3GLEN CARBON - Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Emily Baima from Collinsville has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Mammal Enclosure, Emily built an enclosure to aid in the rehabilitation of small mammals at TreeHouse Wildlife Center. Based on the needs of the center at any given time, the enclosure could also be used to accommodate temporary or permanent residents. Emily knew how TreeHouse Wildlife Center relied on volunteers for projects, and her project would be a worthwhile contribution that would benefit the facility for years to come.
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Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Emily learned the importance of following through with a project to achieve the end result. “I learned that persistence pays off,” said Emily. “Projects don’t always go as planned, but if you take initiative to solve a problem, the end result is worth it,” she added.
Emily is the daughter of Scott and Tammy Baima. She is currently a senior at Collinsville High School. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Emily has been a Girl Scout for 13 years.
The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.
Today, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. is the largest voluntary organization for girls in the world. Its sole focus is to meet the needs of all girls (ages 5-17) from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Today’s Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity, good citizenship, leadership and teamwork. Girl Scouting is the place where girls experience the fun, friendship and power of girls together.
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is a not-for-profit organization supported by various United Ways throughout the region. Girl Scouts is a Proud Partner of United Way. For more information, please call Tricia Higgins at 618.242.5079.
