The 100 Mile Girl Guides have awarded two new Pathfinders the Lady Baden-Powell Award for Guides.
Kailey Glotze, 13, and Payton Holloway, 12, were presented with the award - the highest honour a Girl Guide can earn through the program - in a small, intimate ceremony last month.
The award is a pin in the shape of the hat worn by the founder of Girl Guides, Lady Olave Baden-Powell. In order to earn it, guides are encouraged to take the initiative in volunteering in their local communities while learning about Baden-Powell’s life.
“I know how incredibly hard these young ladies have worked. They’ve had to work exceptionally hard this year to be able to complete their work,” Pathfinder leader Julia Franklin said. “It makes you incredibly proud to see these young women are starting now and learning the value of community work and being a positive role model.”
Payton, who lives on Horse Lake Road in 100 Mile House, said she joined Girl Guides as a Brownie while her older sister Keeley was in Pathfinders. This year she said her baby sister Brynna started in Sparks, which makes her happy.
“It’s really nice because then Brynna, after she’s done her meeting, comes into the Girl Guide room, finds me and hugs me,” Payton said.
Making new friends is one of Payton’s favourite things about Girl Guides. This year they did mostly outdoor activities like building a makeshift shelter, a towel rack and a game in winter where they lit up balloons and went out at night to see what shapes they could create.
READ MORE: Girl Guides adapt their motto to be prepared
Although completing Girl Guides was hard work, Payton said it was made little easier by the fact her nana, Bernice Enns, is the leader for the group. Payton said “it was fun doing it with her” as Enns was able to help her catch up if she missed a meeting and she got to spend more time with her nana.
For her community project, Payton led her troop and their family members in painting 100 rocks with unique designs like ladybugs, monsters, flowers and a wide range of other designs. They were then scattered around the 100 Mile Marsh “to give people something to smile about.”
“I had to show the girls how to make a bedroll when I led a meeting,” Payton said. “It was the hardest part because I didn’t even know how to make a bedroll. We watched a video (and figured it out together.)”
Enns said it was special to be her granddaughter’s guide leader and was proud to see both girls earn this award.
Both Payton and Kailey took part in several community events over the past three years, including organizing a holiday celebration for the residents of Pioneer Haven at Christmas time, making flower baskets for the residents and taking part in Operation Christmas Child.
Kailey and Payton are now working on earning their Canada Cord award, the highest award in Pathfinders. Franklin said she’s looking forward to mentoring them next year.
“We’ve been very fortunate with all of our groups this year. The Sparks, the Brownies, the Guides and the Pathfinders have all done very well in adapting to most of the year being run over Zoom,” Franklin said. “It has had its challenges but the kids have really stepped up.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.