The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn by discovering a societal issue, creating solutions, instilling change, and inspiring others. During my sophomore and junior years, I began and completed my Gold Award Project, which addressed low literacy rates for children in underserved populations. I was able to establish a lasting reading program at Neighborhood Healthcare community clinics in Escondido and El Cajon, establish a Reach Out and Read Club at my school, read in clinic waiting rooms throughout the summer, and make and install a trilingual video on the importance of reading to children at an early age. 

Reach Out and Read is a program that serves millions of children and strengthens their families and communities. The national literacy program was established in 2007 in coordination with the American Academy of Pediatrics. They are the only organization working directly with pediatric medical providers to share the lifelong benefits that result from families reading aloud to their children every day. Pediatricians collaborate with parents and distribute new children’s books to patients starting during their 6-month well-child check-up until they are five years old. By reaching children during the critical early years, the effects of inequality are combatted, so that family income, race, and geography are no longer predictors of kindergarten readiness, school, and life success.

During the 2021-2022 school year, I began the Reach Out and Read Club at my school, the Academy of Our Lady of Peace (OLP). Throughout the year, my role as president and founder has allowed me to connect with many different community members. At school, I planned and hosted monthly club meetings, raised funds through treat sales, collected gently used books during drives, presented to the OLP Board of Directors, and made a video for the annual Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Leadership Conference. At Neighborhood Healthcare Clinics and within the San Diego community, I created reading corners, sorted books, created informative waiting room videos for parents in English and Arabic, participated in community health fairs, and assisted the annual literacy fair at the University of San Diego (USD). 

Throughout the summer, I volunteered to read in the waiting room of the pediatric clinics at Neighborhood Healthcare in Escondido and El Cajon. Neighborhood Healthcare clinics are community health centers that provide quality healthcare for the underserved in the community. While volunteering in my own little reading corner, I was able to connect with children from 6 months to 10 years of age in both English and Spanish. As I read with the child, the parent was able to visually see an example of how to nurture reading with their child in their own home. However, many of the children lacked the resources, guidance, and skills to become proficient in their reading skills. Each new day I read to a multitude of pediatric patients with different reading skills: a three-year-old who was a proficient reader, a child with Down syndrome who loved reading about ducks, an eight-year-old who had fewer than ten children’s books at home, and a ten-year-old who was struggling to read an elementary book. Nevertheless, after reading with or to a child, they were able to walk away with a sense that reading is fun, and anyone could become a great reader. By the end of summer break, I read approximately 800 books to 385 children. The experience was eye-opening, and rewarding, and made me realize the immense value and impact reading has on the lives of children and their families, especially those in the underserved population. For over a year, I spent 250 hours working on my Gold Award Project. 

This past year, I have served a total of 400 hours in my community at numerous organizations: Reach Out and Read San Diego, Neighborhood Healthcare, Girl Scouts San Diego, Ronald McDonald House Charities San Diego, St. Michael’s Altar Serving Ministry, Life Choices Pregnancy Center, Feeding San Diego, and Interfaith Community Services. From serving the homeless, underserved, and food insecure, my parish community, my school community, and families with sick children, and young girls, I have learned that even the smallest of deeds can have a monumental impact. 

My Girl Scout Gold Award Project and my dedication to community service have made me realize that change can begin with one person, but it is not possible without the support of the entire community.

Congratulations Theresa on being one of our 2023 High School Service Awardees!

Theresa will be donating part of her monetary award to Reach Out and Read.