Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Danielle Patton from Mt. Vernon has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called A Fresh Start From My Heart, Danielle worked with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to brighten the lives of the children being served by the organization. Danielle created age appropriate Birthday Boxes which contained the necessary items for a child’s birthday party. She also created Blessing Bags for the children that were filled with such things as personal hygiene products, toys, books and socks. The final step of Danielle’s project consisted of her making Life Books for the children. These notebooks contained autographed pictures of local celebrities that provided encouragement and inspiration to the children who received them.
Danielle gained valuable life skills from completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project. “I learned that I am very fortunate to have such unconditional love and support from my family and friends,” said Danielle. “I learned to recognize a problem, take control, be a leader and take action to help make a difference,” she added.
Danielle is the daughter of Greg and Lesa Patton. She is currently a junior at Mt. Vernon Township High School. Danielle has been a Girl Scout for 12 years.
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.
