girl scouts of the colonial coast
For her project, Carley built a raised garden bed and started a nature activity club at King’s Grant House, a senior living facility. After building the box for the garden, Carley and residents at King’s Grant House planted vegetable and herbs. Over the summer, Carley met with residents to water and maintain the garden. When it came time to harvest, the kitchen staff used the vegetables and herbs in the meals they prepared for residents.
“I was inspired to do this project because my grandmother moved into an assisted living facility, and I saw a need for an engaging outdoor activity for the residents,” Carley said. “A garden seemed to be the perfect solution to bring the residents together, get them active and give them something to be excited about.”
Carley also started a compost bin at King’s Grant House, which will provide nutrient-rich soil for the garden in the future. She arranged for maintenance staff at King’s Grant House to help keep up the garden and for the kitchen staff to continue to use the vegetables and herbs from the garden in residents’ meals.
The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Carley to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.
