By: Jen Russon
A Parkland foundation that spreads kindness and positivity by helping others achieve their goals organized the third annual Silver Awards for local Girl Scout troops.
On October 17, the Gina Moltanto Foundation partnered with the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida as troop 10434 swept this year’s award ceremony held in Parkland.
Luz Gonzales, troop leader, said meeting Gina’s family made the girls appreciate their accomplishments more.
“The young minds in this troop are always open, seeing the needs of our community and working together on a solution,” said Gonzales.
Troop 1034, with its members from Parkland and north Coral Springs, joined over 80 Girl scouts across southeast Florida to view and present service projects from this year’s Silver Award class.
This year, regional troops completed 35 Silver Award projects, pouring 4,700 service hours back into their respective communities.
The Silver Awards are an opportunity for each Girl Scout to create their own legacy and blaze a trail for the future.
Projects presented by troop 10434 at the showcase were intended to help both the Everglades Service and Tri-County Animal Units, which serve Parkland and north Coral Springs.
Kaitlyn Irwin won a Silver Award for adoption bags that help animal rescuers ease dogs’ transition into new homes.
Girl Scouts, Emma Klein, and Sabrina Gonzalez won for their project, “Sleep Tight,” developed with Precious Dress Foundation. Sleep Tight eases the night routing of foster children moving from one foster home to the next.
The Silver Award is the second-highest award in the Girl Scouts program — and the highest one a cadette, or Girl Scouts Grades Six through Eight, can achieve.
The award requires at least 50 hours of service hours, identifying issues that call for problem solvers, and collaborative effort. Girls can work independently or in groups of up to five during each year’s Silver Awards Class.
Tony and Jennifer Moltanto, who created the Gina Rose Foundation in memory of their daughter, a girl scout, began hosting the awards following Gina’s death in 2018.
The Silver Awards highlight the amazing young women of the Girl Scouts who will be future leaders, they said.
“We love seeing the wide array of projects that help make the community, the environment, and indeed our world be a better place,” the Moltanto’s wrote on Gina’s foundation webpage.
Only 10 percent of Girl Scouts nationwide receive the Silver Award each year.
Send your news to Parkland’s #1 news source, Parkland Talk.
Author Profile
Related