[00:00:00] Walter: The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and share network produced by off the Walter media.
[00:00:11] Sheryl: Welcome to hearts of gold today. We have Callie with us. Hi Callie.
[00:00:16] Callie: Hello.
[00:00:17] Sheryl: Can you tell us about your Girl Scout Gold Award project?
[00:00:20] Callie: I’m from South Carolina. I live really close to Clemson, and it’s like a big agricultural, like, area.
[00:00:29] And there’s a farm that I volunteered at, like, since I was, I don’t know, six years old or something. It’s a farm slash museum. So it’s like, you grow up, we have animals, we grow food there, but also people can come and take tours and There’s classes held there. It’s a really cool farm museum, and it’s called the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum.
[00:00:55] I’ve been volunteering there forever. I love the outdoors, and so I knew I wanted to do something that was outside. And in my town, it was, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of food deserts before, but my town, we have a problem with food deserts. And… For anybody who doesn’t know what that is, it’s basically when you have healthy foods are kind of expensive and a lot of people just they can’t afford those healthy foods.
[00:01:26] So all I can afford is like junk food, and that’s not good for anybody’s health. And so I knew I wanted to address that issue and I wanted to do something that was outside. So I asked the lady who owns, well, she doesn’t own, but. She’s the leader of the Bart Gerson Agricultural Museum. Her name is Miss Ellen Harrison, and like I said, I’ve known her forever, so I asked if I could do a garden there to kind of address this food desert situation, and she was like, sure, and she wanted, she had the idea of basing it off of World War II, when they kind of had the same situation, nobody You know, could get food from the grocery stores because it had to be sent over to the soldiers.
[00:02:13] So they had to, you know, have sustainable gardens. And so we did a bunch of research together how like they exactly grew their food and All like just very fine details, like for example, they didn’t have fertilizer back then, or not fertilizer, weed killer, to kill the weeds. So like, we put newspaper down to help the weeds stay down, just cool stuff like that.
[00:02:40] So I based it off of World War II, made it very patriotic. After we got the garden kind of going, we created like, Signs and posters to put around it because it’s a nonprofit organization. So people come in all the time. So like tour the museum so people could come and learn about the garden and how to actually grow it.
[00:03:03] But Miss Ellen told me is there’s no point in having a garden unless you can actually can the food. Because then all that food is just puts a waste. So we would harvest the food and then we set up canning classes that people could come into for free and they could learn how to can the food. And we’d also give out food to, to people.
[00:03:27] Also for the outreach part of the gold award, me and Miss Ellen, we created a scavenger hunt badge for like Girl Scouts. So girls from all around the area could come and get the scavenger hunt badge and basically they’d have to go around the garden and even other parts of the museum to learn about the museum and the garden to earn this badge.
[00:03:51] So they could spread it to their communities and, you know, talk about food deserts, so people were just more aware of the situation. And it’s an affordable way to have healthy food.
[00:04:03] Sheryl: Canning really is becoming a lost art. Had you ever canned before this?
[00:04:09] Callie: No, I had no idea and I’m still like, I’m still terrible at it.
[00:04:13] I really need to practice more, but no, I, I mean, I didn’t even really, I thought canning was just for like pickles. I didn’t realize you could do it with so many different types of foods.
[00:04:25] Sheryl: What were some of the types of foods that you grew in your garden?
[00:04:28] Callie: We had squash. We did a lot cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots.
[00:04:34] We had carrots. We had Lettuce, that didn’t turn out too good, but we had lettuce, and beets, we did beets just, we tried to keep it, lots of, fiber, I can’t say that word, lots of different types of plants, because that’s better for the soil.
[00:04:52] Sheryl: You talked about decorating it with a patriotic theme. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
[00:04:57] Callie: I had basically three main types of decorations. I bought like, little tiny, it’s like, Looked like a picket fence, kind of, but they were small. They were probably about this high, and I would paint that red, white, and blue, and that outlined the fence, which would help from like, some rabbits were trying to get in, and I don’t know why the fence, they could have hopped over it, but for some reason, it kind of helped them stay out of the garden, so we had that, and then I had a scarecrow, like an Uncle Sam scarecrow, And that was my favorite.
