Annette Beard
Melanie Beehler of Pea Ridge recently received her Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting, for her exceptional community service.
With the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at its core, the Girl Scout Gold Award challenges girls to identify issues about which they care deeply and plan and execute a take action project that will leave a lasting impact on the benefiting community. On average, it takes a girl more than two years to earn her Gold Award.
For her project, "Physical and Mental Health Workshop," Beehler gave a speech at the Pea Ridge Library to help her local community learn the importance of both mental and physical health. She incorporated games, guest speakers and library resources.
"Earning my Gold Award helped me gain confidence in myself and helped me realize my potential," Beehler said.
Her project also focused on increasing Pea Ridge Library traffic, while proving benefit to the entire community through mental and physical health awareness.
Beehler is a member of Troop 5448 and has been involved with Girl Scouts for 10 years.
"Seeking challenges in the world and finding solutions is what the Gold Award is all about," Dawn Prasifka, CEO of Girl Scouts -- Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, said. "The 12 young ladies who have earned their Gold Awards this year have put forth their best toward planning and executing projects that are making a difference in their communities now, and in the future."
According to the Girl Scout Research Institute's (GSRI) report, The Power of the Girl Scout Gold Award: Excellence in Leadership and Life, Girl Scout Gold Award recipients receive greater lifetime benefits than their peers with regard to positive sense of self, life satisfaction, leadership, life success, community service, and civic engagement thanks to their experience in Girl Scouting, including earning their Gold Award.
When compared to non-Girl Scout alumnae, Gold Award recipients soar when it comes to seeing themselves as a leader, providing service to others through volunteerism, and positive attitudes about themselves and the lives they lead. More generally, over ninety percent of Girl Scouts not only attributed their success in life to Girl Scouts, but they also said they could not have had access to the same experiences anywhere else.
Community on 06/22/2016