[00:00:00] Walter: 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: Welcome to hearts of gold today. We have Megan with us. Hi Megan.
[00:00:20] Megan: Hi.
[00:00:20] Sheryl: Can you tell us about your girl scout gold award?
[00:00:24] Megan: So my project focused on the global opiod crisis. Well, I worked alongside hush-abye nursery, the force and only recovery center for infants experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome. Women who become pregnant while using opioids are typically prescribed opioids throughout the pregnancy, due to the whisk of prenatal withdrawal and miscarriage.
[00:00:49] This causes no babies to be born and an opioid dependent state. Known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, which just, which requires a detoxification process. And the days following the book hashed by nosily provides a safe environment for the B for the care of the babies to ensure the best future for the.
[00:01:12] They include support groups, inpatient, and also its offices and outpatient therapies. Through my project, I had a donation drive all around my community, built and organized a donation closet that motivated the moms to take more classes to shop from the closet and was approved to have hashed by nurse.
[00:01:32] We become one of national charity official philanthropies to hold yearly donations. Too, along the way I informed the community about this pressing problem.
[00:01:45] Sheryl: How did you pick your project?
[00:01:47] Megan: Because I forced knew I had a big interest in helping kids. So then I emailed it, this family fund of mine named Ms. Wendy Tatata.
[00:01:55] She gave me the contact information for Ms. Shawna Anderson, who works at hashed by Nasry. Then Miss Shawna told me all about the global opiod crisis, which I already had a passion to. The issue of the global opiod crisis is very important to me because my family has struggled through opioids into Agnes years.
[00:02:17] I personally have lost a cousin to addiction. Also, even though the opiod crisis is a major issue in many neighborhoods and communities. Speaking about it is shamed. There was a common excuse that the drug Missy is, has no solutions because once people become addicted, they avoid to off and that they just lack more principles or the willpower to stop taking bugs.
[00:02:43] However, the truth is that the drug addiction is a complex disease that affects the blame. Therefore, this miss consensus needs to be spoken about. Do the lack of awareness in seeing how drugs have changed the lives for the people around me. I became very passionate about this issue and chose to work with Huscher by nursery.
[00:03:03] Sheryl: What was your favorite part of your project?
[00:03:05] Megan: Hosting the donation drive as able to pale with all parts of my community and all of these different sections that might. For example, I've been dancing for my entire life. And I was able to ask my dance studio to have a little donation bin at the studio and email the description about hush by no sweet to all my fellow dancers.
[00:03:27] I am also a student at Hamilton high school, and I was able to partner with the Hamilton soccer team to make that the, my donation drive their donation drive of the year. I also connected with my church, my fellow girl Scouts and my national charity league, seeing how my community was able to come out together to support me in my gold award was so amazing.
[00:03:52] So that makes my donation drive my favorite parts.
[00:03:55] Sheryl: Is there anything that you know now that you wish you had known before you started your gold award project?
[00:04:00] Megan: I wish that I knew how important it was to track your hours. So when you do, you'll go to load, you have to put all of your hours into a system for the full year final.
[00:04:11] We'll put, my mom kept on telling me that you need to be talking you hours. And I would, but I didn't do it as commonly as I should have. So then at the end, I had so many hours to put in and I had to go back in my Campbell find, but dates. I went to hush Chavon. And so that is just a reminder. Remember to track your hours because that's very important,
[00:04:35] Sheryl: very important.
[00:04:38] You mentioned national charity as one of your partners. Can you tell us about national team?
[00:04:43] Megan: So national charity league is a mother-daughter organization. Well, the mothers and daughters pair with other mothers and daughters in their community, and we go to philanthropies or nonprofit organizations to volunteer at and on hours to do that, we learn about the pillars of leadership coaching and helping out the community.
[00:05:07] So I am part of the San tan national chapter of national league. And I am even on the national level of the tick taco advice, legal bold. So the goals are called the tick tacos. So all of the goals, one, the nation can apply to be on this board, and I'm lucky enough to be on the board to make a change onto that.
[00:05:27] So we learn about different parts of the community and donate and learn how to make a difference.
[00:05:32] Sheryl: You have also earned your bronze and silver awards. Can you tell us about those projects?
[00:05:37] Megan: I love my funds in civil war project for my bonds. We went to this local farm sanctuary called Amy's fallen sanctuary, and we built a duck pond for them.
[00:05:51] And they had a lot of these dogs who want the best swimmers since she just takes in any animals who needs a home. And so we made it out. Tiled flag. And we painted some walks to make it colorful, land it. And we built that and I had so much fun with my fellow go scout food then for my silver award, me and my sister and my Flint, we illustrated woad and published a book about the climate change issue and about the plight of the poor.
[00:06:23] We talked to a family friend who is an author, and we researched all about climate change and all about how to write a book. And that was so much fun to research. Then once we finally bought and published our book, we donated our book to local elementary schools and we were even able to read it to a kindergarten.
[00:06:44] Sheryl: What other girl scout adventures have you had?
[00:06:49] Megan: I love going to camp and spending that weekend away with my local, with my fellow go scout troop. We get to meet so many other troops Vale, and we also get to learn about some fun skills, like how to make a file, how to. Aide and always my favorite Paul implore, because I am, I love digital.
