Wright City High School 2016 graduates Savannah Bridges and Abi Lexa earned their Girl Scout Gold Award through projects dedicated to improving the community.Bridges and Lexa were among 42 young women in eastern Missouri to earn their Girl Scout Gold Award this year, on the 100th anniversary of the highest award in Girl Scouting.For her Gold Award project, Lexa wanted to offer people in her small, rural hometown a place to come together. After securing donations from Lowe’s, she built a bonfire pit on the property of SunRise United Methodist Church, where teens, adults and families could celebrate after the Wright City High School football games.Last season, Lexa left each game during halftime to go start the fire and create a safe environment where community members could gather after the end of the fourth quarter.“Completing this project showed me I can do anything I put my mind to,” she said. “I also learned how to communicate with adults. I worked with people at city hall, the police department and the fire department to complete the project.”Earning her Gold Award also has helped Lexa prepare for her future career. She is planning to attend East Central College, Union, to become a paramedic.“Being a leader and taking charge, two things I’ve learned from being a Girl Scout, will help me a lot in emergency situations,” she said.Bridges also sought to create a deeper sense of community in her town through her Gold Award project. With guidance from her school’s physical education teacher, Bridges built four horseshoe pits on the high school campus and organized a tournament for local veterans to come together.The horseshoe pits also offered an option for students and community members to enjoy physical activity in a non-intimidating environment.“Through the Gold Award project, I learned how to handle obstacles that get in your way,” Bridges said. “I know that if I take that skill into my career, if I have a problem, I can work past that and move forward.”The Gold Award is the highest national award a Girl Scout in grades 9-12 can earn. Attaining the Girl Scout Gold Award requires a significant amount of commitment for planning and implementing. It also must be innovative, engaging to others, sustainable and have a lasting impact on its targeted community.Less than 1 percent of all Girl Scouts earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, putting them among an exceptional group of women who have used their knowledge and leadership skills to make a difference in the world.Achievements of the Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are acknowledged by many government and nonprofit organizations. A Girl Scout who has earned her Gold Award and enlists in the US Armed Forces, immediately rises one level in rank.Colleges and universities recognize the achievements and leadership abilities of Girl Scout Gold Award recipients by offering scholarship programs.Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is committed to building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. To join, volunteer or donate to Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, call 800-727-GIRL or visit www.girlscoutsem.org.

Abi Lexa, a 2016 Wright City High School graduate earned a Girl Scout Gold Award for building a fire pit at the high school that students and visitors can enjoy after games. Submitted photo.

Savannah Bridges. Submitted photo.