River Bluffs Council's

2007-2008

Gold Award Recipients

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout may earn in Girl Scouting. It symbolizes outstanding accomplishments in the areas of leadership, community service, career planning and personal development. About 3,500 Girl Scouts nationwide earn the award each year - less than 3% of all Girl Scouts. A girl must be a registered Girl Scout and have successfully completed specific requirements before she may begin working on the Girl Scout Gold Award,  which is an extension and a compilation of all that she has learned in Girl Scouting.

Miranda Brittin

Antje Collman

Samantha DiCenso

Ashley DeRousse

Mary Doll

Renee Fietsam

Rachel Flake

Holly Hellman

Lindsay Jaeggi

Jane Kirkpatrick

Melanie Lischer

Mallory Maves

Amanda Rensing

Eva Roeder

Katherine Siemer

Shari Thurnau

Sara Wilken

Miranda Brittin

For Miranda's Girl Scout Gold Award project, she wanted to make her community more aware of the Belleville Area Humane Society, along with helping getting people to adopt and provide loving homes to animals. She achieved this by making a brochure on the organization with information such as what the community can donate to the organization, directions and location information, things to remember when adopting, and volunteering information. She also created a website slide show that ran at the local bowling alley. The biggest part of her project was creating a special section on the website so the community could see what animals were available for adoption. Through her project, Miranda learned "When things seem to get too hard to finish, don't give up. Finish strong and to the best of your ability."

Antje Collman

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Antje made fleece blankets to give out to the local police and fire department. These are then be taken out on calls and given to victims of accidents and other incidents. Through her project, Antje learned "that she is stronger and more determined than she

though she was." She also learned "that the completion of her Girl Scout Gold Award could serve as an example to other Girl Scouts in her community who may be considering working on the Girl Scout Gold Award. "

Ashley DeRousse

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Ashley and fellow Girl Scout Rachel Flake facilitated a volunteer fair for high school students in their local community to help them with resources to get involved with volunteer organizations. They also sent out interest forms so students who did not attend the fair could still sign up to volunteer. They then created a database for each organization with a list of volunteers. Through her project, Ashley learned that "the way to work through failure and how to turn it into a success".

Samantha DiCenso

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Samantha wanted to address the issue of all the mosquitoes in her area, along with improving her community.  She did this by building five bat houses in her community park which will hopefully entice bats to roost in her town and reduce the insects in the more marshy areas of town.  She also held an educational “bat day” to educate the community about the benefits of bats and bat houses, while doing some fun activities.  Through her project, Samantha learned “that this experience has taught her to always have a back-up plan, because you never know when something will fall through at the last minute.”

Mary Doll

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Mary worked at the Watershed Nature Park in Edwardsville, IL. There she rebuilt a broken bridge to make it more accessible and she added and repaired trails. After her work, she went back and noticed that people were actually using the new trails, along with walking on the bridge. Through her project, Mary learned that "I enjoy being a leader and I will incorporate leadership into my everyday life."

Renee Fietsam

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Renee wanted to spread awareness about recycling in her community. She did this by hosting a week long program for kids in the local elementary school that focused on the importance of recycling, what can be recycled, and how to recycle. She also created and distributed brochures with information about local recycling programs. Through her project, Renee learned that "if there is something that 1 really want to do, 1 can find other people with the same interests, and together we can accomplish a goal, no matter how big or small."

Rachel Flake

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Rachel and fellow Girl Scout Ashley DeRousse facilitated a volunteer fair for high school students in their local community to help them with resources to get involved with volunteer organizations. They also sent out interest forms so students who did not

attend the fair could still sign up to volunteer. They then created a database for each organization with a list of volunteers. Through her project, Rachel felt that "she has helped other students get the same satisfaction out of volunteering that she does. She felt that she has made a difference."

Holly Hellman

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Holly, along with another Girl Scout Lindsay Jaeggi, constructed a butterfly garden for their high school. The garden consisted of many different types of plants and flowers as well as a bench for people to sit at. It will be used as an outdoor classroom for the environmental and ecology classes at the high school. Holly and Lindsay also did a memorial to a former student who was a fallen soldier. They created stepping stones that lead up to a plaque dedicated to this soldier, along with all fallen soldiers. Through her project, Holly learned that "she is a strong and powerful person" and she is "very proud to have left a piece of her in her community."

