Gold Award Girl Scout Encourages, Educates Youth in Long-Term Hospital Stays
WICHITA, Kan. — Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland congratulates CayLee J. for becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout, a designation she earned by recording audiobook stories on mp3 players and donating them along with physical books to the Wesley Children’s Hospital.
The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable — earned by a high school Girl Scout who works to address an issue she’s passionate about in a way that produces meaningful and lasting change. Whether it’s on a local, national, or global level, Gold Award Girl Scouts provide innovative solutions to significant challenges.
“Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good — and CayLee embodies everything this achievement stands for," said Rolinda Sample, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “CayLee addressed an issue that’s important to her — encouraging ill children to continue their education and have a distraction while in the hospital — for her Gold Award, and we congratulate her on this momentous accomplishment.”
In pursuit of furthering her own education and increasing her reading level, CayLee knew she wanted her Gold Award project to focus on something that not only impacted her personally, but impacted those who may need it most. As someone who understands the importance of continuing education, CayLee focused on a way that children staying in the hospital have a chance to do something that could distract them from their treatments and stay, give them a fun activity and help them learn.
For the project, CayLee purchased children’s books and then created audiobook recordings of them. She put the recordings on mp3 players and donated the players along with headphones to the Wesley Children’s Hospital. In total, she recorded over 20 stories for the hospital. She also donated the books so the kids could use those as well. CayLee made sure that the mp3 players and headphones would be easy to sanitize in between uses so the hospital staff would be able to maintain them for the children.
“I think the most successful part was knowing I not only bettered myself through this project, but I was able to do something for children who need it, too,” CayLee said. “I will always be happy knowing that I bettered myself through helping others.”
