National Nonprofit Day, honored on August 17, recognizes nonprofits’ ongoing commitment to serving their communities. Giving back is an integral part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and by earning the Girl Scout Gold Award girls create real, lasting and sustainable change. In 2022, 532 eastern Missouri Girl Scouts gave more than 16,900 hours of service to their community through their Highest Award Projects. One of those Girl Scouts, Arielle Prince, a graduate of Herculaneum High School, ensured every family in her community had access to essential items to earn her Gold Award.
Prince recognized the struggle among families in her community to afford essential items not covered by state assistance, especially baby items. Prince built two boxes and filled them with donated diapers and wipes for families to pick up when needed. She then placed the boxes in Herculaneum City Park. She also created an email and Facebook group for her project so families can get updates and those in the community can add more donated items. Prince will continue monitoring the Facebook group and email to ensure any updates needed are completed.