Eastern Missouri Girl Scouts Partner with Animal Shelter to Earn Their Girl Scout Bronze Award
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, celebrated Nov. 5-11, recognizes shelters and volunteers who care for millions of displaced animals across America. One Girl Scout troop from Afton, MO, decided to take action and support local animal shelters to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award.
After learning how many pets end up in animal shelters each year, Kennedy Coates, Gwen Guth, Celia Osterhagen, Karis Piatchek, Clair Ruhl, Cordelia Wagner, and Ava Wiegand partnered with the Humane Society of Missouri to address the issue of pet homelessness by building a doghouse for the Animal Cruelty Task Force to use when investigating animal neglect. These Girl Scouts also made blankets and toys using fleece, recycled plastic water bottles and discarded socks. Finally, they created a presentation about their project and shared it with another local Girl Scout troop. During their presentation, the girls also set up activity stations to teach the younger girls the importance of caring for their pets.
The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor Girl Scout Juniors, girls in 4th-5th grade can achieve. It requires girls to identify a need in their community and dedicate more than 20 hours on average toward addressing and solving the issue. When Girl Scout Juniors focus on an issue they care about, learn the facts, take action to make a difference, and gain the confidence and skills that catapult them to lifelong success.
