[00:00:00] Walter: [00:00:00] The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and shared network produced by off the Walter media productions.
[00:00:14] Sheryl: [00:00:14] Welcome, today we have Cameryn with us.
[00:00:16] Hi, Cameryn.
[00:00:18] Cameryn: [00:00:18] Hello, hi.
[00:00:19] Sheryl: [00:00:19] Can you tell us about your girl scout gold award project?
[00:00:23] Cameryn: [00:00:23] Yes. So my girls don’t go to our project was called cuddles for kids, and, the reason why I titled it cuddles for kids is designated specifically for helping in, just not only developing, but also benefiting, children in the foster care community.
[00:00:39] And one of the quotes that came to my mind. Had immediately, or I guess, statistic that came to my head immediately before I even considered doing something impact the foster care system is every two minutes a child in the United States enters the foster care system. And I, when I first heard that initially, when I was I’m finishing my junior in high [00:01:00] school,
[00:01:00] I was honestly, really, really very taken back and just in awe of just how many children are really in the system and how much that doing a project solely based around the foster care system would truly impact them. And I also just by doing a lot of research in, just by even some of my peers that I used to go to high school with, always talked about foster care.
[00:01:23] Children are constantly moving from place to place and, most of them never really find a permanent home. So I developed my girl scout gold award project to give these children something that they can call their own something that is not going to be, not just for. a certain group of people, just something that they can have for just them selves.
[00:01:44]cause in foster care facilities, everything is pretty much used or, second hand, third hand used. So for my, for my initial award, for the service part of it, I held a drive at my high school, at my local church, some other training that our communities and [00:02:00] we, How to drive for stuffed animals that would provide a sort of comfort and security to children.
[00:02:06] And, my area, cause specifically at my foster care facility, I lived by my house. There was a lot more of, I want to say the. five to eight age range of children and stuffed animals. The first thing that came to my mind immediately, cause I remember when I was a little girl are still and still to this day still have some of my stuff.
[00:02:26] They’re animals that I chartered and always kept with me. And that would get me through basically my childhood. So I initially. Decided I wanted the stuffed animals to be that thing that the children can take from facility to facility, family, to family that they can always have with them, no matter what they’re going through.
[00:02:46] And we also, made some greeting cards to add to the little stuffed animal kits that would also just give the children, know that there are, People outside of their foster care facility that are rooting for them [00:03:00] that care for them, that even though they may not have a family to go home to at the end of the day, that there’s just people, the community around them that are praying for them and that want the best for them.
[00:03:11] And so, with my, high school, as well as some, girl scout troops in my area and a couple of my, Groups, outside of different organizations in my high school, we had workshops where we would, take all the donations from my stuffed animals, stuffed animal drive and make the greeting cards, put in, put the stuffed animals into bags.
[00:03:33] And we actually made our own bags too. We had a, A workshop, a couple of workshops throughout the year of my senior year. I would have the community come in, paint and write a bag for a child to use. This would not just be used for the stuffed animal. but also if they have toothbrushes Combs, Any, I want to say total or cheap product that they would have to take wherever they go.
[00:03:58] They would have a bag that’s [00:04:00] I’m washable reusable, could probably hold some clothes and there, and just have like their own bag to keep all their stuff together. And, while collecting donations, I had those workshops going, at the same time, which was really nice to just get the real life up to date of, not only how the, So if the animals were coming in, but just also maps number of bags that would go with the workshops.
[00:04:27] Yeah. And, I would also put a little bit pamphlets that would be like faster Carolina, one pamphlets that would go inside with the bags, just to, give to the facility, give to the community. and at the workshops, just to, Inform my community about the foster care system and just their whole rundown that I guess not many people, no, or I guess, Get more information in their free time and to keep my project going.
[00:04:56] My Jack and Jill chapter, which is my community [00:05:00] service organization I belong to in high school, decided that they’re going to make my girl scout go to our project with the stuffed animal, drag the workshops. And then also just the mini sessions about foster care foster care system, a annual project. For their, community service organization, which was really, really cool, that they enjoyed my project and they enjoyed, participating in so much that they wanted to continue as a legacy.
