Three Receiving Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarships

Three GSSI Girl Scouts were presented with college scholarships at All That Glitters Awards Ceremony on March 28 at Rend Lake Resort in Whittington.  Each year, GSSI presents two scholarships to graduating Girl Scout Ambassadors who stand out in Girl Scouts, leadership, school and service to the community.  The Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarships are funded from proceeds from the annual Brownie Haunted Camp program, which is planned, organized and conducted by older Girl Scouts. This year, GSSI staff was able to present an additional scholarship due to funds raised during the 2014 Staff Campaign.  To receive an Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarships, girls must complete a detailed application with references.  From these, a panel of staff and volunteers selects the top applicants.  Recipients were:

Lainey Brown from O’Fallon

Lainey a member of Troop #915 and has been a Girl Scout for over 9 years. She earned the Girl Scout Gold Award this year by working with a local nursing home where she planned events and created sensory boards for patients with Alzheimer’s. Lainey attends O’Fallon Township High School and plans to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville upon graduation.

“The greatest things I’ve gained through Girl Scouts are confidence, leadership and family,” said Lainey. “I learned that taking charge of yourself and what you care about can turn out to be amazing.”

Megan Kraus from Waterloo 

Megan is from Troop #32 and has been a Girl Scout for 13 years. She earned the Girl Scout Gold Award this year by incorporating art into various service projects at her school and church. As part of her Girl Scout community service, she also volunteers at day camp and plans to come back to camp as a unit leader upon graduation. Megan attends Waterloo High School and plans to pursue a degree in Spanish at Truman State University.

“At the end of the day, I am glad I’ve been involved with Girl Scouts for the past 13 years rather than soccer or skating,” said Megan. “When training, athletes only focus on their sport; in Girl Scouts, I have been able to learn a variety of things and build up so many dreams that I otherwise never would have known I had.”

Deanna Hohgrefe from Chester

Deanna is from Troop #8239 and has been a Girl Scout for 12 years. She has also earned her Girl Scout Silver Award and Girl Scout Bronze Award. Deanna also went on a Girl Scout destination travel experience to Germany and serves as a council delegate for her Service Unit. She currently attends Chester High School and plans to attend Concordia University in Wisconsin.

“I would tell someone thinking about putting their daughter into Girl Scouts that the skills I have learned from being a Girl Scout have made me the person I am today,” said Deanna. “I am so grateful that I have been able to do all of the many things I have gotten to do – from ice skating and skiing to traveling around the world.”

Megan Kraus from Waterloo Earns the Girl Scout Gold Award

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

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Megan spread a sense of positivity and creative expression through an array of community service projects, including painting a mural in her former grade school and engaging children in art programs.  

“I’ve always had a fascination for and enjoyed the arts,” she said.  “A common need for expression and a lack of financial and visual support for the arts made me feel like something necessary was becoming extinct.”

When a mural of Noah’s Ark at St. Peter and Paul School had to be removed due to renovations, Megan remembered how it had inspired her as a child and decided to replace it.  Under the direction of SIUE art student Jacki Lampitt, she sketched and painted a new design that took over three days to complete. 

To get area children involved, she then hosted a coloring contest at Vacation Bible School, a calendar-making class at the library and craft sessions at an area Girl Scout campout.  While teaching them artistic skills, Megan also emphasized that art can be a positive outlet for emotional expression, rather than turning to negative attitudes or behavior.

“I discovered ways to encourage positive creations and futures,” she said. “Even when paint is not involved, positive actions illuminate a beautiful path.

Along with sharing her deep love and respect for art, Megan also developed her own sense of confidence and leadership abilities.   “Going outside of your comfort zone is completely worth it and can lead to phenomenal experiences,” she said.  “After completing this project, which included formal communication with powerful adults and connecting with younger children, I feel like I can do anything.”

Megan is the daughter of Jeff and Patti Kraus.  She is senior at Waterloo High School and has been a Girl Scout for twelve years.  Next year, she plans to attend college to major in Spanish.

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.