Scouts earn Silver Award for park improvements

DR. PHILLIPS  The next time you visit Johns Lake Environmental Park and see the signage and a photo kiosk there, you can thank a Dr. Phillips Girl Scout troop for them.

Girl Scout Cadette Troop 432 recently completed the volunteer project under the leadership of Beth Jackson, supervisor of Orange County’s GREEN PLACE Environmental Park effort. Upon completion, participating girls earned a Girl Scout Silver Award in early June.

In Boy Scouts, the highest award achievable is the Eagle Scout rank. For Girl Scout Cadettes, the Silver Award is the equivalent. 

“The Girl Scout Silver Award represents a girl’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and in her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others,” said Cindy Sayers-Lane, Troop 432’s leader. “The first four requirements of the Girl Scout Silver Award help girls build skills, explore careers, gain leadership skills and make a commitment to self-improvement.”

To earn the Silver Award, each Girl Scout must go through a specific process. First, she needs to identify an issue she cares about. From there, girls can work as a team or individually as they explore the community and pick a project. Finally, they create a project plan and put it into action.

The girls who earned their Silver Award through this project were: Dahlia Abousaouira, Britney Damon, Anna Gigante, Gabriella Gissy, Indya Jimerson, Marilyn Lane, Sarah Saiari and Mary Waters.

They worked with Jackson as their beneficiary and sponsor to research, design and install four rustic park benches, seven picnic-area signs and a kiosk with photos and information about the marsh environment.

“It’s one of the newer parks in Orange County,” Sayers-Lane said. “There is nothing to really draw a crowd, and they were trying to make improvements in that direction. We put in a 10-foot kiosk with pictures of all of the wildlife that has been spotted in that park.”

The troop received assistance through support of local businesses, and the girls led the coordination and implementation of it all. Sayers-Lane said Westgate Resorts provided financial and technical support, while a local Lowe’s provided a generous amount to help cover all of the materials needed for the project.

Additionally, Wildlife Canvas Portraits of Oviedo donated photography of wildlife spotted at the park to use on the kiosk.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].