[00:07:10] And so doing improv at camp is so much fun. And so definitely encampment is my favorite go scout adventure.
[00:07:19] Sheryl: What other theater experiences have you had?
[00:07:21] Megan: I'm a part of the Hamilton fetal company at Hampton high school and so last year I was so happy to be Casad and they'll school musical of freaky Friday. I was flat Joel, who was the little boy with the puppets, and I got two things, really fun songs and make so many new friends this year.
[00:07:41] I am able to be cast in the school musical of materials. And I am Nigel, the little boy who passes out and is so scaled and he's so fun. I've been doing theater all my life. I started at Gene's school of dance where I, some of my favorite walls were tinkle bell and Peter pan and Maylee Poppins, and Mary Poppins.
[00:08:03] Then I moved to baker performing arts, where I did a lot of tap shows. And then my recent community theater adventure was at limelight performing arts, where I did Matilda again. But this time I was a librarian named Mrs. Fowler.
[00:08:19] Sheryl: What about your dancing?
[00:08:20] Megan: I've been dancing my entire life. I was a competitive dancer on the dance team at Jean school of dance.
[00:08:28] I had so much fun and my favorite style of dance is tap dancing and musical theater dancing. Performed solos, duets and competed at different dance competitions. Then sadly Jean school of dance closed down due to COVID. And so I moved studios to classic image dance, and I've been having so much fun there.
[00:08:49] Well, I was on the team last year, but due to so many time commitments, I am only taking ballet in the technique class, but I always have a passion for dance. I love dance so much.
[00:09:02] Sheryl: You are also on speech and debate and your oratory last year was on perfectionism. Can you give us a little peek into that?
[00:09:09] Megan: So basically original oratory, the part of speech and debate that I competed is, is, well, you give a 10 minute speech about anything you're passionate about, where you talk about the causes.
[00:09:22] It's effects and even give a solution. So it gives a whole overarching theme. So last year I talked about perfectionism. Well, I even struggle with, I have a hard time trying to fit myself into this idea of being perfect. And I see many of my classmates students around me struggle with this. So I basically talk about how it is rooted in school system.
[00:09:48] And how about this college admissions process, which is becoming
[00:09:51] so rigorous over time. It's pushing people towards full factionism. That was just one of my many root causes, but that's the one that came to my mind. And then I talked about how perfectionism has very severe effects, a lot of mental issues.
[00:10:07] It changes the way people think and go through them. Then I finally gave some solutions perfectionism. Well, if you feel the stress of trying to be perfect, you need to sit down and really think what this decision or this idea of being perfect really affect me in the long term. Like if I don't, if I'm not perfect and don't get this a on this test, would that really go through this spiral of effects
[00:10:33] that's going through my mind where I not pass my class? Probably not, well, I'm not going to get into a good college, probably not like that won't cause a big impact. So because P w people with professionism usually full spiral to these different outcomes, which not even going to happen if they truly sit down and think about it.
[00:10:56] So I talked about perfectionsim I competed my speech at many events online, and I loved spreading the message.
[00:11:05] Sheryl: What are you thinking about for your food?
[00:11:07] Megan: I definitely want to go into political forsooth in a feature this past summer, I was able to take this class about political justice at Georgetown at the summer university session.
[00:11:20] And so I learned all I talked to many people who are in like the political pursuit who are already working there. Like I talked to people who work at the Institute of justice. And so hearing about how people for a job go around different places and solve issues happening in the local communities really inspired me.
[00:11:42] I've always been interested into political justice just because my mom was a loyal and he hung about all of the things that she did walk with. Really, really, really interested starting at a young age, but I think maybe going into something with the opioid misuse and this huge global crisis that we are at for the drug misuse, I think finding, being able to go into political pursuit and finding some, being able to make some legislative changes.
[00:12:11] To make more difference or not even just in the opiate crisis, but in anywhere else, I would love to be the one in the courts trying to make those changes.
[00:12:22] Sheryl: Is there anything else you'd like to share with the audience?
[00:12:25] Megan: Change is achievable. You may have these big ideas who you think I want to make this difference.
[00:12:31] You know, when you sit down and you really think good, you can make that change. And with walking with the people around you and having the community who can support you and your dreams and aspirations, anything is achievable.
[00:12:45] Sheryl: How do you make your smores?
[00:12:46] Megan: I think slow and steady wins the way. So I have my marshmallow and I sit at that camp file for a good five minutes, just circling it around.
[00:12:57] And I do not like my marshmallows super burnt, I like them like brown and perfect. And I also sometimes switch out the Hershey's chocolate ball with a Reese's peanut butter cup.
[00:13:11] Sheryl: Thanks for joining me.
[00:13:13] Megan: Thank you so much for having me!
[00:13:15] Sheryl: Make sure to click follow subscribe so you always know when new episodes are released. And don't forget to power your passion and conquer your challenges.
[00:13:28] Walter: The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and shared network produced by off the Walter media productions. 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.
[00:13:46] Be sure to listen to the newest episodes on your favorite podcast app, as well as view the full video episodes on youtube.com/SherylMRobinson. That's youtube.com/Sheryl, the letter M, Robinson. Take care, and we'll see you next time.
