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To earn her Gold Award, Kimberly cleared out an overgrown field in the Katharine Ordway Preserve in her hometown to plant a butterfly garden made from plants native to Connecticut.
She cleared out the parking area and made two benches from fallen cedar trees at the preserve to be placed in the butterfly garden. Her hope is to increase the number of pollinators in her community and help her local farmers.
With the help of a younger Girl Scout troop in Weston, the butterfly garden will continue to be maintained with new plants. The caretaker at the preservation will also continue with the upkeep.
Kimberly attends the University of Connecticut and is studying physics and mathematics. She hopes to go into medicine and become an OB/GYN.
Celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year, the Gold Award requires a high school age Girl Scout to spend at least 80 hours researching issues, assessing community needs and resources, building a team and making a sustainable impact in the community.
A Gold Award recipient’s accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart as a community leader. Nationally, only 6 percent of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.
The Girl Scouts all began more than 100 years ago with one woman, Juliette Gordon Low, who believed in the power of one girl. Girl Scouts of Connecticut are now more than 52,000 members strong. They are part of a sisterhood of 2.7 million around the globe.
“Since 1916, approximately 1 million Girl Scouts have made a sustainable impact in their communities,” said Mary Barneby, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “We are so thrilled to honor a record number of girls this year and we are excited to see how many more incredible young women will continue to change the world in the next 100 years.”
For more information about the Gold Award or how to become a Gold Award volunteer or mentor, click here.
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