Press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School
Madison McManus, Caroline Peters, and Ginger Wardell recently achieved the highest honor in Girl Scouts by earning the Gold Award. The three are members of Girl Scout Troop 1930 in Fair Haven, as well as seniors at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School.
First introduced in 1980, the Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Scout between the ages of 14 and 18 can earn; an honor achieved by just five to six percent of those who are eligible.
“The Gold Award project involves at least 80 hours of work, and that is quite a significant accomplishment for high school students who have so many other demands on their time,” said Nancy Peters M.D., Leader of Girl Scout Troop 1930.
To earn the award, each girl needed to identify an issue affecting her community, devise a plan for helping to resolve it or educate others about it, and lead a team in completing a project that will have lasting effects.
Madison, the daughter of Shanda and Stephen McManus of Fair Haven, focused her work on Tenwek Mission Hospital in Bomet, Kenya. Madison had volunteered along with her parents, both medical doctors, for three summers at the hospital and worked with sick infants and young children. The 18 year old saw the contrast between the young patients’ experience at the hospital in Kenya and the Art Therapy Program at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, where she is also a volunteer. “I decided to bring entertainment to the children, which helps boost morale and in turn decreases recovery time,” explained Madison.
With help from the French National Honor Society at RFH and the generosity of the congregation at her church, Lincroft Bible Church, Madison collected over 150 art supply items including coloring books, crayons, and markers. While at Tenwek Mission Hospital with her parents this past summer, Madison helped establish an activity center for the sick children.
For her project, 17-year-old Caroline researched and created a professional sign detailing the effects of Superstorm Sandy on the local area — particularly the communities of Fair Haven and Rumson. Caroline interviewed a meteorologist and a geologist to gather data about what a storm surge is and how it affect storm cycles. Her visual presentation was incorporated into a professional sign that is now posted at the Fair Haven Dock (located at the end of Fair Haven Road).
“Big storms like Sandy don’t happen often,” noted Caroline, the daughter of Nancy and Jonathan Peters of Fair Haven. “But when they do, people need to be prepared and understand them.”
The goal for 17-year-old Ginger was the updating and refurbishing of the Youth Group Room for her congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County in Lincroft. Ginger’s project involved painting the hallway, installing lighting, and creating a mural depicting a chalice – which is the Unitarian Universalist symbol for The Light of Reason, the Warmth of Community, and the Flame of Hope.
Ginger’s Gold Award project also involved acquiring more comfortable and age-appropriate furniture from donors as well as cleaning and redecorating the space to make it feel warmer and more youth-friendly. Under the leadership of Ginger, the daughter of Liz deBeer and Ted Wardell of Fair Haven, children created decorative flags representing the congregation’s values including environmental awareness and respect for the web of life, and the goals of peace, liberty, and justice for all.
Caroline and Ginger have been active in Girl Scout Troop 1930 since first grade, and Madison joined the troop in fifth grade when her family moved to Fair Haven. All three have earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, and Caroline and Ginger have achieved the Silver Award as well.
