The Girl Scouts teach young girls to be Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers and Leaders (G.I.R.L.S.™). Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was a Girl Scout. So were first ladies, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, and superstars Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift also wore the traditional green sash. Now, meet Alex Stelter, raised in Miami Township, and already a success.
Stelter has achieved the Girl Scouts’ most prestigious honor. She’s been a scout since kindergarten, but over the last year and half, she put every skill she learned to one final test, creating a service project that proved her leadership skills and earned her the Girl Scouts Gold Award.
She came up with the idea for her project in January 2017 as a junior at Bishop Fenwick High School. Stelter recognized that some of her classmates struggled to complete a service requirement at their school. Some felt uncomfortable volunteering by themselves while others had trouble deciding where to best use their skills. Enter Stelter’s Hope Club.
“I created the club so that a group of students can do a community service project together. Each person can feel more comfortable because they are doing a project with people they love,” Alex Stelter said.
The Hope Club was put into action during Stelter’s senior year. Her club members did everything from bagging dog food at an animal shelter to decorating a men’s homeless shelter at Christmastime, to working with people with disabilities. Not only did it pay off in human kindness, but it earned her the Gold Award.
Stelter is currently a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, studying marketing and international business. Although her scouting years are behind her, she still volunteers with the Girl Scouts and loves to reminisce about her former troop’s love of cooking, crafting and travel. Scouting allowed her to visit Costa Rica and take a trip to Panama where she helped save sea turtle eggs from poachers. Funding for those trips came primarily from the sale of the ever-popular Girl Scout Cookies.
Alex encourages every young scout to stick with it because the payoff can be big.
“I think it’s really easy to become one when you’re little, but I think the harder thing is to stay into it. You should not be afraid to stay with it through high school. As you get older, it gets better. You have opportunities to travel, network with people in big cities, and meet the CEO of the Girl Scouts,” Stelter said.
Stelter receives the Gold Award during a special ceremony March 3 at Sinclair College in downtown Dayton. The Miami Township Board of Trustees signed a special proclamation that will be presented to her during the ceremony.
Attached photos courtesy: Alex Stelter
Resource Link: https://www.gswo.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/highest-awards/gold-award.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2019
Contact: Jill Drury, Communication Coordinator // (937) 433-9969 // jdrury@miamitownship.com