Girl Scout Cadette Organizes Pink Box Drive to Provide Glasses to Her Community

Each February youth-serving organizations and schools celebrate Youth Leadership Month, a time to inspire young people to take up leadership roles and shine a light on those already contributing to their communities in impactful ways. Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (GSEM) Cadette, Kaelyn Krysowaty, developed a multi-faceted service project, collecting glasses for those in need to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award.

Kaelyn created a series of collection boxes titled the Pink Box Drive. These boxes collected sunglasses, reading glasses and eyeglasses individuals no longer used, that could be repurposed and given to community members in need. Kaelyn joined forces with local businesses, churches and other organizations to set up collection locations. Then, she collaborated with the Maplewood Lion’s Club to sort and process the donations. Every pair of glasses she collected was restored and then distributed to people in need of visual support throughout the area.

“After completing my project, I discovered that I can achieve anything when I set my mind to it,” said Kaelyn. “I found it essential to establish confidence in myself, to always be well-prepared, and to constantly carry a good attitude. One of the first times I recognized this was when I was pushed to personally communicate with managers and other esteemed individuals about hosting my collection boxes or supporting my project. It was extremely intimidating, but after I held myself up with some pride and humility, I gradually found myself comfortable in an environment once daunting to me. Above all, I realized that it's up to me to make my dreams reality, and that I am fully capable of doing so.”

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve had to wear glasses,” Kaelyn added. “People often comment on my impairment and empathize with the inconvenience that comes with everyday wear. However, over the years, I’ve grown used to my glasses. Therefore, I also have grown used to the privilege that comes with owning a pair. After I learned that over 1 billion people in the world could’ve had their vision impairments prevented or are yet to be given support, I was saddened by the fact and became determined to do something about it. I believe that everyone deserves to see the beautiful world around us to its fullest extent. I didn’t know how much of a difference I could make in my community, if any, but I knew I had the passion and ability to at least try. If a few hundred pairs of glasses are all it takes to transform the quality of a few hundred lives, then I feel that there can be a notable improvement made across any community my collection serves.”

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette, girls in 6th-8th grade can achieve. It requires girls to identify a need in their community and dedicate on average more than 50 hours towards addressing and solving the issue. When Girl Scout Cadettes focus on an issue, they care about, learn the facts, take action to make a difference, they gain the confidence and skills that catapult them to lifelong success.