A wide range of completed projects led to 20 Kenston-area Girl Scouts receiving their Gold and Bronze Awards March 1 at Timmons Elementary School in Bainbridge Township.
A wide range of completed projects led to 20 Kenston-area Girl Scouts receiving their Gold and Bronze Awards March 1 at Timmons Elementary School in Bainbridge Township.
The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in scouting, recognizes the leadership, effort and community impact of girls ages 14 to 18, said Shawn Krahe, scout leader for Troop 71522, during the Girl Scouts of North America Kenston Service Unit award ceremony.
“Only about five percent of eligible girls take the rigorous path towards earning this prestigious award,” she said. “This is no easy journey, but those who complete it change the lives of others, as well as their own in amazing and significant ways.”
She asked Gold Award recipients Sarah Miller, Madelyn Foerster and Brynn Krahe to describe their project. Krahe submitted the following presentations to the Geauga County Maple Leaf.
Camp Ho Mita Koda Project
Sarah, an Ambassador Girl Scout with Troop 71307, led by LouAnn Foerster, will graduate in May. A Girl Scout since third grade, she previously completed her Bronze and Silver award projects before pursuing the Gold Award.
“My Gold Award project was about the organizational system of the art cabin at Camp Ho Mita Koda,” she said, adding the camp in Newbury Township noting the camp in Newbury Township serves as a retreat during the fall and spring and as a summer camp for children with type 1 diabetes.
“I chose to complete the task of revamping the organization system in the art cabin because I enjoy organizing, along with the fact that it would give the counselors an opportunity to cover more and not search for materials,” she said.
Sarah credited camp staff for assisting with the project.
“Having the opportunity to do this has allowed me to form new relationships and build confidence in my skills,” she said. “I was able to get my project started with the help of donations from the Bainbridge Civic Club and the Kiwanis, along with the volunteers who helped me build the storage units.”
Her advice to younger Scouts was to start projects early, contact multiple organizations for assistance and set goals to guide progress.
Dance to Help the Handicapped
Madelyn, a senior at Kenston High School, said she looked forward to receiving her Gold Award after joining Girl Scouts as a Daisy in kindergarten.
“I have been a dancer for 14 years and I knew I wanted to connect my love of dance with my Gold Award,” she said.
Her advisor from Inlet Dance Theater in Cleveland and the Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Center in Chester Township helped her research how dance can benefit individuals with ADHD, autism and Alzheimer’s disease, Madelyn said.
“I put together a dance curriculum (and) found creating videos with a sample class using all of the provided exercises would be the best way to demonstrate my research,” she said, thanking her mother for teaching her about learning and development.
Madelyn and her team recorded instructional videos and delivered the curriculum to Metzenbaum Center, where staff reviewed the materials with her.
“This process has taught me so much about myself and the change I could make in the world around me,” she said. “Girl Scouts has taught me to love community service, as well as challenge myself, lead others, speak up, and to value myself and my community.”
Australian Greyhound Rescue
Brynn Krahe, of Troop 71522, joined Girl Scouts in kindergarten and centered her Gold Award project on greyhound adoption.
“I began working with Greyhound Adoption of Ohio before my freshman year of high school,” she said, noting that many retired greyhounds from Australian racetracks need homes. Because adoption opportunities in Australia are limited, U.S. families often adopt the dogs, Brynn said.
Brynn collaborated with Racing2Rehome Greyhound Adoption in Australia to develop a plan for relocating dogs from Australia to the United States, creating a roadmap for greyhound facilities.
She made and sold dog toys and treats and raised about $2,000 through “dog days” events at a local car wash.
Brynn and volunteers also participated in cleanup days at Greyhound Adoption of Ohio to prepare the facility for additional dogs.
“The most challenging part of my project was learning how to ship live animals across continents,” she said.
With assistance from Racing2Rehome, she helped coordinate the transport of eight dogs from Melbourne to Sydney, Vancouver and Toronto, where she first met them.
The three-year project changed her life, she said.
“I adopted a dog, wrote two research papers on greyhounds, lost 100 pounds and actually made global impact. This experience has taught me that leadership and change require courage,” she said. “Girl Scouts has shown me that no goal is too big when you are willing to put in the work. As I move forward, I hope to continue creating positive change and encouraging others to do the same.”
The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest award for Junior Girl Scouts, recognizing leadership and planning skills in community service projects. Junior Girl Scouts are ages 8-12 in fourth through sixth grades, Krahe said.
Bronze Awards
Junior Girl Scout Troop 70011, led by Catherine Golden and Melissa Young, partnered in 2023 with Moebius Nature Center in Aurora to study ecosystems and habitats.
The troop earned badges in animal habitat, camping environmental stewardship before choosing to clean the bird-feeding area, weed garden beds and remove invasive plants.
The Bronze Award recipients from Troop 70011 are Dahlia Freeman, Meara Hanson, Regan Hudak, Charlotte Bosher, Jocelyn Young, Brooke Obradovic and Lillian Lindberg.
Last year, Troop 70435, led by Lisa Clemens, noticed Kenston Middle School cafeteria lacked recycling bins for the aluminum cans. The scouts organized a pop-tab donation drive that collected more than 55 pounds of tabs in five months and established permanent collection bins at the school.
Donations were sent to Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland, and the troop held a snack drive to collect nonperishable items for families and created 24 busy bags for children in the hospital and their siblings.
The Bronze Award recipients from Troop 70435 are Aria Catania, Cayleigh Nutter, Evianna DiFranco, Kayla Hanish, Kaylee Conway, Macy Bailey, Natalie Clemens, Penelope Guzman, Stella Browne and Mykelti Ball.