[00:05:33] And then I also had have you ever seen like those big like planks of wood. It’s like, and it’s just like a big plaque of wood. And I painted that into American flag. And that was like the back of the head centerpiece in the back of the garden.
[00:05:52] Sheryl: You started your project in 2019. And the reality of not only trying to fill a need in your food desert but a bigger picture came out of that with the pandemic and the resulting food issues with that.
[00:06:10] Can you tell us how that connection happened?
[00:06:13] Callie: I know for a lot of people, COVID actually kind of hurt their gold award project, but I think COVID actually really helped my gold award project because like, like you were saying during that time, I mean, people, you know, a lot of people don’t want to go to the grocery stores.
[00:06:31] A lot of people had a lot more time on their hands. So gardening kind of became a big thing and people also started realizing about these food deserts. And so. During the whole time when COVID was really bad. That’s when my project was first starting out. So it was basically just me in the garden. So I didn’t have to really be around anybody.
[00:06:56] So I didn’t get stopped by that. And then by the time I was getting it all back up and running, at least in South Carolina. They were loosening up quarantine a little bit, and so that people were able to come in and, you know, do the canning classes, take the tours, obviously with, like, safety restrictions, but I think because of covid and people just had such an inspiration to garden.
[00:07:21] It kind of, you know, I had a lot more people interested in coming and touring my garden and the museum. It was, COVID actually helped me. It was just so funny to think about.
[00:07:34] Sheryl: What was your biggest challenge during your project and how did you overcome it?
[00:07:39] Callie: My project was a lot of hours and I know that happens with a lot of girls.
[00:07:43] They have to put in so many hours and like after You know, quarantine ended. I was having to go back to school and I had cross country practice after school, track, and just a million other things going on. And so just finding the time to fit the project in with my schedule, that was difficult because like some nights I wouldn’t get home until eight, nine o’clock at night because I’d have practice and then I have to go to the farm and do everything.
[00:08:16] And so it can kind of be It can kind of hurt your soul a little bit. You know, you see your friends out going out with their friends, you know, doing whatever, and you have to, you know, work on this project. And so some, you can kind of lose your spirit a little bit, but I was able to overcome it, I think because it was something that I truly enjoyed.
[00:08:38] So, even though I was like, hey, I’m having to do a bunch of extra work, this is something that I love. And I think that’s what kept me going and finishing my project.
[00:08:50] Sheryl: What was something you learned during the Gold Award process that you didn’t know and might be helpful for future Gold Award Girl Scouts?
[00:08:57] Callie: My communication skills went up a lot. I don’t think I realized with, like, how much communicate, like how. Much you need to communicate with people to get a project done, because at least for me. You know, I kind of had a bad habit of just I had the plan in my head, but I wasn’t really letting everybody know around me exactly what I was thinking.
[00:09:23] I guess I just assumed everybody knew what I was thinking. And so just the whole kit, like sending emails and detailing everything out and not just one email, but multiple and all the follow ups and just like scheduling a meeting and it’s not just, Hey, we’re going to have a meeting at this time.
[00:09:44] It’s a whole process. And so the, just the communication was, I learned a lot from my Gold Award project in regards to communication, just practicing your communication skills. It’s kind of helpful.
[00:10:01] Sheryl: Who was on your team and how did they help you?
[00:10:04] Callie: Ms. Ellen Harrison. She was, she was the biggest, she was my mentor. She was the biggest help that I had.
[00:10:12] I also had another guy who worked at the museum named Zach and basically we just If I couldn’t get to the garden, you know, they would cover down for me. And Ms. Ellen, she would sit down, research with me, and tell me what, like, I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to water plant, like, the plant leaves.
[00:10:35] I, I don’t know why. I just, I would water the leaves and then they would start shriveling up. And Ms. Ellen was like, you can’t do that. You have to water near the stem. So just stuff like that. They helped me so much and I was so blessed to have such an awesome mentor because she was just so knowledgeable and not only like gardening but also like helping me with communication skills and organization all of that.
[00:11:02] Sheryl: What other Girl Scout experiences have you had?
[00:11:05] Callie: I’ve been in Girl Scout since I was five years old, and there’s just so much, but I always went to summer camp. I would go to about two or three summer camps every year until I was in, I guess, around middle school or high school when I just didn’t have time anymore.