[00:05:27] You talked a little bit about the research that you did for your project. Can you expand
[00:05:31] on that previous? I’m doing foster care one Oh one presentation as well as choosing foster care. as my main. Focus for this project. I w I knew little to none about the foster care system, about even my facility in my community.
[00:05:49]this project really did inform me a lot. Yeah. Not just about the whole process of what children have to go through. On a day to day basis. And when I dropped [00:06:00] off the stuffed animals, it was really nice wand around too, as the foster care director at the time. I remember before we even dropped off donations, and because of security reasons, I didn’t get to interact with the kids, but I’d have to see pictures.
[00:06:14] And, just like old scrapbooks that the, workers would keep of just activities that they would have with the kids. And I think one of the biggest things that. I want to say that I didn’t research on that. I learned from my foster care. Director, is that for the foster care facility specifically, my foster care facility is that they do actually allow the kids to, I want to say, not informally go out, but they do allow the kids to have like a fun activity that they can all do together as a system or a as a facility.
[00:06:49] And the faculty workers would take them to like Chucky cheeses or. like a trampoline park. And that was something that really opened my eyes because looking [00:07:00] in it too, I want to say a very closed, close view of, the foster care facility. I always thought of those just like a place where kids would just stay all day long.
[00:07:10] It would. cause it kinda initially, when I thought about it the first time it reminded me of what, like a shelter for animals would look like. and I was completely right, blown away specifically by my facility, how truly they, care for the kids and all the extra stuff that would be in a normal household for kids that are actually at the facility.
[00:07:32]and I guess more in depth into the research that I did myself is I learned all of the documentation that, parents truly do have to go through too, claim the child as their child. And, there’s like a whole, I want to say, like, Interview slash court decision, like just to make sure that the family is a good family for the child, that I had no idea that all went into that and the whole process of it being [00:08:00] years and years and years on end before that family, if they do decide to adopt the child can actually take it.
[00:08:06] So that’s definitely something that was very eye opening to me and also made me feel very grateful for, My situation and to not take it for granted.
[00:08:16] Sheryl: [00:08:16] What was your biggest challenge during your project and how did you overcome it?
[00:08:20] Cameryn: [00:08:20] Yeah, so one of the biggest things that I encountered for this project was actually two things.
[00:08:26] So the first thing was initially when I turned in my project to the golden to work community for breast Scouts of Southern Illinois, I encountered that I did not have enough. Hours to complete the, official requirement for their award. And I think it was just bad counting on my part when I initially filled out my project proposal and I was planning thing, I’m planning everything out in a timeline for, my whole senior year.
[00:08:53]I didn’t realize that I was, I think I was about 30 something hours short, which is a [00:09:00] really,
[00:09:00] really big chunk. and wasn’t something that they can just leeway. I definitely had to reanalyze everything. I, I remember I got that email, that night and I was like, Oh no, like I didn’t make it. And unfortunately they gave me a, another extension.
[00:09:17] I think it was, I got that email. I want to say. June of 2019 and they basically gave me the rest of the summer. So I think the second week of August before I would move into my freshman year in college to get those hours in and to fill out another final project proposal. And I remember I was hustling and grinding.
[00:09:39] I was like, I’ve got to get this done. And, so definitely that was one of the biggest things that I would say, to also vice to any, girl Scouts that are currently, either planning their projects or are thinking about doing the gold award. You definitely, definitely, definitely. sit down with your mom, your troop leader, your team, [00:10:00] or your network of people that you are going to be cleaning this project with and really schedule.
[00:10:05] Every detail out. Cause you do not want to be at the last minute or coming up to the last minute. cause it does have to be the actual word does have to be completed before you go off to college that you get those hours and, and that you will have enough when it’s time to submit your project. And I’d say another thing that I think I would say.
[00:10:29] Would it be too bad for, I guess the, I want to say official rules, but for a couple of times when I was getting donations, and I, I remember I emailed my printer it’s a little before I was allowed to put like a box in like the common area of our high school. for donations for my high school peers is how many, Donations.
