Three Cabot Girl Scouts earn highest award

Maddie Johnson, from left, Dawn Prasifka, Giovana Stanford and Adrianna Perlsen pose for a photo after Johnson, Stanford and Perisen received their Girl Scout Gold Awards. Prasifka, the chief executive officer for Girl Scouts-Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, was present for the ceremony.
Maddie Johnson, from left, Dawn Prasifka, Giovana Stanford and Adrianna Perlsen pose for a photo after Johnson, Stanford and Perisen received their Girl Scout Gold Awards. Prasifka, the chief executive officer for Girl Scouts-Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, was present for the ceremony.

— When most people think of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, thoughts of Girl Scout Cookies and girls earning badges come to mind. But Girl Scouts who stay in the program through high school have the chance to earn a Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouts.

Three Cabot Girl Scouts recently earned their Girl Scout Gold Awards, an honor that highlights their dedication to community service and their ability to put a plan in place and execute a project.

Maddie Johnson, Adrianna Perlsen and Giovana Stanford, Scouts from Troop 6242 of the Girl Scouts-Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, each developed and completed a project that tackled issues important to her.

Johnson, 17, coordinated an art program within Greystone Nursing and Rehab in Cabot. This included working with local elementary and middle school students to create an art display that centered around a theme, which changed monthly. She also led projects with the seniors and led two piano performances.

“It’s important to bridge the gap between youth and seniors,” Johnson said. “When you bring them together, it brightens the days of seniors, and it encourages students at a young age to get involved in their community.”

Perlsen, 17, organized a 5K race to bring awareness of celiac disease. She was diagnosed with celiac disease seven years ago, and she said she wanted to bring attention to celiac disease as a medical issue.

“I’ve only had two races, but it took two years to plan all of it,” she said of the race she organized. “The first year, I was expecting about 50 participants. I ended up with close to 200 participants, sponsors and vendors. This year, I decided to add a bouncy house for the kids. There was also face-painting. To this day, I’ve been receiving messages about how amazing it was.”

Stanford, 17, organized birthday celebrations at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas. This went on for 26 months, and she said she catered the celebrations to what the children wanted. She said seeing the kids’ reactions was “priceless.”

“I wanted to target the issue of children and siblings not having celebrations or parties,” she said. “Each month, I’d go there, and we’d have a birthday party and do crafts and eat birthday cake. Every kid would get to leave with a toy and a stuffed animal. … The parents were overjoyed. They were very thankful and appreciative that I, as a teenager, would take time out of my day to hang out with their children.”

The Girl Scout Gold Award includes seven steps the Girl Scout must complete to earn the award. A Scout must identify an issue, investigate it thoroughly, get help and build a team, create a plan, present the plan and gather feedback, take action, and educate and inspire.

All three Scouts will start their senior year at Cabot High School this fall. While their career paths may not directly correlate with their projects, each girl said her involvement in Girl Scouts and working toward her Gold Award has been influential in who she is as a driven young woman.

“The importance of being involved in Girl Scouts beyond the young years — it can show leadership and community-advocacy skills,” Johnson said.

She has been a Girl Scout since she was in the first grade and plans to major in biochemistry and possibly go to law school, aiming to be a pharmacist or a lawyer.

Perlsen has been in Girl Scouts for nine years and said the organization has taught her how to work with the public and work with others.

“As I’ve gone through my Gold Project, I’ve realized [Girl Scouts] has helped me a lot with community service and helped me with my future in getting out there in the world,” she said. Perlsen plans to attend the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and major in occupational therapy. She is thinking about a career at a children’s hospital, potentially in the burn unit.

Stanford echoed that Girl Scouts has taught her how to make an impact in her community. She has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and plans to be a trauma surgeon.

“You learn so many life lessons from your Gold Award. You get to encounter obstacles, and you have to face them like you’re an adult,” she said. “Girl Scouts has taught me many lessons and has given me the confidence and determination to continue impacting other people’s lives.”

To find more information about the local Girl Scouts, visit www.girlscoutsdiamonds.org.

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