Cape Girardeau Girl Scout recognized for earning highest award

Taking Action in the community

Cape Girardeau: Girl Scout Danielle Swoboda has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a girl must complete extensive leadership requirements, including thirty hours in a leadership role and forty hours of career exploration. She must also complete at least sixty-five hours of research, preparation, service, and evaluation for a project that serves a need in her community, locally or globally. Danielle developed and built a sensory trail at the Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship Trail. Her project will help improve the lives of physically impaired children and adults that attend therapy at Mississippi Valley.

"Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland is thrilled to celebrate Danielle's accomplishment," said Chief Executive Officer Jennifer M. Orban, "Her dedication and leadership are a testament to the power of what girls can do." GSMH Girl Scouts took action this year in a wide variety of ways. Their projects ranged from restoring local parks to developing sensory trails to delivering school supplies for children in Honduras.

Fewer than 5 percent of all Girl Scouts nationwide earn the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award annually. Forty high school Girl Scouts in Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland, which has a membership of approximately 16,000 girls, earned the award this year.

About the Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout 14-18 may earn, often described as "what you really want to be remembered for" in Girl Scouting. For many, the leadership skills, organizational skills, and sense of community and commitment that come from "going for the Gold" set the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship.

About the Girl Scout Leadership Experience

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls in grades K-12. With 3.3 million girl and adult members worldwide, Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls' healthy development. Today's Girl Scout Leadership Experience has evolved to fit a wide variety of interests of schedules. With six program pathways -- events, series, camp, troops, travel, and virtual -- girls have more options and more reasons to join than ever before. Through hands-on learning opportunities and a girl-led decision-making process, the Girl Scout Leadership Experience empowers girls to discover a strong sense of self, connect with others in a changing world, and take action to help make the world a better place.

About Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland has a membership of approximately 16,000 girls and 6,000 adults across 68 counties in central and southern Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. With the support of community partners, donors, and volunteers, we mentor and support girls as they develop crucial life skills and prepare to take the lead -- today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate to Girl Scouts, call 877-312-4764 or visit us on the web at www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org.