Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Allison Demetria LaSalvia from Swansea has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Growing Roots, Allison drew inspiration from a mission trip she went on in the summer of 2014. During that trip, she saw how much her group benefited from being outside and how they were able to create something beautiful while working with limited resources. Allison felt that military youth could benefit from that experience as well. She built two raised bed gardens and two trellises for the Scott Air Force Base Youth Center. In addition, Allison held activities with the youth at the center to inspire them to enjoy gardening.
Allison’s Girl Scout Gold Award project was a very rewarding experience. “Above all, I learned that even if I only impacted one life, that is the most fulfilling thing that I can ever do in life,” said Allison.
Allison is the daughter of Joseph and Roberta LaSalvia. She is currently a sophomore at Belleville East High School. Allison has been a Girl Scout for 11 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.
