Bainbridge pair receive highest honors from Girl Scouts

Published 9:36 am Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Carolyn Williams and Kate Matthews of Bainbridge Island recently received the Girl Scouts Gold Award, the highest achievement possible in the organization.

The Girl Scouts completed significant community projects focused on creating a sustainable impact.

The two young women involved with the Girl Scouts of Western Washington received the Gold Award, an honor that only 6 percent of Girl Scouts ever achieve.

Williams set out to help children discover a love of sports and recreational activities.

As part of her project, she revamped an elementary school playground and blacktop with new paint to enable students to play games like hopscotch, Four Square and 50 States.

She also hosted a “Fitness Day” event to teach kids new sports and games, as well as to inspire them to try new things and work in teams. The activities from her event are now part of the ongoing physical education curriculum at the school.

Williams currently attends the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, where she intends to major in international relations and Arabic. She plays rugby, participates in Model United Nations and is headed to Poland to conduct a research project this summer.

Matthews developed multiple relationships with organizations and volunteers throughout the island. She established a community garden area and gardening programs for two low-income housing facilities.

She also invited tenants to brainstorming sessions and work parties — helping to ensure everyone was involved in designing and building a total of 12 garden beds.

Matthews’ project provided access to fresh produce and developed camaraderie between residents living in two different facilities.

In the fall, she will be attending Willamette University in Oregon to play soccer and focus on environmental studies and political science.

Both of the winners were honored at a special Gold Award Gala at the Tacoma Art Museum on June 7.