ST. LOUIS – The month of January is observed as Poverty Awareness Month. During this month-long initiative, Americans raise awareness and call attention to the growth of poverty throughout the county. Recently, University City Girl Scouts decided to organize a clothing drive to help those in need in their community to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award.
Molly Hoffman, Addie Mayes and Kiki Soucy partnered with RedBike Outreach to provide gently used clothing to local families. After meeting with two local churches to present their project, these young changemakers worked with them to host a clothing drive at both locations. The Girl Scouts set up collection bins, wrote bulletin notices and created yard signs to promote the drive. They also provided lists of donated items most needed and information about RedBike Outreach. Once all donations were collected, the girls sorted everything by gender, size and type of clothing and delivered the items.
“The Girl Scout Bronze Award helps make the world a better place,” said Hoffman. “We wanted to help people in our community who needed clothes. It was fun to earn one of the highest awards in Girl Scouts and a good goal to organize and execute.”
The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Juniors, girls in 4th-5th grade can achieve. It requires girls to identify a need in their community and dedicate more than 20 hours on average toward addressing and solving the issue. When Girl Scout Juniors focus on an issue they care about, learn the facts, take action to make a difference, and gain the confidence and skills that catapult them to lifelong success.
We’re Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscoutsem.org.