Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to
announce that Dalaney Plott from Anna has been nominated for Girl Scouts of the
USA’s 2014 National Young Woman of Distinction (NYWOD) honor.
Each
Girl Scout council can submit up to three applicants for the NYWOD honor. This prestigious honor is conferred by Girl
Scouts of the USA on Girl Scout Gold Award recipients whose final projects
demonstrated extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact
and addressed a local challenge that related to a national and/or global
issue. Only ten girls throughout the
country receive this special honor each year.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project,
Dalaney wanted to honor the men and women who make up the U.S. military. She dedicated one part of her project to
sharing veterans’ stories and another part to collecting needed supplies for
active duty soldiers stationed overseas. “My goal was to make our troops feel
special while educating the public about those who serve,” she said. To accomplish her goals, Dalaney dedicated 210
hours to her project – far more than 80 hours of service that is suggested to
complete a Girl Scout Gold Award project.
To give the public a glimpse into military
life, she interviewed 17 veterans and wrote an article for each one, which she
arranged to be published in the Gazette-Democrat newspaper. The
series was a huge success in the community and also deeply impacted Dalaney
personally.
“I learned a lot about history through the
eyes of men and women who lived it,” she said.
“Every veteran I interviewed changed my views on the world. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to
meet such amazing people.”
Dalaney also organized a drive to collect
supplies for care packages to be sent to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. First, she rallied the Anna-Jonesboro
Community High School Beta Club to help collect supplies from the community. Next, the Anna Veterans Home helped connect
her to a unit serving in Afghanistan. Veterans
Home employee John Reeves, who Dalaney had interviewed for her Soldier’s
Spotlight newspaper feature, generously donated the funds for shipping.
“Men and women have been in Afghanistan
and away from their homes – some of them for months,” she said. “Being away
from homes, and in some cases, in constant battle, can lower morale. I wanted to remind them that their country
supports them.”
While working to make sure U.S. Service Members
got the respect they deserved, Dalaney also developed a greater sense of
self-confidence and belief in her ability to make a difference in the world.
“Through my Girl Scout Gold Award project,
I learned how to feel empowered and how to inspire that feeling in others,” she
said. “When I started this project I was
15 and did not have a strong sense of self. I am no longer afraid to talk to
new people. I know that I can be a
leader in my community because I already have been. This project has given me the confidence to
go out into the world and be the best than I can be.”
If selected as a National Young Woman of
Distinction, Dalaney will receive a $5,000 academic scholarship made possible
by the Kappa Delta Foundation and will be nationally recognized at the 2014
National Council Session/53rd National Convention of Girl Scouts of
the USA.
Dalaney is the daughter of Juanita Plott
and Billie Plott. She is currently a
senior at Anna-Jonesboro Community High School and plans to attend Southeast
Missouri State University to major in History this fall.
