Frankfort Girl Scout, Lincoln-Way East Grad Earns Gold Award

FRANKFORT, IL — Lincoln-Way East graduate and Girl Scout Maggie Brown knew exactly what she wanted to do when deciding on her Gold Award project, which is the highest award in Girl Scouts.

Maggie became a Girl Scout when she was seven years old, she told Patch. Her mom, Meghan McCauley-Brown, started as a co-leader, but took over the troop after the first year.

" I loved taking trips with my troop to see a movie, or do a ropes course or learn archery," Maggie said of her time in Girl Scouts.

Maggie, a member of Frankfort Girl Scout Troop 70780, had previously earned her Bronze and Silver Awards and was excited to start her Gold Award project.

"When deciding on my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I knew right off the bat that I wanted it to be about mental health," Maggie said. "Mental health, particularly in teenagers, is a very important topic to me."

To earn the award, Maggie had to recognize a community issue, and spend a minimum of 80 hours to address it, as well as making sure the project was sustainable and measurable, she told Patch.

"...I did some research on creative ways to support teens struggling with their mental health that they might actually take an interest in and engage with," Maggie said.

"I ended up coming across cross-stitching, a kind of needlework I had recently taken an interest in myself. Needlework, and a lot of other arts, can function as a creative way for teens to express themselves and an outlet for stress or anxiety," she added.

The school's Bring Change 2 Mind club is dedicated to destigmatizing mental health struggles, so Maggie asked for their support, and started teaching about 40 high schoolers to cross-stitch over the course of eight months.

Maggie graduated from Lincoln-Way East in May, and earned her Gold Award the same month.

"I loved ending my Girl Scout journey with this project," she said. "I look forward to being an Adult Girl Scout and hope to coach other scouts working on their Gold Awards. I also hope to start a similar club at ISU, where I’m attending college."