Mamie Barton received a letter with good news in early February. Then a second notice of good news arrived shortly thereafter. Mamie had achieved two top awards from the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Like the Boy Scouts of America, which has its Eagle Scout designation, Girl Scouts has an awards program where participants earn designations that recognize their accomplishments. Mamie’s first award this month was the Presidential Award, given at three levels: bronze, silver, and gold.
“I have received the gold category of this award, which means that I have successfully completed 250+ service hours in one year,” she said. Girls must follow the Girl Scout Service Hour guidelines for eligible service, limited to unpaid acts of volunteer service benefiting others. The guidelines restrict specific projects, such as political lobbying and serving only family members.
“I hosted necessities drives for Shower Power and Canopy Children Solutions,” she said. Rather than one project, in this award category, girls can volunteer for different projects to gain the hours needed. The drives and the service hours she received from working at fundraisers, reading to the Canopy Children, inventory work, and many others resulted in more than 280 hours in a calendar year. Shower Power is a non-profit that provides mobile showers and hygiene products to individuals without homes. Canopy Children’s Solutions offers behavioral health, education, and family support services.
On Wednesday, Mamie received a second award — the most prestigious award offered by the organization. Fewer than six percent of scout participants earn the Girl Scout Gold Award yearly. The Girl Scout Gold Award and the Presidential Award are different because the Girl Scout Gold Award is achieved by someone who has been or is a Girl Scout; this is why the Girl Scout Gold Award is so prestigious. A Girl Scout or non-Girl Scout can achieve the Presidential award.
Mamie’s challenge for her Girl Scout Gold Award was to choose a global or national issue. Her project sought to spread awareness about physical and mental health and the connection between the two. “When someone isn’t active enough, or they are inside all the time watching the TV, on their phone, or playing a video game, it can cause them to develop mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression,” Mamie explained. “So my goal for my entire Girl Scout project was to develop fun physical activities for kids to want to engage in, so they don’t stay inside all day. The activities I came up with taught the kids how to unwind mentally, and showed them the importance of teamwork. It also showed the kids how negative actions don’t always get a good result.” She saw her project in action through her volunteer work at Canopy Children’s Solutions.
Mamie is at the Juliette scouting level, where she works independently with an advisor. She can ask the advisor questions, but the advisor is not allowed to help in any way. A Juliette must complete her project independently for it to be accepted. Through this independent work, a Juliette learns skills in finance, finding the project issue, researching, budgeting, and sharing the project with others.
“Girl Scouts is a way for young women everywhere to come together and strive to make the world a better and safer place,” said Mamie. “It is also a way for young women to find their voice and make it known. Each Girl Scout works for one ultimate goal: ‘to help girls develop confidence, courage, and character so they can make the world a better place.’”
“It has been such a joy to walk alongside Mamie as she has led various service initiatives in an effort to achieve her Girl Scouts awards,” said Upper School Counselor Andrea Ferguson. “She has been an excellent role model to our younger students who are looking for ways to get involved and make an impact. As a school, our hope is for students to develop a heart for lifelong service by leading and participating in various community service projects and activities that peak their interest.”
Mamie has found JA a very supportive environment for scouting and encourages others to try the activity.”Girl Scouts has really meant a lot to me and has made me who I am today,” she said. “I started in kindergarten, received my bronze award in fifth grade, and my silver one in sixth grade. I want to challenge everyone to do something they never would think of doing in the service community and then see where that takes you. You never know. You could get your Eagle Scout, Gold, or Presidential Award, just like me. All it takes is a little spark of curiosity to create something amazing.”