[00:11:27] So, Just the normal summer camps. I also went on Girl Scout, a Girl Scout destination to Yellowstone National Park, which was amazing. That’s probably my favorite Girl Scout experience ever. And then I was also part of a Girl Scout group called the Trailblazers. We have that in South Carolina. I don’t know if other states have it.
[00:11:49] But it’s basically, it’s a Girl Scout group that just only does outdoor activities. So hiking, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, just. Stuff like that, strictly outdoors. And it’s amazing. It’s because you feel like you’re back in the olden times when Girl Scouts first started out. And I just, I love those girls and then obviously bronze, silver, gold ward.
[00:12:13] I got to share those experiences. And I also went to the state house one time with Girl Scouts, which was awesome. That was. It’s so cool. I think it’s Girl Scout Page Program. That is amazing. I could go on and on about Girl Scouts all day long. They have provided me so many opportunities.
[00:12:34] Sheryl: Can you tell us a little bit about your Yellowstone destination?
[00:12:37] Callie: Yes, ma’am. I can. It was basically like a week long just vacation. It felt like I think there was about 30 girls. We’re all middle school age and it was literally like just a vacation. We had a We had a cabin for the first couple days and we would just go, we had like a little van we’d drive around in and I don’t think we started out in Yellowstone.
[00:13:04] I can’t remember exactly what park we started out at, but then eventually we ended up camping in Yellowstone, which was really cool. Like, I remember one day waking up and there was just an elk right by my tent. I was like, this is crazy. And not only did I get to see a bunch of obviously awesome landscapes, but I mean, I still talk to those girls that I met on the destination.
[00:13:32] We still have like a group chat. And that was like six or seven years ago. And like, it was just awesome. I made so many new friends on that trip. It was, I just, it was amazing.
[00:13:47] Sheryl: I got frozen in my tent when I went to Yellowstone. The dew had come down. Yeah, the dew had come down and it was cold enough that it froze the zipper and we had to work on the zipper to get it open.
[00:14:00] Callie: What time of year did you go?
[00:14:01] Sheryl: In June. Mm hmm. Yeah, but it’s early June and that’s still the late, late spring. So they still get a little bit cold there. So what are you looking for into your future?
[00:14:13] Callie: Currently, I’m at the United States Military Academy. In case y’all don’t know, it’s it’s basically an academy for kids who want to go into the military.
[00:14:23] And so I will, after I graduate, I will commission as a second lieutenant. Which is an officer in the army and I have to serve for at least five years and then I can kind of go off on my own career path. So personally, what I would like to do is I want to stay in the army for 20 years. That’s the full time in the army and then retire from the army.
[00:14:48] And then I want to become a park ranger. I work at the National Park Service. And so I also in the army, I want to be a aviation helicopter pilot. And so I’m hoping I can do that for 20 years, then retire as a park ranger and maybe give helicopter tours. I don’t know. So just I’m so excited.
[00:15:09] Sheryl: I love that because when you mentioned that you were on a destination in Yellowstone, I’m curious, was that something that sparked part of your interest in being a park ranger?
[00:15:19] Callie: Yes, ma’am. It did. I just I’ve always loved the outdoors and I think I’ve I’ve never really been so like a national park on that that’s from level before until that destination. And then just when we were there, like I said, we were there for a whole week and I would see, I mean, The people in their uniforms walking around.
[00:15:42] I’m like, wait, I can do this as a job. And I had always wanted to be in the Army too. And so I was like, what’s more perfect than being in the Army, getting all my experience, you know, survival, outdoor stuff from that. And then just retiring as a happy park ranger.
[00:16:03] Sheryl: And where does aviation come into play?
[00:16:06] Callie: My grandfather, he was a fighter pilot in the Air Force.
[00:16:10] And then I have a twin sister, and she also has her private pilot’s license. So I’m almost kind of like, well, if my twin can fly, I should learn how to fly something. And I’m also just super interested in it. And this is kind of facetious, but I also have 20 20 vision, so I feel like it’s kind of my destiny to fly.
[00:16:33] I don’t know. But… I’ve just always been so interested in flying and like whenever Arisha got her pilot’s license, I was really jealous. I was like, man, I want to do something like that one day. So the army will provide me that opportunity. So I figured I’ll try and get it if they’ll allow me to.
