(PCM+) Ponca City Girl Scouts: Journey to the Medal

Story by Chelsea McConnell / Staff Writer

The following article appeared in the print issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine, which includes hyperlocal stories about Ponca City. Get full access to all online articles, videos, and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.

According to the Girl Scouts website, Girl Scouts have been “Blazing trails and redefining what’s possible for girls everywhere” since 1912. That is no different for members of Troop 307 located here in Ponca City. The Troop is made up of five girls based in the Ponca City area who range from 8th-12th grade. Each young lady within the Troop is on an individual path as part of her journey as a Scout.

Troop 307 has a leadership team comprised of Girl Scouts. Caitlin is their President; Aubrey is Vice President; Hope is Secretary; Addi is Treasurer; and Ali is Event Coordinator. A key component to Girl Scouts is that all the projects are girl led. While there are adult facilitators, the projects and activities pursued come from the girls’ brainstorming efforts. Anything they choose to pursue, they set the goals and tasks to accomplish. These Scouts work to earn badges, do quarterly service projects and are each working toward bigger goals outside their regular activities. It’s important to note though, participation in all projects is optional. These Scouts are incredibly active only because they are an incredibly driven and compassionate group of young women.

During their time as a Scout, any Girl Scout can choose to go on a Journey in order to earn a bronze, silver or gold award. The website explains, “Girl Scout Journeys are multi-session experiences in which girls dig deeper into their interests and use the skills they gain along the way to make a difference in their community. While badges show the world you’ve learned a new skill, Journey awards say, ‘I found a way to make a difference.’ During a Journey, Girl Scouts do hands-on activities, connect with experts and take the lead on a Take Action Project with their community.” The Take Action Project is the key component to earning either a bronze, silver or gold award. These awards are based on grade and are one of the highest honors a Girl Scout can achieve.

Members of Troop 307 are busy working on Take Action Projects and pursuing their awards. While the pursuit is a personal journey, the Troop works together as a whole to brainstorm, plan and volunteer to see ideas come to fruition. Participation is optional, but often Scouts are helping with projects outside the scope of their own personal journeys and projects.

Scouts Aubrey and Ali are pursuing their Silver Awards. As their Take Action Project, they decided they wanted to target hunger in our area. They decided to create Blessing Boxes for Ponca City and surrounding communities Newkirk and Tonkawa. Aubrey says, “The Silver Award was important because we got to meet the immediate needs of others in a tangible way. Even as a young woman I can make a difference in my community.”

The Troop began by volunteering at local food bank NERA (New Emergency Resource Agency). This helped the girls get a grasp of what the local food bank provides and what holes they might be able to fill with their Blessing Boxes. After that they set up in front of local supermarkets and solicited donations for the boxes. They were able to collect 760 pounds of food and $460. Next, they got three old newspaper boxes donated by the Ponca City News. They worked together to refurbish the boxes to hold their food and hygiene items. One box is located in front of the Girl Scout Headquarters in Ponca City. A second box is located outside TS Fork in Tonkawa. The third box is awaiting placement approval for a location in Newkirk. Boxes already in place have not only been utilized by those in need but have also been refilled by community members with giving hearts.

Scouts Addi and Caitlin are working on their Gold Awards. Silver Awards can be pursued by Girls Scouts ranging from 6th-8th grades, while Gold Awards are for Scouts in 9th-12th grades. Addi has chosen to work on pollinator plots for bees and monarchs as her Take Action Project. Take Action Projects are meant to be long-term, sustainable and have an ongoing influence on the issue they’re addressing. Addi says, “I want to make a pollinator plot for my Gold Award project. I like bees and butterflies and sadly their numbers are really decreasing. I want to give them a place to find food and reproduce.”

Caitlin is also working on her Gold Award. She is working with local agencies to get a location or locations in Ponca City designated as a Safe Place. Safe Place is a national organization that provides help and resources for youth in need. Caitlin says this matters to her “because things like domestic abuse, human trafficking and mental health crises are very prominent in the community. I think people our age should be able to find someone to go to without feeling like they will be ratted out to the police or to their parents or abusers because they wanted to seek help.”

Along with pursuing their awards, Troop 307 also does service projects each season. This past summer the Troop collected supplies for Barnsdall after the devastating tornado damage the community sustained. Their service project for the fall was the food drives they participated in to help supply their Blessing Boxes. For the winter, they’ve decided on a project to benefit the elderly in our community, who can be overlooked during the holidays.

Troop 307 is small but mighty. Its members are doing great things in our area. Along with badges, projects and awards, these young women are also learning important skills to help carry them successfully through the rest of their lives. If there’s a young woman in your life who might be interested in Girl Scouts, you can contact Rebekah Wimer at rwimer@gseok.org or (918) 745-5264.