Muskego resident earns highest Girl Scout honors with mission community garden project

Milwaukee - Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE) has awarded Muskego Bend resident and Girl Scout Kelsey Kotecki the highest award in Girl Scouting–the Girl Scout Gold Award. Girl Scouts who receive this award are challenged to complete a variety of requirements and carry out a project that meets an expressed need in the community and beyond.

In addition, Kotecki was honored with the GSWISE Young Women of Distinction award, which recognizes projects that demonstrate extraordinary leadership, addresses a local challenge that related to a national and/or global issue, and had a measurable and sustainable impact.

In an effort to help the less fortunate and reduce hunger and poor nutrition in the community, Kotecki restored a neglected vegetable garden that had in the past provided food for the Xaverian Missionaries as well as others in need. With the guidance of her grandmother and the help of parishioners, the project was very successful, with some food already harvested for the missionary and local food pantries.

“Through the implementation of this project, I learned how to be in charge of a large group of people by myself and make the important decisions that needed to be made,” said Kotecki. “One of the most valuable aspects that I learned was how to handle money, make a budget, and stay within that budget. These are all skills that will be very useful to me in the future.”

A Girl Scout who has earned her Girl Scout Gold Award immediately rises one rank in any of the U.S. military branches.

This year, GSWISE recognized nine girl members for earning their Girl Scout Gold Award.

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Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with 3.2 million girl and adult members worldwide. Ranked #4 out of 112 councils nationally in girl market share, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast (GSWISE) impacts the lives of more than 29,300 girls in grades K-12 and 7,400 adults in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha, and Washington counties; southern Ozaukee County; and East Troy in Walworth County. Girl Scouting is the leading authority on girls’ healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, visit www.gswise.org, or call 1-800-565-4475.