A dozen girls will received Girl Scouts’ highest honor, the Gold Award, at a ceremony Friday, June 26 at Camp Trivera, 2508 NE 50th Street in Oklahoma City.
The keynote speaker for the event was lifelong Girl Scout and former Congresswoman Kendra Horn.
“The Gold Award program requires our girls to make a lasting change in their community and beyond,” said Shannon Evers, CEO of Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma. “I see our girls transform the world daily and this is a time for us to celebrate and applaud them and their successes. This year’s recipients are truly world changers.”
The girls who received their Gold Awards are:
Madison Blalack, Piedmont
A baby changes everything, and it takes a lot of support and resources to be ready for a baby. Madison wanted her project to support young mothers and families who struggle to have the money and resources necessary for having a new child. To help, Madison put together backpacks filled with items new families need. She also provided information about support systems and resources for new families, so that they would not feel alone. The bags will be continued after Madison graduates thanks to the life group at her church.
Annie Brocksmith, Oklahoma City
An international bestselling book, Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv introduces a problem called “Nature-Deficit Disorder.” This is a problem that comes from kids spending too much time indoors looking at screens instead of being outside. To help fight this problem, Annie launched her project “Make the World a Better Place Garden.” Her garden is an easily accessible outdoor space, equipped with magnifying glasses and other tools so that Girl Scouts for years to come can even use the space to complete outdoor badges.
Olivia Cleburn, Oklahoma City
Technology can be such a good outlet, but such a tricky thing to learn, especially for older generations. Olivia took her personal passion for photography and created a four-week photography program that taught a variety of skills to elderly people who wanted to enhance their art skills and their connections to their family. Her program covered composition, lighting, expression, printing, matting, and even had an art show where they could show off the work they created to their families. Her program lesson plan and curriculum are being stored at the Arts Council for future use.
Lynlee Cummings, Yukon
Lynlee knew that the swim area at Camp Trivera needed to be more accessible and safer for girls who are not very comfortable around water. She took this on by creating lifeguard stands, safety signs, and a safety video for the pool area at Camp Trivera. Thanks to Lynlee, the pool is now ready to accommodate all girls who are wanting to have fun in the sun and water, now, and for many years to come.
Amber Durst, Piedmont
Amber wanted to help her town be better equipped to perform flag retirement ceremonies. She noticed an opportunity to educate her Girl Scout troop about what a flag retirement ceremony is, and what goes into performing one. She noticed boys often perform flag retirement ceremonies, so she wanted to make sure girls got the same opportunity. Thanks to her dedication and help from the Piedmont community, she was able to get a flag retirement fire ring built at the local Veterans Center, as well as create informational pamphlets about flag retirement and flag code.
Victoria Heyvaert, Guthrie
Victoria noticed that there was a lack of comfortable and affordable prosthesis options available for women who had undergone a mastectomy. She took action to help solve this problem by creating a beneficial program that supplied at least 100 crocheted prostheses for breast cancer survivors. The program will live on and continue to supply this comfortable and affordable option even after Victoria has graduated.
Olivia Hunter, Edmond
Wildfires raging in Australia in the 2019/2020 bushfire season put the Koala population in great danger. Many were dying, and Olivia wanted her project to help save the Koalas. She did this by first educating Girl Scout Troops on the wildfires and how they were putting some animal populations at risk of becoming extinct. She also taught the girls about the impact that animals going extinct has on our world. Then, Olivia traveled to Australia and planted 16 Eucalyptus trees, which continue to provide food to this day.
Madisen Lonteen, Oklahoma City
People in nursing homes can struggle with mental disabilities and memory loss, which can lead to depression and anxiety. Madisen wanted to help people in homes find happiness and have something to do, so she had the idea of creating sensory aprons. The sensory aprons provide moments of joy and happiness and even memory jolts. Thanks to Madisen, a nursing home in Norman is now stocked with sensory aprons for the residents to use for many years to come.
Mia Perryman, Earlsboro
Feeling alone is hard. Mia wanted her Gold Award project to help students that feel alone and unheard find community and support. She did this by creating positivity boards. Mia created a box and a bulletin board at her school where students can submit their stories and coping mechanisms to help other students feel a sense of support and community. Three to five stories will be posted per week on the bulletin board.
Rachel Porter, Norman
Rachel noticed that not many schools are LEED certified (sustainable/green schools) and wanted to help educate girls around the topic of sustainability. By educating girls and teachers at her school, creating a website about nature advocacy, and even creating and donating terrariums, Rachel made a lasting impact by bringing awareness to others about the environmental goals the world is trying to reach.
Sayre Schaefer, Norman
Sayre has personal experience dealing with the extreme heat and shortage of shade out at Lions Memorial Park from when she used to play softball there, which is why she was inspired to take action to help. Thanks to her determination, there is now a dugout in the park that provides shade and seating for future athletes. This will not only help them be more comfortable, but it will also make playing sports during hot days much safer.
Bailee Thompson, Yukon
Bailee’s project added an exciting new way for girls to experience camping at our beloved Camp E-Ko-Wah near Marlow. Hammock City, a circle of outdoor hammocks at the camp, now allows girls to sleep under the stars and appreciate nature on a deeper level. To take the educational component a step further, Bailee put together Badge in a Box activities that girls can use to learn about STEM concepts and inspire future involvement. Future Girl Scouts will greatly benefit from Bailee’s thoughtful project.
Photos for each girl can be accessed at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6josqhxrni8ozd6/AAAw0wMjUQcGQ84DHRShzrKza?dl=0