Girl Scout Cadettes earning Silver Awards through charity

Girl Scouts Savanna Huckstep, left, and Alexis Michael enjoy some treats at YoYums Thursday. They are both 13 years old.
Girl Scouts Savanna Huckstep, left, and Alexis Michael enjoy some treats at YoYums Thursday. They are both 13 years old.

Two Cadettes preparing to start eighth grade spent much of this summer working to earn Girl Scout Silver Awards.

All that's left for the 13-year-olds from Troop 70300 - Savanna Huckstep and Alexis Michael - is the paperwork.

The silver award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. It is the second-highest award a Girl Scout can earn.

The girls in January attended a "Facts and Snacks" event hosted by HALO, an 18-month-long program that provides free housing for 16- to 21-year-old homeless girls. While there, they learned of the residents' need for paper towels, toilet paper, toiletries, garbage bags and "things like that." The young women, who also have to buy their own groceries, also needed gift cards to local grocery stores.

The Cadettes researched the nonprofit organization and learned more about the work done at HALO, said Ramona Huckstep, Savanna's mother.

After getting permission, they began collecting donations at their churches, from local groups and from friends.

The two girls received items for several months, then took the donations - in two mini-vans filled to the brims - to HALO House.

They delivered 405 rolls of toilet paper, 110 rolls of paper towels, 576 kitchen garbage bags and money to buy grocery store gift cards. The girls also donated books, blankets, dish soap, tissues and stuffed animals to the house, according to information Ramona provided.

Savanna said the most successful aspect of their project was not collecting so many items the clients at HALO needed.

"It was helping out," she said. "It's making people aware of HALO House."

The silver awards, which the girls will receive during ceremonies next spring, are given for community service, Alexis said.

"The project was geared toward helping other girls who needed something," she said. "It's good to have an impact on the community."

This wasn't the first time the girls had affected their community.

They have been volunteering since they were small, Ramona said.

When they were too young and small to help with other projects, they cleaned up at a playground, Alexis said.

This summer, Savanna also volunteered at the food pantry in Holts Summit twice a week.