[00:10:49] I was requesting for the workshops to make the kits. And I did fall short a couple of times, when I would go to do the workshops and we would make kids. [00:11:00] And, a couple of times also when we would deliver the kits to the foster care facility, that one bag may not have a stuffed animal or one bag may not have a card.
[00:11:09]so definitely, A little bit poor planning on my part, just making sure my material list is all the way up to date and to just be extremely focused and prepared when you are making that list and doing that planning. So I would definitely, I definitely ran into the biggest challenge overall of just not having the set amount of hours.
[00:11:34] The first time when I submitted my prep.
[00:11:36] Sheryl: [00:11:36] Do you have a favorite memory from your project?
[00:11:39] Cameryn: [00:11:39] I think every Friday after my track practice, during my senior year, I think it was the second semester of my senior year. That was when I initially had my, cardboard box sitting like in the front of the school.
[00:11:52]and I had disliked donate here for cameras, go scout gold award project with like cuddles for kids. And I [00:12:00] remember one of my friends actually ended up leaving practice early and she saw that my, donation bin will. Overflowing with stuffed animals or stuffed animals, literally on top of each other.
[00:12:12] It was, I think the top of the boxes here and there was like all the way to the top of just stuffed animals everywhere and even sunlight on the floor near the box. And I just remember, she just came running to me when I was getting ready to leave, to go home. She was saying, Cameron, there’s so many donations today.
[00:12:31] Like you have so many donations in your box. And I was like, really siren, to the front of the school. And I saw all the donations and everything, like kind of on a say on the sidewalk next to the front entrance of my school. And I was really, really, really, really happy that, and it was like towards the end of my collection period that not just students, but faculty members, Yeah, parents that would just come into the school and just see my box [00:13:00] there and saw that I was requesting donations and, with the deadline, everything that it was, right at the set time and everything was really, really, really, really cool.
[00:13:11] And, when we tried to pack, all the donations into. My mom’s car, we actually didn’t have enough room. So we had to make like a couple of trips back and forth from my high school to the house. And I just remember each time we kept refilling and my friends will kept help put all the donations into the car.
[00:13:28] I was just so happy that, my high school really, really, really did help me a lot. and played a really key factor into helping me collecting, stuffed animal donations. And, because of that, it was also a very honestly eye opening. Cause I didn’t realize like a lot of high schoolers, my age still have a lot of stuffed animals and that they would have so many to contribute.
[00:13:51] So that was also really surprising.
[00:13:53] Sheryl: [00:13:53] You’ve received scholarships because of your gold award. Can you tell us about those?
[00:13:58] Cameryn: [00:13:58] I received a couple [00:14:00] scholarships specifically for the global word, my church scholarship for my church and new life in Christ in an interdenominational church in O’Fallon Illinois.
[00:14:09]it was the new life, life changer award, future life changer award. And, that award was for a, I think for my age range, a. Girl and a boy and I was selected as the girl in the main part. I want to say the main focus for that scholarship was service active new service, while also playing to account academics.
[00:14:32] And, I remember the scholarship night for that. I think it was, July of 20, 2019. And, even though I hadn’t have completed my gold award at the time, it was still in progress. And I, at that point. Was still working towards finishing my last requirements for my hours. And, I was very, very overjoyed when I found out I got that scholarship because even though I did not have it in writing [00:15:00] that my project was completely done, I was still working on it, but just that they, the scholarship community can just see through my progress I had made so far and what I was still currently working on, towards the last few weeks of, submitting the final project.
[00:15:16] Before I went after my freshman year, I was so, so, so happy. and it was also really, playing close to home too, just because my church, not just my high school also played a really big role into donating, stuffed animals. And, also, it was just really nice to, to, Just speak on I’m in front of my church and my community members.
[00:15:38]the gratitude I had for not just the scholarship, but for the interview pack, they helped me make with the stuff, the animals and the children. and it was just a very, very heartwarming experience too. Cause a lot of my younger peers and yeah. Friends over, just very, very proud and looking up to me and I’m going to do my girl scout, go to word [00:16:00] one day.
