Gold Award Celebration With Governor Evers
On Monday, May 13th, Girl Scouts from across Wisconsin who had earned their Gold Award in the past year were invited to the State Capital in Madison, Wisconsin to meet Governor Tony Evers.
It is a high honor to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, and three girls from Manitou Council attended the event to be congratulated by the governor. The girls in attendance from Manitou Council included Amber, Mila, and Alyia. Mila earned her Gold Award in spring 2023 and focused on literacy and classroom behavior by installing a book vending machine at the elementary school in her district. Alyia earned her Gold Award in summer 2023 and focused on early childhood education and enrichment by creating an educational and hands-on play outdoor space at a local childcare center. Amber earned her Gold Award in spring 2024 by creating a business internship program at her high school to provide more opportunities to gain practical business skills while still in high school.
At the start of the event, Girl Scouts Emily, Kayleen, Hannah, and our very own Mila, introduced themselves and explained the core values of Girl Scouts as an organization and gave an update on Girl Scouting in the state of Wisconsin to Governor Tony Evers.
The governor then got to introduce himself to the girls and explain his own values and hopes for the Girl Scouts. After that, the girls, one by one, got to stand up, shake the governor’s hand, tell him about their Gold Award, and get a picture taken of the two of them. This was a special moment for the girls because they got to individually talk about their projects with Tony Evers and meet with him one-on-one.
Lastly, the governor hosted a Q&A section for the girls. He allowed them to ask any questions they had for him. Girl Scouts were eager and excited to participate, asking him hard hitting questions from how to increase Gen Z voter turnout to what the future of women’s leadership in the government looks like. At the end of the event, all the girls gathered around Governor Evers, and they took one last group picture.
Manitou Council Girl Scouts enjoyed this unique opportunity to meet the governor and have their achievements recognized. Alyia appreciated the Q&A opportunity and said, "It was a really interesting experience to learn more about what our governor Tony Evers thinks about different policies and different things the girls questioned him about, like the voting population..." Mila agreed with Aylia and said, “I liked especially the Q&A section...I thought it (the event) was run really smoothly.” Amber said, “Today was a really good day for Girl Scouts to get in touch with the governor and ask questions they wanted to know about their state and education.”
We are so proud of our Girl Scouts and all the amazing things they have achieved. They were proud of themselves as well and felt honored at this event. Amber closed by saying, “It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us and it means a lot to me to be here to represent Manitou Council.”
