Local Girl Scouts earn prestigious ‘Gold Award’ for community service projects

Six local Girl Scouts have earned national recognition for the service projects they created to bring lasting improvements to Southwest Florida communities.

These high achievers included:

• Kaitlyn Jadevaia
• Bryanna Sparks
• Michaela Fischer
• Gabriella Stafford
• Ainsley Ellis
• Sarah Glass

WINK News had the opportunity to speak to two of them.

Throughout her journey as a Girl Scout, Fischer said there was never a question of whether she would complete a Gold Award service project.

The Canterbury School Senior is one of six Girl Scouts from Southwest Florida who have earned the Gold Award, the highest Girl Scouting award in the U.S., the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida announced last month.

The prestigious award is earned by qualifying senior or ambassador Girl Scouts who propose and execute a community service project.

Members choose to target a problem, either in their community or the world, and create a project with the goal of tackling it.

For Fischer, she chose to build a public garden for fallen soldiers at Veterans Park and Recreation in Lehigh Acres.

The garden features a star-shaped flower bed made of gray stone and filled with golden flowers. Each point of the star has a bronze symbol for each branch of the military.

She said her goal is to bring awareness to Gold Star families, those who have lost an immediate family member in active duty military service.

“I think the more that you know that these people are here, these Gold Star mothers are in this community,” Fischer said. “There are people who have given their lives, who have extensive connections in this community, it helps you to live with that mission of service that they exuded so much in their lives.”

Although stiffly bolted to the ground, the garden’s plaque is more interactive than meets the eye. While its engraved words will teach visitors about Gold Star families for years to come, the QR code allows people to leave virtual messages to keep the conversations updated and continuous.

Fischer used her own money, help from her family and money from selling Girl Scout cookies to pay for the project.

“We are so proud to honor the remarkable achievements of our girls who have earned their Gold Award,” said Mary Anne Servian, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. “Through their dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to making a difference, these young women have exemplified the true spirit of Girl Scouting. Their Gold Award projects not only leave a lasting impact on their communities but also serve as an inspiration to us all.”

For recipients such as Glass, the impact of Gold Award projects can stretch across multiple locations.

Glass implemented “mindfulness rooms” at three Accelerated Learning Solutions (ALS) schools in Lee County for her project.

The Bonita Springs High School graduate said schools didn’t have enough safe spaces for students to learn about mental health. Each of Glass’ cozy rooms include comfy chairs, pillows and a variety of helpful materials.

Through her discipline and time management skills, the three ALS schools will continue to use the safe spaces Glass created even after her involvement ends.

“I learned to be kind to myself and not put too much pressure on myself to complete the project as fast as possible,” Sarah said. “I focused on one small part at a time rather than the big picture.”

According to the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, 87% of Gold Award Girl Scouts agree that earning their award gave them skills for achieving professional success.

For both Fischer and Glass, college is one of the next adventures to tackle, as their Gold Award projects will continue to create brighter futures for Southwest Florida communities.