Monday Mission Moment

Posted by Vaughn Van Asten on Mon, 2 Jan 2012

Theresa Hunt of Chippewa Falls, WI recently received her Girl Scout Gold Award. Her project involved making some major improvements to the Happy Tails Dog Park in Chippewa Falls.

To add more shade, she planted 20 maple seedlings. To add rest areas on the trail, she built 10 Aldo Leopold benches. Three picnic tables were also added so families would be encouraged to have picnics at the park. She painted six mailboxes and put them around the trail as receptacles for doggie waste bags. To help out and promote recycling, she added recycling bins. Finally, to encourage the community to come and check out the park’s improvements, she hosted the first annual Happy Tails Family Fun Day, along with the ladies who run the park. Family Fun Day included carnival games and a story area for kids.

“During my project, I felt good about my volunteering when everyone was asking me questions about my project and whether there was anything they could do to help. I loved hearing that others were inspired to help…I learned that anyone can be a leader, even me. I found out that I can organize others to help and lead them in a project. Other young people shouldn’t doubt their skills and that even a small project can make a difference. The personal reward of a project outweighs all of the time and effort you put in.” -Theresa