Kennedy
Cook, Ana Hargove and Paulina Ike, members of Girl Scout Troop 40164, recently
earned their Girl Scout Silver Award. Their project was focused on addressing
the issue of adolescents smoking. The girls created public awareness around the
issue by creating videos to post on social media and designing fliers to
educate the public. |
| Kennedy Cook |
“Many
people start smoking for different reasons, ranging from peer pressure to
trying to lose weight,” said Hargove. “[We learned that] smoking not only
kills, but leaves problems for others who don’t smoke.”
The
girls took action in their communities by interviewing Tuscaloosa Councilwoman Sonya
McKinstry and Tuscaloosa Mayor Maddox about the issue. The girls also interviewed
a doctor about the long and short term effects of smoking as well.
 |
| Ana Hargrove |
“This issue is important to me because
I have a family history of heart disease,” Cook said. Ike said that from this
project, she learned that speaking up is the right thing to do. The girls put
over 150 hours into the project and made a great impact on community awareness.
Morgan Rainey, also a member of Girl Scout Troop 40164, recently earned her Girl Scout Silver Award as well. For her project, Rainey collected can tabs to help children at the Ronald McDonald House.
“The issue is important to me because I love helping people, and if I had cancer I would want someone to help with this burden to my family,” Rainey said.
 |
| Morgan Rainey |
Rainey invested 168 hours into the project and was honored at the council’s Girl Award Ceremony in April.
“I also met with a local councilwoman who gave me tips to help me with my project,” Rainey said. “I learned that you always help others because you never know when you’re going to need help from someone else.”
The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette
can earn. This award symbolizes a Girl Scout Cadette's accomplishments in Girl
Scouting and community activities as she matures and works to better her life
and the lives of others.
About
Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama
Girl
Scouting gives every girl access to
life-changing experiences that inspire her to do something BIG! Girl Scouts
of North-Central Alabama is a United Way community partner and serves over 15,000 girl members grades K-12,
and 5,000 volunteers in programs across 36 counties. For more information, call
800-734-4541 or visit girlscoutsnca.org. 