Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Caitlin Lloyd from O’Fallon has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Suite Dreams, Caitlin worked with The Women’s Safe House in St. Louis. She repainted two rooms at the facility in bright colors to make the atmosphere cheerful and hopeful. She also organized groups to make fleece blankets and held a book drive that collected 500 books for the organization. Last, Caitlin built a bookcase so that the books that were donated were easily accessible for the residents.
Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Caitlin learned valuable life skills that she will be able to use throughout her life. “I definitely learned the importance of persistence and dedication,” said Caitlin. “There were times when I felt the project was overwhelming and I might not finish. However, I took each part one step at a time to stay on schedule,” she added.
Caitlin is the daughter of Matt and Kristen Lloyd. She is a junior at O’Fallon Township High School. Caitlin has been a Girl Scout for 12 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.