[00:16:00] Like you’re inspiring me to do the same thing. And I’m like, thank you so much. Like, I really hope you get to also do this project as well. And it was just. They very, very, very close to home experience and not just only the scholarship, monetary achievement, but just also knowing that my church in my community members of my church, or, supporting me all the way
[00:16:23] Sheryl: [00:16:23] You received a scholarship that helped you choose your school that you went to after you graduated.
[00:16:28] Cameryn: [00:16:28] So my scholarship that I got from UI S was. mostly academic, but also service did play a key factor into the act decision. That scholarship, when I found out about before I even applied to U I S I actually heard about it from think my orientation leader. and I, at that point I was still looking at all my options.
[00:16:54] Shins and that scholarship, this scholarship that I’m currently using for UIs [00:17:00] is, one of the biggest reasons why I’m fortunate enough to be, going to college and will be able to graduate college debt free. What’s also really nice about the scholarship is that I. Also see this as a, I want to say things to keep building upon.
[00:17:19]because one of the biggest things, when I came to UIs, I want it to continue. my college routine is service community service. Cause I truly am. I am a really big advocate for it and I. Love to do it in my free time. And it just, gives me the best fulfilling, fulfilling emotion of life. And, they actually do it.
[00:17:37] You have a girl scout troop here in Springfield. That’s about, I wanna say, 10 minutes from the RIS campus that I. Do you constantly reach out to help out and help out and lead their troops there? the most recent one, we, the most recent project that we did was, before COVID and the global pandemic, we were [00:18:00] sorting, girl scout cookies at one of the warehouses, in Springfield, not too far from campus.
[00:18:06] And that was really cool to not only just to, I guess, be in. I want to say all the action of cookie season, but to also see all the young girls in the Springfield area and you know, all the brownies and the daisies, and even the older girls, juniors, seniors, just meeting them and seeing who they are and what they want to do when they grow up was really, really, really, really cool.
[00:18:32] Sheryl: [00:18:32] What other girl scout experiences, have you had that have impacted you?
[00:18:35] Cameryn: [00:18:35] Growing up. I was a military kid. My dad recently actually in 2017, retired from the air force. So I moved around every couple of years growing up and we used to live, in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. And I was in the girl scout troop on the army base.
[00:18:54] And the big trip we did was going to the white house and [00:19:00] just doing like a full Washington DC tour. That honestly, I still have pictures on my phone that I look back on every couple of months, just because I’m still very close with the girls in my old troupe. And, it was just a really Austin experience that we got to do all the touristy things in Virginia.
[00:19:19] Yeah. Go to the capital, go to the monuments, the white house and take a picture and just do it all the tours around the museums that is. Probably one of my favorite memories just of all time too. cause before then it was always something I wanted to do and I got to do that. that was a very, very fun trip in not only did we get to do it as a trip, but there were also, at the time, so many troops from across the country that were there at the same time.
[00:19:47] And I got to meet so many people that I never would have met. Just in the Virginia area, but all across the country. but that trip, I think was in 2014, I think I was, [00:20:00] finishing my, I think my seventh grade eight year in middle school for that trip.
[00:20:06] Sheryl: [00:20:06] If your family was in the military and moved around, what kept you connected to girl Scouts this whole time?
[00:20:12] Cameryn: [00:20:12] Even in high school, I want to say starting my freshman year, I noticed so many of my friends. So many of my friends that were in my troop before I left girl Scouts, before I went off to college is I just saw a sudden, I want to say, just drop of interest for girl Scouts with.
[00:20:31] So many of my close friends that they were, right when we were going into high school, I would say, Hey, like, I can’t wait to see you at our girl scout meeting, or I can’t wait to go camping with you this weekend. And they’re like, I’m no longer going to do girl Scouts next year.
[00:20:46] Like not going to be in girl Scouts anymore. That’s not cool. That’s not good. and it’s definitely, I think it’s in a sense, sad that it’s something that people do grow out of, but. for me, [00:21:00] girl Scouts has always been a way for me to just be myself and to also do. Something that I really liked, which is to give back to the community and do community service.
