Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Sarah Goldacker from Glen Carbon has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called An Old Spin on a New Trick: Teaching Art to Senior Citizens, Sarah wanted to share her love of art with others in the community in a way that would benefit their well-being. Having a desire to help the elderly, Sarah learned that art classes can help to cope with the onset of dementia. In the hope of relieving boredom and increasing cognitive ability by learning new skills, she knew that teaching art classes at nursing homes is what she wanted to do for her project.
Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Sarah learned that giving back to others benefits all those involved. “Through this project I not only found a way to give my art back to people, but I really grew as a person,” said Sarah. “My people skills are far better now that I’ve done this project, and I like to think I’ve made an impact on each person I taught,” she added.
Sarah is the daughter of Don and Debra Goldacker. She is a senior at Edwardsville High School. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Art and Design. Sarah 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.
