Friday, October 12, 2018

Girl Scout Ambassador Megan has earned her Gold Award


Megan Gillespie has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouts.

Megan is a girl on a mission. She wanted to assist the homeless and less-fortunate members of her community in living a healthier lifestyle. With the help of the Williamsburg House of Mercy in Williamsburg, VA, and her local church, her mission was made possible. Gillespie created a garden which produced food that was later given out to feed the homeless at the Williamsburg House of Mercy.

“The root cause of the homeless population not having access to fresh vegetables is that they are looking for ways in which they are able to ‘get by,’ versus what is most beneficial for their health,” she said. “By providing fresh vegetables to the homeless in the greater Williamsburg area, we are assisting in reducing hunger within our community, and in a small way, the world.”

Her project will be sustained with the help of the ministry she led during her project. She was able to encourage more than 35 people to join the ministry as members. It was Megan’s goal to have a large group of people to get involved in the beginning stages of the ministry so the services could be continued even after her Gold Award was complete. She showed the members how to run meetings, select crops to be planted, care for the garden and how to harvest.

The garden was a success! Megan reported that the garden yielded enough crops to continuously make donations to the House of Mercy. The recipients of the vegetables were grateful for what Megan was able to provide for them.

“Not only was the tangible product very fruitful, but the garden construction is reflective of what the Girl Scout organization and Saint Bede embody: innovation, beauty, intelligence and care,” she said.