L: Anika (wearing red) and her team of volunteers with the new ball game at BINA Farm Center. R: Pooja (wearing the Girl Scout uniform) with some of her volunteers and workshop participants with their artistic creations

Anika and Pooja, both of Lexington Troop 71775, recently earned the Silver Award, the highest honor that a Girl Scout in grades 6-8 can earn, and the second highest award in Girl Scouting.

Anika built a sensory riding trail for a therapeutic horse riding program at BINA Farm Center. With the help of volunteers from the community and her troop, she weeded the trails and installed signs along the paths. Anika built two large raised planters, one with summer and fall plants, and the other with fragrant herbs to stimulate the riders’ sense of smell. She created and painted a bean bag toss game that was installed by the side of the trail, and also a ball game made of PVC piping, which adds a new sound element—riders can hear the balls fall through the pipes while riding. Anika and the volunteers also painted and planted weaving poles along the paths, which add another activity and a vibrant visual element for riders.

Pooja created a series of painting workshops for local senior communities. She sourced and provided art supplies for five painting workshops throughout the summer at Atria Longmeadow Place and the Excel Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation at Lexington. She then recruited volunteers and local artists to assist at each of the workshops.

Many of the participating seniors noted that the workshop activities reconnected them to happy memories from their past, including college painting courses, work in Africa, and special times with their families. The Atria Longmeadow Place Activities Director stated, “It was uplifting for the residents to be among younger folks, especially kids. [The workshops were] also incredibly social and creative, which is essential for seniors.” She added, “Our residents continue to talk about them!”

To earn the Silver Award, a Girl Scout must identify an issue, investigate it, and plan a solution that provides lasting community impact. Each girl spends a minimum of 50 hours of community service to complete her project. We are so proud of these two Silver Award Girl Scouts for their hard work and positive, sustainable community impact!