[00:16:58] Sheryl: Well, good luck with that career path.
[00:17:00] You also mentioned that once you graduate from your school, that you will be an officer in the army. And for those that don’t know, can you tell us how the Gold Award has supported that journey also?
[00:17:15] Callie: When I was applying to West Point, I originally got denied because my SAT score wasn’t where it needed to be.
[00:17:24] And so they, they shut down my application and they’re like, just, you know, look, look somewhere else. And I think I asked them to reopen it. And I’m pretty sure the only reason why they did was because. When you’re applying to the academies, you have three categories. You have leadership, physical and academic and physical was fine.
[00:17:49] I was running cross country and stuff and my leadership was amazing. And yeah, I was like team captain and some other little things, but my gold award, like I, I was talking to some West point admissions people, the gold award, they say that’s the highest. leadership thing that you can get. It’s the highest one.
[00:18:12] And I think since they saw that, they’re like, okay, we need to give this candidate another chance because yeah, her SAT might be a little bit low, but her leadership is just so high because of the gold award and officers at the end of the day, they are leaders of the army. And I’m pretty positive if I didn’t have that gold award, then I don’t even know if I’d be on the path to become an officer.
[00:18:41] Sheryl: And in addition, it gave you a bump, too, in rank.
[00:18:46] Callie: Yes, ma’am.
[00:18:47] Sheryl: What was that bump in rank like when you started? Like, do you already recognize it in school, or will it only happen after you finish school?
[00:18:55] Callie: When I got there, I’m just still the same as everybody else. But if you do and let, like, go into the real army and you have your gold awards, you will be a higher rank.
[00:19:07] But, like, since I was at an academy, it’s kind of weird. Interesting. Yeah, when, when you go to the academy, they just start you all off at the same, because we’re all going to commission as officers anyways. But if you do enlist in the Army, like straight out of high school, you will, I think you’ll be a corporal instead of a private.
[00:19:28] And from what I understand, what I’ve kind of seen, is you’ll be given like more leadership opportunities, you’ll be treated a little bit better, and you’ll also get paid more.
[00:19:40] Sheryl: Well, thanks for sharing that. I learned something new today. So exciting. What else would you like to share with the audience?
[00:19:48] Callie: I know a lot of girls who have started their gold award.
[00:19:51] Ton of people start, but not a lot of people finish. And it’s actually, it’s very sad. Like I know some of my good friends, they had awesome ideas for gold awards, like ideas that I was like, I wish I could have done that too, but then they never finished them and it’s. It’s just kind of it’s sad and it’s also kind of frustrating because of how many opportunities you will get from the gold award.
[00:20:19] And I know that it’s hard. I know it’s a lot of time and it can be kind of scary, especially maybe you’re not used to public speaking or working with other people. But y’all, everybody has such amazing ideas, so please just don’t let that go to waste. Like, please follow through with your gold award, because I promise you, you will feel, you’ll have so much more confidence when you’re done, and you’ll have so many more opportunities once you’re done, and you will be glad that you completed it.
[00:20:51] Sheryl: How do you make your s’mores?
[00:20:53] Callie: I’m impatient. I see the chocolate and the marshmallows and I just want it as soon as I can. So I just stick the marshmallow on there, just sticking in the fire and I just let it burn. I just, I really do. I do like to have extra chocolate though. So I’ll burn my marshmallow black, blow it out, and I’ll try to fit as much chocolate on there as I can.
[00:21:20] So I’m, I’m not organized about it at all. I, I just go all in.
[00:21:24] Sheryl: Well, thanks for joining us today.
[00:21:26] Callie: Thank you so much for inviting me. I really appreciate it.
[00:21:30] Sheryl: Make sure to click follow or subscribe so you always know when new episodes are released. Power your passion and conquer your challenges.
[00:21:40] Walter: Thank you for listening.
[00:21:41] If you’d like to be on the show to share your story of how you earned your gold award, reach out and send an email to growandshare@outlook.Com. Be sure to catch up on our previous shows on any of your favorite podcasting platforms, as well as view the full video versions at youtube.comSherylMRobinson.
[00:22:02] Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you next time.