Girl Scout Spotlight
Spare Change Can Change Lives
When Caroline Carlton chose her Gold Award
project , she had no idea of the road she would travel and the relationships she would build along the way . “ The project really wasn ’ t unique . When traveling with my family , I ’ d noticed that some airports had containers designed to collect the spare change that travelers would need to take out of their pockets before going through security . The containers indicated that the change was donated to a local nonprofit . However – Orlando ’ s airport didn ’ t have anything like this ,” said Caroline . The seeds of her Gold Award project were sown .
Caroline ’ s vision led to the establishment of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority ( GOAA ) Charitable Donation Initiative , a nonprofit foundation that administers allocation of the funds . Each year , the foundation selects four local charitable organizations which will receive funds from the collected change . The first organization chosen was the Foundation for Foster Children . “ We do not rely on government funding but rather on the generosity of our community to help us fund these programs ” said Helen Preston , Philanthropy Manager for the Foundation for Foster Children . “ This allows us to support each unique child to meet their needs and give them a sense of hope , self-worth and value . In doing so , changing their life-course from one of poverty , crime and government assistance to becoming independent and contributing members of our community ”
In addition , Caroline ’ s project caught the eye of GSUSA as Gold Award projects were evaluated , leading to her being recognized as a National Young Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of the United States of America ( GSUSA ). Each year , thousands of girls in grades 9 – 12 nationwide are recognized as Gold Award Girl Scouts for transforming an idea and vision for change into an actionable plan with measurable , sustainable , and far-reaching impact at the local , national , and global levels . From these thousands , GSUSA recognizes ten recipients as National Young Women of Distinction .
As Caroline started doing her research into making the project come to life , she learned that many things had to be done to accomplish her goal . “ I wanted to establish something sustainable . I expected everything to fall into place , but realized it was a bigger process , considering I had to start a non-profit ,” expressed Carlton . The program is really quite simple . As travelers move through airport
“ Being able to network , reach out to people and learning how to talk in a professional manner helped me . For many girls , Girl Scouts is a way to be strong leaders and learn about the importance for young women to have strong voices .”
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