Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Kindra Smith from Percy has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Kindra constructed a pathway in the Percy City Park so that residents would have a safe, pleasant place to exercise. “I realized that the only sidewalks in town ware along the highway,” she said. “Creating the pathway around the park allowed people more options and a safe and enjoyable environment to walk, run or ride bikes.”
Kindra completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project while she was attending Trico High School, where she was a 2013 graduate. She first designed a plan for the walkway, which is a quarter-mile long and four feet wide and made of concrete. She then presented her idea to the city board and gathered the support of local businesses, many of which donated supplies to her project. To fund the pathway, she organized a community fund-raiser. When it came time for the pathway to be built, she oversaw its construction and pitched in pouring concrete.
“Organization was a major life skill I that I learned while working on my Girl Scout Gold Award,” she said. “I learned to organize fundraiser events, work days and concrete pours.”
Kinda also gained a sense of achievement and self-confidence from her project. “My project was a huge task to take on, so knowing I can accomplish something that big is amazing,” she said.
Kindra is the daughter of Rhonda and Aaron Smith. She is currently a freshman at John A. Logan College where she is enrolled in the Dental Hygiene program. Kindra is a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts and continues to volunteer as a troop leader.
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.
Today, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. is the largest voluntary organization for girls in the world. Its sole focus is to meet the needs of all girls (ages 5-17) from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Today’s Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity, good citizenship, leadership and teamwork. Girl Scouting is the place where girls experience the fun, friendship and power of girls together.
