Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Girl Scout Helps Military Canine Companions to Earn Silver Award

Girl Scout Cadette Morgan from Virginia Beach has earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For her project, Morgan sewed 10 dog beds to donate to Landing Zone Grace, a nonprofit organization that provides a retreat for veterans returning from deployment to transition in a relaxing and stress-free environment. Some of the veterans have service dogs, and after learning that the kennels at Landing Zone Grace have concrete floors, Morgan wanted to provide a comfortable place for the canines to spend time.

To make the dog beds, Morgan used donated materials to sew covers. She then met with a younger Girl Scout troop to tell them about her project, and the troop members helped fill the beds with stuffing.

“I chose this project because my dad is a Navy veteran, and I love animals,” Morgan said.

As a result of her project, neither the founder of Landing Zone Grace, Lynnette Bukowski, nor the veterans with service and companion dogs have to invest money in bedding for the dogs. For Morgan, the best part of her project was delivering the beds to Landing Zone Grace and seeing how grateful Bukowski was for her project.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award earned by Girl Scouts in middle school. To earn the award, Girl Scouts have to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action Project to address the matter through leadership work.