Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Carley Sutton Earns the Girl Scout Gold Award


 
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Carley Sutton from Greenville has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, titled The “Hot Spot”, Carley planned and worked with volunteers to build a pavilion for the community BBQ pit.  “I wanted to give back to the community and especially for our firefighters for all of their training and fighting fires in our community,” Sutton said.

“My Girl Scout Gold Award project was close to my heart because my family has 3rd generations of firefighters in both my parents’ families,” Sutton said.  “Not only did I have a positive impact in my community, but I also developed valuable leadership skills.  And, working with the Greenville Fire Protection District and the Greenville community, we now have access to another park area.  Finally, all of us working together is what I loved the most -- ’Unity of Community’, Sutton added.”

Carley is the daughter of Jim and Sherry Sutton.  She attends Greenville High School and has been Girl Scout for 9 years.  She plans to attend Kaskaskia College and major in Early Childhood Development.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life.  To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable.   The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. 

Only about 6 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award. Today, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. is the largest voluntary organization for girls in the world.  Its sole focus is to meet the needs of all girls (ages 5-17) from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.   Today’s Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity, good citizenship, leadership and teamwork.  Girl Scouting is the place where girls experience the fun, friendship and power of girls together.