The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore honored 35 Girl Scouts from Monmouth and Ocean counties, including three from Manalapan, two from Freehold and one from Marlboro, with the Girl Scout Silver Award on Nov. 29 at the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore’s Program Activity Center, Howell.
“By earning the Girl Scout Silver Award, these young women have proven they are committed to changing society for the better,” said Eileen M. Higgins, CEO, Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. “They have made a difference in their community and improved the lives of others by taking action on an issue that is important to them.”
The Girl Scout Silver Award is the second highest award girls can earn in Girl Scouting, and the highest award attainable at the middle school level. To earn the Silver Award, recipients must complete a leadership project that exceeds 50 hours with a lasting and sustainable impact on their community, according to a press release from the Girl Scouts.
The following area residents earned the Silver Award:
• Emma Duke, Freehold, Monarch Way Station. Emma created a monarch butterfly way station for her Silver Award project. Located at the corner of a Green Acres property on Elton-Adelphia Road, this project used a kiosk built by others that was in need of repair. Emma repaired the kiosk and installed new Plexiglas to protect the educational posters from the weather. While viewing the posters, visitors can scan QR codes for more information. Emma also planted a garden that included flowers butterflies use for food and shelter. The garden also gives butterflies a place to lay their eggs where caterpillars can thrive.
• Ilana Sharon, Freehold, Increasing Awareness and Helping Animals in Need. For her Girl Scout Silver Award project, Ilana increased community awareness of the need for pet adoption. She volunteered with the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to collect donations of products that could be given to new pet owners. She also created a PowerPoint presentation to be shown in local schools and in her community to make others aware of the high number of animals in need of adoption and care.
• Natalia Korzemba, Manalapan, and Samantha Lonseth, Manalapan, Project Samaritan. Natalia and Samantha created Project Samaritan for their Silver Award project in order to aid the Samaritan Center food pantry. They created a public service announcement highlighting interviews with the center’s director and the center’s volunteers to raise awareness of what the center does in the community and to increase awareness of the support it needs.
To support the center’s clients, Natalia and Samantha created colorful index cards with easy-to-make recipes that were included with the Samaritan Center food orders every week. In addition, Natalia created a website for the community highlighting how to volunteer and support the Samaritan Center; the site also includes information about how to stop the impact of hunger. The website received more than 500 views, including some from other countries.
• Trinity Stockel, Manalapan, Little Free Library. For her Silver Award project, Trinity created a local book exchange at the Little Free Library to encourage reading. Those using the exchange have easy access to books and can keep them as long as they want without a due date. The book exchange allows people to share their favorite books with others in town.
• Angela Dinh, Marlboro, Keeping Our Community Warm. For her Silver Award project, Angela recruited volunteers to knit and crochet 70 hats and 20 scarves to give to those less fortunate. The items were donated to the Feed All God’s Children Soup Kitchen in Freehold. Among the volunteers were members of a local knitting club. The club plans to take over Angela’s project and will continue the drive for years to come.