Gold Award Spotlight: The Importance of Health: Mind, Body and Spirit

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

For her Gold Award, she helped her community take charge of children’s wellness by developing a 3-week program, “The Importance of Health: Mind, Body, & Spirit,” that was hosted at Chesapeake’s Empowerment Counseling Center. The classes she organized and led showed school-age children how to be healthy physically, emotionally and mentally.

“I know that health can lead to academic success, physical success, mental wellbeing, and spiritual rewards,” Yasmin said. “All these factors, if developed early in life, should lead to a lifetime of success and wellbeing. I want this measure of success for children no matter where they dwell.”

Her project was geared toward the children in her community because she believes that children should know about healthy nutrition, fun ways to get exercise and understand how to reduce stigmas surrounding mental health in order to live a happy, successful life and have access to health resources in their community.

Yasmin learned how to identify problems in her community, research solutions, and present that information in an impactful way thanks to her Gold Award project.

The Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority continues to utilize and sustain her educational program within the community.

Gold Award Spotlight: Educational Videos for AP Students

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

A motivated and dedicated student, Grace decided to use her Gold Award project, “Educational Videos for AP Students,” to help her peers better prepare for their Advanced Placement (AP) Art History exam. She created online videos that were engaging and informative which allowed students to access content at any time that would not only prepare them for the exam, but also allow them to find ways to relate to the information they were learning during the course. Grace also created a lesson plan and supplied materials to host an AP review session during class, which increased her peers’ success rate.

“My videos touch on some of the more challenging aspects of the course, preventing students from becoming discouraged in their learning by providing concise explanations and ways to retain the information and be successful on the AP test,” she explained.

Grace’s project will be sustained thanks to her resources being available online for other students to use. Her former AP Art History teacher will also be able to help students in the future by making the videos she made a part of his exam review before the test.

Gold Award Spotlight: Trantwood School Supply Drive

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

For her Gold Award, “Trantwood School Supply Drive,” Jessica helped make a lasting impact on students and teachers in her community by creating and stocking a school supply closet with essential school items. The supplies, she said, would be instrumental in helping to set students up for success when they start school. Jessica placed donation boxes around the community to gather items which helped to increase the number of school supplies in the closet. She gathered more than 600 supplies, allowing the closet to be fully stocked. 

“This project opened my eyes to what some families go through to send their kids to school,” she said. “It is heartbreaking that many kids go to school every day and don’t have anything with them for learning.”

Students who may not be fortunate enough to start school with the supplies they need will be able to benefit from Jessica’s project, which will be sustained by her church’s youth group, for years to come. 

The Wild Things take on three-part hiking experience

A guest blog written by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Volunteer, Bonnie Taylor. 

The Wild Things of GSCCC took on the Triple Crown of Virginia recently, a three-part hiking experience in Roanoke, Va. which features three iconic vistas—Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. This was a very challenging and ambitious goal, but don’t think for a minute that we couldn’t do it! 

On Tuesday we took on Dragon’s Tooth.  This is a 4.1-mile out and back with 1,227 feet elevation change (each way!).  There was a lot of bouldering required for this hike.  We were climbing rocks almost straight up!  

On Wednesday we took on McAfee Knob.  This is the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail.  This hike took us 7.6-miles with 1,591 feet of elevation change (each way). The view from the Knob is simply breathtaking.  

Then on Thursday we took on Tinker Cliffs – the most challenging of all. This was a 7-mile hike with 1,902 feet in elevation change (again, each way). So overall, we hiked 9,440 feet in elevation change!  

Yes, there were some sore muscles. Yes, there were some blisters and YES there were smiles and arms raised in victory! These girls can say “been there, done that and got the t-shirt!”  

Did I mention we did this during the hottest week of the year? I recommend everyone try this hike, I just don’t recommend you hike this during the month of July!

2019 Famous Formers

Each membership year, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast recognizes local Girl Scout alums who are leaders in their field as Famous Formers. These women serve as role models for girls today- the future leaders of tomorrow.

The list of women selected to be 2019 Girl Scout Famous Formers is in!

Congratulations to the following Girl Scout alums who will be recognized at our 2019 Famous Formers Luncheon being held on November 21st at Hilton Norfolk The Main:

• Kate Godby, senior engagement manager for Hewlett Packard Enterprises
• Janice "Jay" Johnson, community activist for Virginia Organizing
• Joann Bautti, director of student affairs for Eastern Virginia Medical School
• Lisa Spiller, distinguished professor in the department of management and marketing at Christopher Newport University
• Tricia Hudson, president and owner of Strategic Solutions by Tricia, LLC.
• Bonita Billingsley Harris, media and communications relations manager for Dominion Energy

We also would like to congratulate Michaela Britt, store operations analyst for Dollar Tree, on being selected as our 2019 Future Famous Former.

The women who will be honored at this year's luncheon are among an elite group. There are currently more than 50 million Girl Scout alums nationwide. These women include 55% of the females in the 115th U.S. Congress, every female secretary of state in U.S. history, and more than half of female entrepreneurs and business owners.

In addition, GSCCC would like to applaud TowneBank for being selected as our 2019 Corporate G.I.R.L. Champion of the Year award. This is the first year GSCCC is honoring a company with the award during the Famous Formers Luncheon. To earn the award, a company must have made efforts:

• to better the environment in the community around them
• toward gender parity in STEM fields
• to provide their employees learning, training and education opportunities to continue to hone employees' skills
• to recruit and retain women in leadership roles 

At the luncheon, guests will hear from Dr. Patricia Turner of The Norfolk 17, the first group of African American students to integrate into Norfolk Public Schools. Dr. Turner, a Girl Scout alum, will share how her life-altering experiences in her youth made her the G.I.R.L. champion she is today.  

Please plan to purchase a ticket to the 2019 Famous Formers Luncheon and meet these impactful women.

Tickets are on sale now! For more information, visit www.gsccc.org or click here to reserve your spot.