Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable
change in their communities and around the world through their Girl Scout Gold
Award projects. The Girl Scout Gold
Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, acknowledges the power behind
each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering herself, but also to making
the world a better place for others. As
the Girl Scout Gold Award celebrates 100 years of girls changing the world,
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) will
highlight some of our shining stars who exemplify the greatness of this award.
Most people who have been a part
of Girl Scouting for several years feel as though their troop and leaders are
like a family. That’s definitely the
case with Nicolle and Danielle – literally.
The Patton sisters, both from Mt. Vernon, have been involved with Girl
Scouting ever since they were old enough to join the organization. And, each of them earned the prestigious Girl
Scout Gold Award. They attribute a lot
of who they are today to Girl Scouts and their journey for Gold.
When the sisters were in the
process of earning their Gold Awards, they each took on projects that would
benefit the youth of their community.
Nicolle partnered with Hope In Christ shelter. She educated people on the issue of
homelessness in their community, made major improvements to the shelter
facility and provided Christmas boxes to the children at the shelter. “Nicolle has influenced me for as long as I
can remember. Every little sister wants
to be like her older sister, and I was no exception,” states Danielle. “When I saw her work hard for her Gold Award,
I told myself that one day I would be standing on that stage receiving
recognition for all of my hard work. She
made me want to strive to be a better person and set my goals higher,” Danielle
added.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Danielle
partnered with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). She wanted to give the youth that were served
by this organization some of the luxuries many others think of as staples. She made sure each child had a box that
contained supplies to have an age appropriate birthday party; a bag with many
essentials, books and toys; and a life book that provided words of
encouragement and inspiration to the children who received them.
Having achieved the Gold Award herself, Nicolle was
there to support her sister along the way.
“Danielle has always told me she looked up to me. I wanted to set an example for her; I wanted
her to strive to be the best that she could be because she’s an amazing young lady,”
said Nicolle. “Above all, I reminded her
of the impact she was making as she continued to work on her project. She was changing people’s lives for the
better. The long hours of work she put
into the project couldn’t compare to the impact she was having on those
deserving people. I am extremely proud
of what she accomplished.”
Nicolle and Danielle encourage young girls to get
involved in Girl Scouting and for older girls to go for their Gold Award. “Girl Scouts has impacted my life so much
over the years,” said Nicolle. “Not only
has it helped me come out of my shell, but it also taught me some important
life lessons along the way. It taught me
that I could be a leader – that I had the drive and the skills all along. To this day, I use those same skills in my
work and my schooling,” Nicolle added.
“Earning my
Gold Award taught me skills that I’ll use in the future; it gave me a sense of
adulthood,” Danielle said. She also
encourages other girls to strive for this top award. “Do it!
Believe in yourself and push yourself to do better each day,” she added.
Nicolle is in her final year at Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville where she will graduate with a degree in Mass
Communications, minoring in Theatre and Dance.
She plans to pursue a career in the television industry after
graduation. Danielle is a senior at Mt.
Vernon Township High School. Upon
graduation, she intends to pursue a degree in Communications.
