GIRL SCOUTS – DIAMONDS ANNOUNCE GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2013; TEXARKANA GIRLS HONORED
TEXARKANA, AR – On April 20, 2013, two local Texarkana girls received the highest honor awarded to a girl member in Girl Scouting – the Girl Scout Gold Award. Natalie Jarvis and Destiny Williams joined eleven other girls from the Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas’ jurisdiction honored at the Diamonds Council’s Annual Recognition Ceremony Luncheon, held at the Grand Masonic Lodge, Albert Pike Scottish Rite Temple in Little Rock on Saturday, April 20.
Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are an elite group of girls. Annually, only approximately 5% of eligible Girl Scouts earn this award. The Girl Scout Gold Award requires Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts (grades 9-12) to dedicate a minimum of two years to complete all requirements. With the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at its core, the Girl Scout Gold Award challenges girls to identify issues about which they care deeply and plan and execute a Take Action Project that will leave a lasting impact on the benefiting community.
For her project, Natalie organized and executed a community garden to provide food for the needy in the community. After researching, Natalie discovered that Harvest Texarkana, a local food bank, had not been receiving enough produce to provide all those that they served. Natalie partnered with Harvest Texarkana and through the community garden, provided 200 pounds of fresh produce including summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs and some watermelons for those in need in the community. Natalie plans to attend Texarkana College and Texas A&M University in Texarkana to pursue a degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Special Education. Natalie is the daughter of John and Larkin Jarvis and she has been a Girl Scout for eleven years.
Destiny created the Berry Blissful Patch program at Theron Jones Elementary School. The Berry Blissful Patch was the first small garden to be planted at Theron Jones Elementary. Destiny’s project combined learning and health by allowing the students to enjoy a healthy snack while learning math and gardening skills that they will hopefully take home to continue the education with their parents. Destiny’s focus was to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity and encourage the students to grow their own gardens at home. After high school, Destiny plans to attend college to pursue a degree in social work. She plans to continue volunteering with the Girl Scouts and Theron Jones Elementary and hopes to someday start a troop of her own. Destiny’s dream is to start a nonprofit organization to help children in single parent homes, those in homes of low socioeconomic status, and abused children. Destiny is the daughter of Charles and Ericca Jordan, and Michael and Phronda Williams and she has been a Girl Scout for six years.
In addition to achieving the highest honor in Girl Scouting, a girl who has earned her Gold Award can immediately advance one rank in any of the United States Armed Forces branches. Special scholarships are also available for Girl Scout Gold Award recipients who meet certain criteria.
Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas serves over 9,000 girls and 3,700 volunteers and encompasses all counties in Arkansas except Crittenden, includes Adair, LeFlore and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma as well as Bowie and Cass counties in Texas. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.
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