Godwin senior receives the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia Scholarship

After participating in Girl Scouts for 13 years, senior Kaylee Butterworth has received the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia Scholarship (GSCV). The scholarship includes $1,000 towards her college tuition. Butterworth will be attending the University of Richmond next year to continue her academic career.

She applied for the scholarship online, writing an essays about her Gold Award, the highest award earned in Girl Scouts, about how being “courageous and strong” has applied to obstacles in her life. Of 92 eligible girls, only ten won the scholarship.

The scholarship awarded to Butterworth was based upon awards she has received, positions she has held in clubs, and extracurricular activities she has participated in throughout her high school career, but mainly focused on her Gold Award.

She is a member of Circle of Friends, the co-president of the Spanish club and is an officer in The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Butterworth began working to complete her Gold Award during her junior year of high school and received her award this year. For her project, she designed a “card-cart” for the Lakewood Manor retirement home that is used to organized recycled greeting cards for health care residents. It is a small three level cart that holds six boxes of organized cards. The cards apply to various celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

“I chose to address the issue of isolation among senior citizens because of the firsthand experience that I had while spending time with my grandparents at Lakewood Manor. As many senior citizens do not want to give up their independence, they desire a routine, a purpose, and to feel like they are contributing to a greater cause,” said Butterworth.

Butterworth designed the “card-cart” to not only provide greeting cards, but create job availability for residents looking to volunteer. The jobs made the residents feel more included and helpful while benefiting their cognitive skills, dexterity, and hand-eye coordination.

In order to receive the Gold Award, Butterworth had to complete 80 hours of community service, which she achieved through her work with Lakewood Manor.

She plans on using the scholarship money to lessen the cost of her higher education and continuously remind her of the importance Girl Scouts has had in her life.

“Girl Scouts has taught me the importance of leadership, kindness, community service, communication, and persistence,” said Butterworth.

Butterworth’s favorite Girl Scout memory is dancing around in the big, empty boxes that the Girl Scout cookies came in during booth sales with members of her troop, trying to sell as many boxes as they could.

After 13 years of participation, Butterworth has aged out of Girl Scouts and says she will miss the community service opportunities, but hopes to find new ways to give back at the University of Richmond.

“Girl Scouts has given me the confidence to be a leader in multiple clubs and other organizations. I have also received valuable skills that I will be able to use throughout the rest of my life and for that, I will miss it greatly” she said.