Kelsey Sullivan of Girl Scout Troop 40012 in Davidson County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that focuses on
environmental sustainability and helps students learn about growing their own vegetables.
To increase access to fresh food and inform local kids, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with American Children’s Home for her project, “Raised Garden for Children’s Home,” to plant a garden at the facility and give them an opportunity to learn how to grow their own food.
“This is an issue because these kids are missing out on life skills, like gardening, that require patience and dedication,” said Sullivan, a Girl Scout of 13 years. “With these resources, the children of the American Children’s Home will be able to explore the experience of growing vegetables, appreciate plants in a new and fun way and enjoy skills
that will last a lifetime.”
Kelsey, with help from her team and many gracious community donors, built the fence and inner beds, transported it to the children’s home and inserted the dirt. She also created a binder for the garden that includes information about maintenance and different gardening methods for each crop.
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.
“This project has really opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone is alike in their experiences and backgrounds,” said the Gold Award Girl Scout. “I truly believe now that it is up to the whole community to work together to support those that need more care than the rest of us.”
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 http://www.girlscoutsp2p.org
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