimed a promoting increased participation in the arts. She also designed a Women in the Arts curriculum for a Girl Scout patch.
Keaghan Short: Live Diversified
Short’s project aimed to fill a gap in community support for children with different abilities creating a movement class to teach youth with different abilities the freedom of expression. The program has been integrated into the regular dance class schedule in her community according to Girl Scouts.
Havanna Terrell: Tennis Ball Dispensers
Terrell created tennis ball dispensers and cleaning stations to give volunteers at local humane societies a better process for playing fetch. She also created training sessions for the stations and encouraged them to replicate the concept.
Jillian Zettlemoyer: ADA Sandbox at Trinity Park
Zettlemoyer led a team to build an ADA-compliant sandbox within the Trinity Lutheran community park. The sandbox has a digger accessible to wheelchair users. Girl Scouts said her dedication transformed a simple park into a symbol of inclusivity and accessibility.
According to Girl Scouts, 96% of Gold Award Scouts say their experience inspired their ongoing commitment to service or volunteering and 95% say it made them more responsible members of their communities.
“Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good—and these Girl Scouts embody everything this achievement stands for,” said Leanna Clark, CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado. “Each of these young women addressed an issue that’s important to her in order to earn her Gold Award, and she’s grown as a leader in the process. We congratulate each of these Gold Award Girl Scouts on this momentous accomplishment, and I can’t wait to see what they can achieve in the future.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