[00:21:11] It’s something that I’ve been passionate about pretty much as long as I can remember. and just also, I want to say the sisterhood too, with girl Scouts, I would have not met my closest friends, that I’m still friends with, that I talk on a daily basis, even as a college student. and just the friendships in the.
[00:21:31]even the relationships with my troop leader and just all my troop leaders that I’ve had over the years, just moving around the country as a military child that I still will go to for advice on life and just to catch up on. And they’ll occasionally check up on me and say, how’s college going. And just knowing that I have a second support system and a second group of close friends, That I will always go to now all eight, always be there for [00:22:00] them, and they’ll always be there for me, but I think just mainly the relationships I’ve made and just also, mainly, the service aspect of it.
[00:22:08] Girl scouting, that I always will remember and always will keep with me as I continue to go through life.
[00:22:15] Sheryl: [00:22:15] Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
[00:22:18] Cameryn: [00:22:18] I think that for anyone listening to this podcast episode, if you are interested in doing the gold award, definitely do it. Ah, this is my, I guess, sign to you that you should do the goal.
[00:22:33] Word go for the gold. it’s definitely, something that’s going to be a life changing experience for you. It definitely has been for me. especially just not only, learning more about something that I guess I never would have known or learning stuff that known or want it to go out and yeah, in my free time, but also, just experiencing and, Also just going through a part in life that, [00:23:00] this project I definitely think has prepared me and will always be something that I will carry my experience with as I continue to go through my, young adulthood, the, the whole process of just deciding I wanted to do it sitting down my troop leader and my mom and, my mentor.
[00:23:19]to, you know, long nights of making, you know, flyers and emails and reaching out to people. The process really is not just like changing, to prepare you for the real world, but it’s just gonna make you more confident this project. I think if anything has made me more confident in myself, and it’s really opened my eyes.
[00:23:40] So what I really have the capability of doing to impact the world. so definitely I advise everyone to go for the gold award. I initially, was not going to do the gold award. I wish I would have done it actually my junior year of, high school, which is another thing I advise [00:24:00] to anyone to do as early as you possibly can.
[00:24:02] I think, starting your junior year, you do have the time to do it. and then you have to have it done by, your freshman year of college. cause I know that was very, very hard to juggle finishing this project and all the planning of it while being senior in high school was rough at times. But definitely I had friends that did their gold award, this past year when they were juniors in high school and it worked out for them.
[00:24:28]as long as you plan out everything early, don’t wait for the last minute, you know, find your mentors, find your peers, find your networking and your support system, and you’ll get it done. And it will be stress free. Oh yes, this is, I think probably something, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone yet. Do, but sometimes instead of using Kershaw cheese, chocolate, I’ll use Kit-Kats.
[00:24:51] Sheryl: [00:24:51] Interesting.
[00:24:52] Cameryn: [00:24:52] Yeah. I know a very popular one is which I’m actually not really big fan of peanut [00:25:00] butter and chocolate. That combination to me has never been good. It still never is. Right. But I just, I think Kit-Kats is a better alternative than Hershey’s chocolate and it it’s, it’s always stuck with me.
[00:25:13] Sheryl: [00:25:13] Very cool. Well, thank you for joining us today.
[00:25:16] Cameryn: [00:25:16] Thank you so much for having me.
[00:25:17] Sheryl: [00:25:17] Be sure to click subscribe. So you always know when new episodes are released and don’t forget to power your passion and conquer your challenges.
[00:25:29] Walter: [00:25:29] The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and shared network produced by off the Walter media productions.
[00:25:36] Thank you for listening and spreading the word on what we do. If you want to share your story of how you earned your gold award. Reach out and send an email to growandshare@outlook.com. Be sure to listen to the newest episodes on your favorite podcast app, as well as view the full video episodes on youtube.com/Sheryl M. Robinson that’s youtube.com/sheryl, [00:26:00] the letter M, Robinson.
[00:26:01] Take care and we’ll see you next time.
