Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Heather Junge from Red Bud has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Sewing for a Cause, Heather knew that she wanted to do something to help hospital patients. She decided to make mask straps for St. Jude Children’s Hospital and boo-boo pillows for DaVita Dialysis Center in Red Bud. Heather held public sewing classes, taught two Girl Scout troops and instructed a Ladies Aid group on how to sew these items. Through her efforts, she was able to donate 118 boo-boo pillows to DaVita Dialysis Center and 141 mask straps for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Heather learned the importance of giving back to your community. “It feels amazing to give back to your hometown community in any way you can,” states Heather.
Heather is the daughter of Tony and Fleta Junge. She is currently a senior at Red Bud High School. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Hickey Vet Tech Institute and become a veterinary technician. Heather has been a Girl Scout for 13 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 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.
