By Sabrina Y.
It all started when I received the Johns Creek Newsletter on my email, and I spotted a potential project for my Girl Scout Silver Award. My name is Sabrina and I am 13 years old. For my Girl Scout Silver Award project, I am partnering with the Johns Creek Veterans Association to help create a Veteran’s Memorial Walk in Newtown Park. Newtown Park is located in the city of Johns Creek, Georgia.
After months of evaluating several meaningful projects, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Wayne Kidd, Community Outreach Committee Chair, and Gerry Lewis, President of the Johns Creek Veterans Association, who showed me around the four acres of land that have been set-aside by the city to build this lovely memorial walk. Along the pathway of the walk, there will be sections set aside to recognize each war starting with World War I. The memorial will also feature a section for Missing in Action/ Prisoner of War, Women in Service, and Purple Heart. So, how am I involved? Well, I am working to raise $13,000 to help fund the entire Women in Service memorial, which will include: benches, landscaping, and a monument. Yes, I know it sounds arduous, but I believe anything can be accomplished if a lot of time and effort is dedicated to the project. The walk is scheduled to open on Veterans Day of 2014. I have a little over a year to accomplish my goal. I chose to work with veterans because many members of my family including my Dad were members of the military. I was inspired to work on the Women in Service section because of the words found in the of the Girl Scout mission; Courage, Confidence, and Character. I think these same words describe some of the characteristics of women veterans.
Fundraising for my project
$13,000 is a lot of money, but by following the steps of completing the Girl Scout Silver Award project, I created an action plan on how I’m going to raise the money. There are three components to my action plan; first, I will participate in many events to solicit the help of community members, next I will solicit the help of small businesses throughout my community by helping me match my individual efforts, and lastly I will coordinate an event that I hope will help me achieve the rest of my goal.
Each month I will have an information/fundraising booth at festivals or events, so I can raise awareness for my project and receive donations. In preparation for these events, I created several items make my booth look presentable. I decorate a table with a patriotic tablecloth, I created an informational tri-fold board that helps explain my project, and I have a donation box that also serves as my business card holder. I sell baked goods or create fun games for kids to encourage donations. The most important lesson that I have learned while at these events is to never sit back. I stand up, approach people and ask them in a sweet, clear voice if they would like to learn about my Girl Scout Silver Award Project. Getting people to engage in conversations with me has been critical, and without asking if they would like to learn about my Girl Scout Silver Award, people would just walk by my booth without a mere glance at my station.
In addition to festivals, I am also trying to fundraise by finding small community businesses that would be willing to match my individual donations. So for example, if I am able to get small businesses to match half of the total funds, I would be able to budget for the time and effort needed to raise the individual donations. There are several rules to follow when fundraising, so please be sure to follow the guidelines listed in the in the Girl Scout Volunteer Essentials.
As part of my fundraising, I am planning for an event around Veteran’s Day of this year. I am still working on all of the details but I intend for this event to be an educational opportunity for young people and an opportunity for young people to meet many Veterans and to share inspirational stories. Over the summer, I will be speaking with many Veterans and specifically looking for women who have served in the armed forces to help me with my project. At the event veterans will serve as guest speakers as they describe their day-to-day lives as a veteran. If I can find any women veterans who were Girl Scouts, then hopefully they can share how Girl Scouts helped them throughout their lives and now as a veteran. The target audience for my event is any Girl Scout troop of any age level who would like to attend. I will create invitations for all troops in the area of Johns Creek and Alpharetta. Everything is not planned yet, so there will be more updates about this event on my blog at www.mygirlscoutproject.com .
My experiences
To keep track of my phenomenal journey and to raise awareness for my project, I have created a blog. This is one of my favorite things to do for my project because I have a passion for writing, and I turn my passion into something that can help me with my project. Writing makes my project more meaningful to me, and I enjoy working on my Girl Scout Silver Award every second I get the chance. So far, I have raised over $500 dollars, and I just started my project in March. Many people in the Johns Creek community are recognizing me for my project because three newspapers have interviewed me. I was nervous at first, but then I opened up and told the reporters about my thrilling project. After the interviews, people were starting to contribute to my cause. It was exhilarating to receive my first donation! Even with the interviews, I soon realized I needed to be in more festivals because many of the the events I participated in have either been rained out or bitterly cold. It was fun to talk to the people who passed by, but talking isn’t enough to support my goal. I have learned important lessons throughout this project such as time management, planning, budgeting, and social skills. Although I have had some ups and downs, I know everything will turn out fantastic in the end!
Advice
I have learned a lot since I started in March; so let me share some tips that might help you if you are planning on working on your Girl Scout Silver Award:
- Find a personal connection with your project, something that is meaningful to you.
- Raise awareness for your project; help your community understand why it might be important.
- Be excited about your project.
- Be proactive at fundraising events. Just as we do during our cookie sales, use those skills to sell your project.
- Be creative when it comes to fundraising. Ask for help and ideas from family and friends.
- Have Fun and Good Luck! Let’s show the world we can make a difference!
For more information or if you have any questions or comments, please visit my website at www.mygirlscoutproject.com. At my website you can sign up to receive updates on my Girl Scout Silver Award and to show your support by donating money to the cause. J
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