Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Kaitlyn Barnett from Troy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Camp for Everyone, Kaitlyn wanted all Girl Scouts and other members of her community to have the opportunity able to fully enjoy camping and outdoor activities. Kaitlyn took on several projects to make Camp Torqua in Edwardsville more accessible. She added a rock trail and sidewalk that connected the lodge to the restrooms. In addition, Kaitlyn installed a concrete ramp to the campfire ring and a threshold for the restrooms at the area known as Pumpkin Patch at the camp.
Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Kaitlyn learned valuable life skills that she will be able to use throughout her life. “Through this project, I have learned that I am filled with an abundance of patience and determination,” said Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn is the daughter of Thomas and Melissa Barnett. She is a junior at Triad High School. Kaitlyn has been a Girl Scout for 11 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.
