Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to
announce that Kara Schwinke from Teutopolis has received the Girl Scout Gold
Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her project, Branching Out, Kara organized a tree planting project in Teutopolis
Community Park, which included recruiting community donors to purchase
trees. She also held a tree presentation
program from children in grades K-4, during which she discussed the positive
impact of trees on the environment.
“I wanted a project that would beautify
our City Park,” said Kara. “Trees
provide beauty, shade, wildlife habitat ad oxygen production.”
Kara was pleased by the community support
for her project. “Many people helped in
many ways,” she said. I believe that
planting trees will be contagious and others will want to do projects in the
park.” She was also grateful for the personal
growth that earning the Girl Scout Gold Award provided. “I learned I am capable of doing great things
for my community,” she said, noting that she gained valuable experience
planning a project, organizing a team and speaking in front of others.
Kara has been a Girl Scout for 12 years. She is currently a senior as Teutopolis High
School and plans to attend college to major in Physical Therapy next year. She is the daughter of Carl and Tina
Schwinke.
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.
