Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Hannah Redinger from Columbia has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, named Country to Country, School to School: Students Helping Students, Hannah wanted to help high school girls in third world countries continue their education. She worked with the Illinois South Conference United Church of Christ (ISC UCC) Ecuador Partnership Committee who partners with the Chuquiraguan Women’s Kiwanis Club to bring awareness to this important issue. Hannah collected school supplies and toiletries as well as helped ISC UCC campaign for scholarship funds.
She collected approximately 2,000 items and her efforts helped ISC UCC raise $3,000 in scholarship funds. The funds that were raised were enough to send 15 girls through a year of high school in Quito, Ecuador. In July, Hannah was part of a mission trip to Ecuador in which she was able to meet the girls that were supported by her project.
She collected approximately 2,000 items and her efforts helped ISC UCC raise $3,000 in scholarship funds. The funds that were raised were enough to send 15 girls through a year of high school in Quito, Ecuador. In July, Hannah was part of a mission trip to Ecuador in which she was able to meet the girls that were supported by her project.
Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Hannah learned how to gain the support of a community. “I learned that if you are passionate about a cause and are willing to share your passion with others, people will support you and your cause,” said Hannah.
Hannah is the daughter of Sharon and Jeff Redinger. In May, she graduated from Columbia High School. She is currently attending Kansas State University where she is majoring in Animal Science and Industry. Hannah has been involved in Girl Scouting 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.
