ST. LOUIS — The Gold Scout Silver Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can achieve, allows girls in middle school to team up to make a difference, learn essential leadership skills and watch how seemingly small actions make a big difference.
For one Florissant Girl Scout troop, they saw an opportunity to provide feminine hygiene products and mental health resources to women in need for their Silver Award Project.
Ariella Bauer, Armani Bond, Laela Gaines, Nasira Owens and Elyse Townsend began their Silver Award project by partnering with The George Bean Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the homeless and researching the needs and mental health issues of women.
Then these young leaders got to work creating flyers and decorating collection bins. They contacted local grocery stores, libraries and churches to place their donation boxes around their community.
Once the girls gathered all the donated items, they packaged everything and dropped it off with The George Bean Project to distribute to those in need.
The girls also created mental health flyers that included resources, safe spaces for women and inspirational quotes at their bin locations.
These flyers helped raise awareness and offer resources for women with mental health concerns. To ensure their project was sustainable for the future, the girls have continued their relationship with the local businesses, so their project continues as a yearly event.
These change-makers have gained new skills and experiences through their Silver Award project and encourage other girls to pursue the prestigious award.
“I think that girls should earn the Girl Scout Silver Award because it helps you to grow, open your mind to new things and give you the opportunity to help others,” Owens said.