Springville Girl Scouts earn highest achievement for Monticello animal shelter project

Four Springville Girl Scouts recently were awarded the Bronze Award for their community project at a local animal shelter.

Elizabeth Deam, Mya Gourley, McKenna Mann and Ruby Stuessel from Girl Scout Troop 1969 earned the award in late August for a community project benefiting the Animal Welfare Friends in Monticello. In total, they contributed a little over $1,100 worth of pet supplies and funds to benefit the animal shelter, said troop co-leaders.

The Bronze Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout Junior, or members in fourth and fifth grades, can receive. Members who earn this award must “create sustainable change on a community or world issue,” according to officials with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

“We were very proud of them,” said co-leader of Troop 1969 Lynn Deam. “This was the biggest thing they’ve ever done with pretty much no help from us.”

Deam, Gourley, Mann and Stuessel — who are all 11 years old — each showed “a new level of maturity” in taking on this effort to aid the animal shelter, said Amy Stuessel, troop co-leader.

“It was nice to see them work together and have that realization what it takes to start a project and see it through,” Stuessel said. “As a mom and a troop leaders, it nice to see that level of ownership.”

The Girl Scouts interviewed staff at the Animal Welfare Friends to determine their largest needs. From there, they used dollars earned from selling Girl Scout Cookies over the past two years to purchase cat and dog food, toys, laundry supplies, paper towels and other items for the shelter.

Troopers also purchased fleece to make tie blankets for the shelter’s inhabitants, which can go home with the animals when they are adopted.

In addition, the Girl Scouts contributed $500 to a local veterinary clinic in Monticello that helps care for the animals at the shelter. Those funds will go toward the shelter’s veterinary care expenses.

The Girls Scouts were notified Aug. 30 they had received the Bronze Award, shortly after they made their donation to the animal shelter on Aug. 21.

Now as sixth-graders, the Girl Scouts are eligible to try to earn the next highest achievement called the Silver Award. Deam and Stuessel said the troop still is working to determine their next community project.

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