Lindsay Jaeggi

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Lindsay, along with another Girl Scout, Holly Hellman, constructed a butterfly garden for their high school. The garden consisted of many different types of plants and flowers as well as a bench for people to sit at. It will be used as an outdoor classroom for the environmental and ecology classes at the high school. Holly and Lindsay also did a memorial to a former student who tragically died while serving in Iraq. They created stepping stones that lead up to a plaque dedicated to this solder, along with all fallen soldiers. Through her project, Lindsay learned that "if she set her mind to something, it can go above and beyond her dreams."

Jayne Kirkpatrick

For Jayne's Girl Scout Gold Award project, her goal was to spread the word within my community about involvement and its key role in making a small town successful. To do this, she attended several town board meetings addressing her project to the public and board members. She also invited

individuals, businesses, and donators to help volunteer their time towards the project. By doing so, she built a lavish and inviting brick sign at the comer of the park. The main goal of the sign was to help community members realize that with time and dedication to your community, you can accomplish many realistic achievements. After her project, Jayne said "1 do not look at the Girl Scout Gold Award as a completion. 1 look at it as the foundation for my future, prospering into nonstop devotion and involvement within my community and organizations that 1 hold dear to my heart."

Melanie Lischer

For Melanie's project, she decided to address the problem of there not being any shaded areas or anywhere to sit at the playground at the Shooting and Recreational Complex near her town. Melanie led a group of volunteers and constructed covered benched that have a table and seat, so that people could sit and eat with their families or watch their children at the playground. She also planted flowers and around newly planted trees to help with the landscaping. Through her project, Melanie learned that " hard work and diligence are key when working towards a long-term goal, and having a passion for what you are doing is always important."

Mallory Maves

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Mallory held a Breast Cancer Awareness seminar to teach women and teens about the importance of early detection. The seminar covered topics including breast health, self-breast exams, and careers in breast cancer taught by health professionals. She also had each person at the seminar make two bookmarks that demonstrated early breast cancer detection so each person could share that information with a loved one. Through her project, Mallory learned that avoiding the phrase "I don't have time. . . ", will soon help you to realize that you do have the time needed for just about anything you choose to accomplish in life.

Amanda Rensing

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Amanda held a camp-out for foster children. Amanda knows some kids in foster care and wanted to give them a chance to get away and have fun and relax. Amanda planned many fun activities, which included: hikes, a scavenger hunt, many fun crafts, a campfire, and songs. Through her project, Amanda learned "how to plan an event herself" and "how to use many resources to her advantage."

Eva Roeder

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Eva's goal was to get people of all ages educated and aware of breast cancer and ways to prevent it. She did this in two parts. In the first part, she set up a booth at the Belleville News-Democrat Lipstik Women's Show that included exhibits such as a lump-size

indicator, a Power Point presentation, and life-like silicone breast models. Nearly 4000 women between the ages 20-50 were at this show. For the second part of her project, she held a seminar on breast cancer awareness and education at the YMCA for the Active Older Adults. This included the

same kind of exhibits, but she also had three presenters, a breast cancer survivor, a Radiation Oncologist, and a Breast Cancer Navigator speak to the group. At both of these events, she also made brochures that included information on diagnosis, treatment, care, and support for breast cancer victims. Through her project, Eva learned that she can trust people and that people are more willing to help than she originally thought. She also learned that "In life, don't judge others, never do anything half -heartedly, save room for error, and always be a Girl Scout!"

Katherine Siemer

Katie's project was to create a fitness station along a walking trail in the Teutopolis Community Park. She hoped the station would generate enthusiasm for physical activity and to help the walkers and runners who utilize the trail a more complete exercise regime. Katie drew on her experience as a gymnast, and talked with a physical therapist and the physical education instructor at the local junior high school. The result was a dual plat formed exercise station that gives participants a well-rounded workout. Katie hopes that there will be more stations added in the future to encourage physical fitness in the community

Shari Thurnau

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Shari wanted to address the issue of child safety. To address this, Shari went to two different locations and had the children at create their own child identification kits. Each child was weighed, measured, and fingerprinted and all the information was recorded in a booklet for each child to take home. Other information could then be added such as photographs, eye and hair color, and birthmarks. In the end, 250 children make ill kits. Through her project, Shari feels that many more children will now be safer.

Sara Wilken

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Sara wanted to do something that would give children a little comfort when they have to go to the hospital. She did this by making over 50 blankets and delivering them to children at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Sara said about her project "to see the look on their faces and the faces of their parents when they received a blanket is something that I will never forget."