Sophia Ballard from Effingham Earns the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Sophia J. Ballard from Effingham has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Business Tree Bookshelf, Sophia wanted to impact young teens who had an interest in business. Due to budget cuts, the area’s junior high school business club was discontinued. Sophia participated in this club during junior high, and she wanted other students to still be able to have the benefit of learning about business as she had. She built a bookshelf that was designed to catch the attention of students and house informational books related to business.  She also donated some youth-oriented books on business topics.  Sophia partnered with the library, which will maintain the tree bookshelf in the future.

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Sophia gained valuable leadership skills that she’ll be able to use throughout her life. “I learned that it takes a lot of hard work and patience to see a project through, beginning to end, and that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of family and friends,” said Sophia.

Sophia is the daughter of Ken and Deena Ballard. She is currently a junior at Effingham High School and 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.

Allison Hermann from O'Fallon Receives the Girl Scout Gold Award

Allison Hermann from O’Fallon has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Allison raised public awareness about the features and resources available at the O’Fallon Public Library. She started by becoming familiar with the library’s databases and new children’s computers. After months of planning, Allison first held a computer fair to teach young library patrons how to use the new computers, which feature pre-loaded games and a web-safe browser. Next, she hosted a program in the library’s computer lab for students to learn how to use online databases that are helpful for both research projects and leisure reading. She also created flyers and bookmarks that explained how to use these resources, which the library continues to use. 

“I have always loved libraries and kids,” said Allison. “I hoped to help the library show kids and adults the new technology available in the children’s department. I believe that these resources are helpful to people of all ages, so I’m glad that I was able to show people how to use them.” 

Allison added that the project helped her develop planning, problem solving and communication skills as well. “I have grown a lot through this project and it has made me a more confident person,” she said. She was also impressed by the impact that a positive teen role model can have on children. “A little girl who is also a Girl Scout said with wonder ‘Wait, big kids can be Girl Scouts too? I thought it was only for little kids. I want to be a Girl Scout when I’m big!’ ” 

Allison is the daughter Gary and Marcie Hermann and is a senior at O’Fallon Township High School. Allison has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and received the Girl Scout Bronze Award and Girl Scout Silver Award prior to earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. 

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 6 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.