Toms River Girl Scouts Receive Gold Award

The following was submitted by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore:

The Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore presented two Toms River Girl Scouts with the Girl Scout Gold Award during a special ceremony on May 30 at Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood. Nationwide, only five percent of all eligible Girl Scouts earn this prestigious award, the highest achievement a teen Girl Scout can earn.

In addition to the Gold Award, each recipient received special commendations from President Barack Obama, their senate and congressional representatives, Governor Chris Christie, and in many cases, from their county and state elected officials.

In order to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, girls must utilize the leadership skills learned through Girl Scouting to address and raise awareness of a specific issue or issues within her community. Each recipient is required to complete at least 80 hours on a project that combines organizational leadership and networking skills with community service. This year’s projects included creating a “Prayer Garden” and feeding the hungry.

Amanda Kacperowski, Toms River

Amanda created a “Prayer Garden” on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Before her garden, the serene area was uninviting and had an unpleasant look. Amanda approached her former pastor and proposed building a prayer garden in the center of the unwelcoming space. Plants and statues soon replaced an uninviting environment with a peaceful, tranquil, and welcoming prayer garden for the entire community to enjoy. Today, many people continue to bring flowers, statues and even leave money for the poor. Amanda developed her leadership and organizational skills through this project by designating jobs to others and contacting others for materials or donations.

Sarah Wood, Toms River

Sarah addressed the issue of feeding the hungry with a Thanksgiving/Christmas-themed dinner. Originally intended for 100 members of the Ocean County Baptist Church, the dinner soon doubled because of the needs of the many people who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. She had to enlist more people to help at the dinner, and had to obtain additional food donations. She also set up a food and supply pantry at the church, with the help of the church youth group and other church members. Sarah learned that she has the skills to be a good leader. She also learned planning and organizational skills, as well as patience and time management.