Girl Scouts Can Do Big Things
By Amie Martin
Rainsville Girl Scout, Reagan Martin, has been a Girl Scout for four years. She has been working tirelessly to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award. The Silver Award is a project taken on by Cadette level Girl Scouts; it is the highest honor a Cadette can achieve.
It requires the girls to focus on an issue that they care about, learn the facts, and take action to make a difference.
During the process, the girls gain compassion for others, confidence, and skills to launch them into a life of success. They must also complete at least 50 hours of work on their chosen project. This project was not a project for the faint of heart.
She sorted, bagged, organized, loaded, and unloaded bags of clothing.
Reagan, who is 11, chose to collect clothing and give them away to those in need. She collected over 100 garbage bags of clothes, ranging from baby to men’s and shoes and toys. The event was held on Sunday, November 1, 2020, and people came and filled bags with the clothes they or their family needed.
Reagan used a personal experience to choose her project.
“We actually went to one of these a couple of years back, and I thought it was a good idea,” explained Regan.
“They might not be able to afford clothing and get the stuff they want. It makes me feel happy because I know I’m helping people,” said Regan.
“It’s very important for her to see the need of people and know how to meet that need,” Regan’s mom, Amie, explained.
“We’ve been in that position where we’ve needed help before, and that’s when we went to the event. Regan learned from that event, and she picked up more than I thought she did, you know, at the time,” said Amie.
Girl Scouts from several troops in DeKalb County helped with the set-up, running the event, and packing up.
Reagan and the others helping talked to several of the families who came. One family was collecting things to send to other family members in Guatemala, and some volunteers from a home for the elderly came and collected many bags of items for their residents.
“I am so very proud of Reagan for her hard work. Not many kids will stick it out. She did have a little nudging from me at times when she got tired,” Amie commented. “I would like to thank everyone who donated and helped with this project for Reagan. We had a tremendous response and were able to help a lot of people.”
The items left over were donated to a local charity, so they will help even after the event is over.
At the beginning of 2020, Reagan took on making 75 machine-sewn face masks and donated them to DeKalb County EMA to Earn her Girl Scout Bronze Award. The Bronze Award is the highest honor a Junior level Girl Scout can earn.
She already has plans to begin her Girl Scout Gold Award Project as soon as she is eligible.
Girl Scouts Can Do Big Things