9 in Stanislaus earn Girl Scouts’ highest award

Nine Girl Scouts from Modesto, Turlock and Riverbank have received their Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.

Among them is Krupa Modi, who also received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (not a Girl Scouts award). This national award recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant time to serve their communities and their country.

To earn the Gold Award, girls are challenged with the task of choosing a community issue and addressing root causes with sustainable solutions. The Scouts must demonstrate extraordinary leadership in a project that requires 80 or more hours of work and has lasting effects in the community. Locally, 3 percent of Scouts eligible to earn the Gold Award received it this year, according to Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.

Here’s a look, provided by the Girl Scout council, at the award recipients and their projects:​​

Emma Austin, Modesto

Modesto High School was missing an important place to store history: an archive. With the help of the community, Emma planned and created an archive of artifacts for Modesto High School filled with newspapers, yearbooks and photos. Trophies, letterman jackets and Panther mascots will come soon. Now that there is one central point for all of this valuable, underrated information, it will be easy, convenient, fun and free to access.

“If I didn’t have the village of people that I have today to help me, it would have never come true,” Emma said.

Samantha Carlson, Modesto

Samantha found there was a lack of programs promoting creative expression at a middle school in her community. As a solution, she created and taught a weekly art club. A highlight from her project was the mural the club painted at the end of the year. The kids used the bonds they’d made throughout the year to work together and creatively express their passions on a mural.

“The purpose of the club was really brought to life in this experience; that is, to share ideas and build friendships through creative expression,” Samantha said. “I learned valuable leadership skills, and how important of a role art can play in enhancing a child’s life.”

Summer Cortez, Modesto

Though children get a brief lesson on plant science during their primary education, seldom is locality addressed – despite us living in one of the most agriculturally diverse areas in the country. Summer taught youth in her community through hands-on activities about food: where it comes from, how to maintain a balanced diet containing fruits and vegetables, and how food interacts with the world around them. She emphasized agriculture in Modesto and what it takes to be a “locavore” – someone who eats only locally produced food whenever possible.

“My Girl Scout Gold Award project allowed me to not only obtain a number of skills, but also helped me learn about myself as a leader. My organizational skills improved tenfold, and I was able to explore my public speaking abilities,” Summer said.

Krupa Modi, Modesto

Krupa knew many peers who really wanted to volunteer but weren’t sure how to do so in a meaningful way. To solve the issue, she organized a Community Service Faire at her school and invited local organizations to speak to students about volunteer opportunities in the community. It was successful. The more than 250 students who attended learned about the local organizations and volunteer opportunities. The fair is now scheduled to be an annual event at her high school.

“I learned the importance of teamwork! So many times in the past, I have been inclined just to take on the work by myself,” Krupa said. “The process of organizing the Community Service Faire really taught me how to delegate responsibilities and rely on a team. I think this made a huge difference in the overall outcome of the event.”

Venice Nomof, Modesto

Venice saw a need in her community, which led to creating a math and science summer camp in association with the Boys & Girls Club. Through a variety of games, activities and demonstrations, the camp was designed to increase the students’ interest in math and science. The kids Venice worked with came from low-income schools, and during their school session, many of them have to focus first on learning English as a second language or worry about necessities such as getting enough food.

“The best part of my project was seeing the growth my students experienced. They transitioned from being timid about trying new activities to anticipating my arrival and greeting me at the door with avid curiosity about the day’s agenda,” Venice said. “From this experience, I grew as a leader as I learned about time management, flexibility, responsibility and perseverance.”

Erin Redding, Modesto

To address the need for healthier lifestyles in her community, specifically for youth, Erin implemented a health and fitness program for third-graders at an elementary school. The students were introduced to fun ways to be fit, such as yoga and aerobics, and she also taught them how to bake healthy snacks such as kale chips or banana-oat cookies that they could share with their families.

“My favorite part of this project was having the children approach me week after week to tell me that they had included a new healthy snack in their diet, or exercised daily,” Erin said. “The fact that I was able to impact their lifestyle choices at such a young age astounded me.”

Katelin Urgo, Modesto

As arts programs at public elementary and middle schools are being cut due to lack of funding, Katelin stepped in to organize and execute a talent show for children from low-income families at a local center. The talent show gave kids the opportunity to express themselves creatively and learn tips and tricks along the way from experienced performers.

“One of the biggest highlights from the project was getting to witness the kids’ pure natural abilities shine when they were given the chance,” Katelin said. “I learned that things don’t always go as expected when organizing such a large project. However, when I took a step back and focused in on my end result, it became easier to manage every detail with the ultimate goal in mind – being there for the kids.

Megan Speckman, Turlock

Megan addressed the issue of the homeless unable to provide themselves or their families with proper hygiene. As a solution, she created and distributed hygiene kits that included shampoo, soap, deodorant, a toothbrush and other essentials. This gave them the supplies they needed to stay clean and healthy.

“Some highlights of my project was being able to interact with the homeless and being able to witness their excitement when receiving something so simple as a toothbrush,” Megan said. “I learned that you don’t need to do something extravagant to help someone’s life. Just giving someone shampoo or soap can show them that they matter.”

Meghan McKenzie, Riverbank

Meghan founded and started at her school a club called B.R.I.D.Ge (Building Relationships Involving Diverse Generations). Currently, the club includes about 15 students, who walk to a local assisted-living community once a month to spend time with the residents. They play games, do crafts, and simply spend time and create friendships with the people there.

“I will never forget the day when a resident thanked me sincerely for creating the club,” Meghan said. “This club will continue on with new officers, and I am excited for many more visits to come, friendships to build, life stories to share and memories to make.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 5:50 PM with the headline "9 in Stanislaus earn Girl Scouts’ highest award."