As part of her work toward earning her Girl Scout Gold Award, MaeAnna LaFavor talked to younger Girl Scouts about her community garden at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Left: MaeAnna picks some beautiful carrots. The harvest from her community garden was donated to the Cook County Food Shelf.
MaeAnna LaFavor of Hovland has earned the Girl Scout Gold award for her leadership and community service with her Community Garden at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais.
MaeAnna started working toward her Gold award nearly two years ago. She had to find her passion and develop a big community service project. She had helped at the local food shelf and realized that it does not have any fresh food. MaeAnna’s Girl Scout troop meets weekly at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. After hearing of the church’s desire to have a “green” project, MaeAnna decided to see if a community garden would fit with their vision.
Bethlehem Lutheran let her place the community garden on their lawn. She had the help of many individuals and local groups with the planning, design and care of the garden. Much of the hands-on and day-to-day care was provided by MaeAnna.
She arranged for delivery of donated soil. She built four raised garden beds. The project lasted all spring and summer and finally in the fall it was time to harvest the garden. With the help of nearly 70 people, harvest day was a success. She had many Girl Scouts who came to help gather the bounty. MaeAnna was able to donate fresh produce—carrots and green beans—to the local food shelf and many local families benefited from this donation.
MaeAnna heads down to Duluth to attend the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines Annual meeting on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24. where she will represent the Girl Scout council and where she will be pinned with her Gold award for her local community project.
MaeAnna earlier represented the Minnesota and Wisconsin council as a national delegate at the Girl Scout’s National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah in October.
Since 1916, Girl Scouting’s highest award has stood for excellence and leadership for girls everywhere. MaeAnna has joined the ranks and generations of young women who have made a difference in their communities and beyond. Fulfilling the requirements for a Girl Scout Gold Award starts with completing activities that build girls’ planning, research, organizing and networking skills. Girls then plan and implement an 80 + hour leadership and community service that makes a mark on her community and creates a lasting impact on the lives of others. Girls who are in grades 9-12 are eligible to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award.
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines serve northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. For more information about getting involved, please call 1-800 955-6032.
Leave a Reply