'Best feeling ever': Local Girl Scout earns Gold Award with flower box project
Nov. 30—SOUTH FORK, Pa. — Ever since she was a Daisy in Girl Scouts the idea of earning her Gold Award, the highest honor a participant can get, has been in the back of Eva Spangler's mind.
Recently, the 17-year-old Forest Hills senior accomplished that goal — something just 5% of Girl Scouts do, she said.
"Just knowing I'm part of that, knowing I put the in the work and I put in the effort, knowing I achieved this goal is the best feeling ever," Spangler said.
The scout's project was building large flower boxes that were placed at the Bealtown-Stineman and Fifficktown trailheads of the Path of the Flood trail.
She decided on the concept after talking to members of the South Fork Historical Society.
"I don't remember who came up with the idea but we liked it then we built it," Spangler said.
Her experience working with the local group was a positive one.
"They were the best possible organization I could have gotten involved with," Spangler said.
She described the members as "nothing but helpful."
Todd Russell, vice president of the society, was amazed by the project.
"The nice part about it was pieces just fell into place so easily on this," he said. "It was perfect."
Spangler's father helped her with the design and then she cut the pieces of wood and put everything together at the sites.
She then planted a variety of flowers — from daisies and gardenias to pokers in each one.
Spangler put in 80-100 hours of work across nearly two years to complete the work.
Spangler said the historical society has agreed to take care of the planters from now on and she'll plant new flowers each year.
Also incorporated into the project were trail-marker signs installed on top of the boxes.
Russell said the society received a $500 grant for the way-markers and asked Spangler to include them, which she gladly agreed to do.
Russell said Spangler installed posts on the boxes so the signs could easily be installed.
Spangler considers achieving her Gold Award a highlight of her life.
"It was really excited," she said.
The award is available to girls in high school who create "sustainable change on a community or world issue," according to Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania public relations and marketing manager Stefanie Marshall.
"As they take action to transform their world, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need," Marshall said. "After a new community biking and hiking trail was created in her community, Eva noticed it was not being heavily utilized. She brought awareness to the resource by creating and installing signage and building and placing planters to mark the trail."
