Girl
Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Kindra Smith
from Percy has been nominated for Girl Scouts of the USA’s 2014 National Young
Woman of Distinction (NYWOD) honor.
Each Girl Scout council can
submit up to three applicants for the NYWOD honor. This prestigious honor is conferred by Girl
Scouts of the USA on Girl Scout Gold Award recipients whose final projects
demonstrated extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact
and addressed a local challenge that related to a national and/or global
issue. Only ten girls throughout the
country receive this special honor each year.
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.
If selected as a National Young Woman of Distinction,
Kindra will receive a $5,000 academic scholarship made possible by the Kappa
Delta Foundation and will be nationally recognized at the 2014 National Council
Session/53rd National Convention of Girl Scouts of the USA.
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.
