Maggie Harris of Girl Scout Troop 2817 in Guilford County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that focuses on environmental sustainability and aids aids local pollinators.
Aiming to address the global problems of a decrease in the pollinator population, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with Keyauwee Program Center in Sophia for her project, “Camp Keyauwee Pollinator Garden,” to create a habitat for these creatures.
“To address these problems, I designed and created a 12′ X 12′ pollinator and native plant garden at Girl Scout Camp, Keyauwee Program Center,” said Harris, a Girl Scout of seven years. “I met with local Master Gardeners, members of the North Carolina Native Plant Society, members of Guilford County beekeepers and Randolph County Extension agents who shared their knowledge about pollinators and native plants.”
Maggie hosted a spaghetti dinner fundraiser in order to afford supplies she needed for the project. She made a garden work schedule with her team to ensure they stayed on track and created a website explaining her project’s importance. She included a sign in the garden with the QR code so visitors can learn more and created a presentation on the decline of the honeybee population to inform her troop.
Girls in high school can earn the Girl Scout Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. They address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change and lead a team of people to success. Each Girl Scout must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out their project that benefits the community and has a long-lasting impact.
Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need, and those from the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) council have created community gardens, addressed issues in foster care, combated bullying in schools and so much more.
“Leadership became a real life experience for me, and I now know I have the ability to lead with my voice and my actions,” said the Gold Award Girl Scout. “Solving problems by myself was not a real strength for me before taking on my Girl Scout Gold Award project.”
Thousands of Girl Scouts across the country earn the Girl Scout Gold Award each year, which first began in 1916 as the Golden Eaglet. Earning the Gold Award opens doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college and amazing career opportunities. In 2025, 30 GSCP2P Girl Scouts earned their Gold Award.
For more information about local Girl Scouting and leadership projects like earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org.
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