January 27, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

‘Girl Scouts is not all arts and crafts’

Hannah Fox wanted to help feed her community.


And for her Girl Scout Gold Award she attempted to do just that.


“My project was based on farm to table,” Fox said. “My main goal was to get fresh food out to my community, and I did so by creating an educational website.”


The website lists the benefits of fresh food, where fresh food can be purchased, and also how to grow food at home. 

Fox receive her award in December.


Fox said her own experiences inspired the project.


“I grew up with fresh food,” she said. “I wanted to be able to give my community what I had.”


To earn the Gold Award scouts must first earn the Silver Award and plan and implement a “Take Action” project that reaches beyond the Girl Scout organization and provides sustainable, lasting benefit to the community. Gold Award Service projects require a minimum of 80 hours of work in planning and actually completing the project. Plans must be developed with the aid of an advisor and the proposal must be approved by the local Girl Scout Council and a final report must be submitted and approved when the project is completed.


Fox’s journey to her Gold Award wasn’t without its issues.


Her project did not get approved at first.


“I had to sit my proposal paperwork,” she said. “Then it was finally approved.”


Fox spent 85 hours working on the project but she said the time was worth it.


“There are many benefits to having your gold award,” she said. “It was a great topic for my college scholarship essays and it was very rewarding to know that I have made an impact in other people’s lives. Even if I didn’t reach my entire community, it was a good feeling to know that I reached some.”


Fox said the hardest part was prioritizing the project over more fun tasks.


“I was very busy with school, volleyball, and other hobbies, so in order to finish I had to make sacrifices in order to make the time to complete it,” Fox said.


Fox said the process taught her that it really does take a support system to complete a project like this.


“Their support is what pushed me to finish,” she said. “Without them I really doubt I would have gotten the award.”


Fox said she looks back on her time in scouts fondly.


“For me, scouting was a way for me to stay in touch with my friends who I didn’t go to school with. We were all very busy, and Girl Scouts allowed us to easily keep in touch with them,” she said. “Girl Scouts is not all arts and crafts. It is about learning new skills, making friendships, and gaining confidence.”

in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

5 things you don’t know about me… Will Rubach

August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

Will is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

10 things you don’t know about me… Sue Esposito

March 13, 2019

March 13, 2019

Every week we ask a community member to share 10 things about themselves. This week it is Ogden Trustee Sue...

Kids Say

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

5 things you don’t know about me….Payslie Hogan

August 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

Payslie is in the running for the title of Little Princess! She is six years old. We asked hrt to...

10 things you don’t know about me… Carrie Mattsey

September 27, 2019

September 27, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week we spoke to...

Employees help co-worker during time of need

February 8, 2021

February 8, 2021

The staff at the St. Joseph Subway wanted to help April Patton. Manager Adam Porter said his co-worker said she...

10 things you don’t know about me… Cliff Hastings

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked the owner of Prime Time Volleyball and the Parkland Head Volleyball Coach to tell us 10 interesting facts...

Parkland announces 2019 Spring graduates

July 16, 2019

July 16, 2019

Parkland College announces its spring 2019 graduates. Included are those who have earned an associate’s degree or a certificate. Graduates...

10 things you don’t know about me… The Gary Olson Family

September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

The GARY OLSON FAMILY is being inducted into the SJO Hall of Fame tonight. Gary and Nancy Olson and their...

Auto shop offering free oil changes to healthcare workers

June 12, 2020

June 12, 2020

St. Joseph Automotive and Diesel is helping the people who help us. During the month of June, in collaboration with...

Food pantry in need of donations

August 23, 2019

August 23, 2019

The shelves are almost bare at the St. Joseph Community Food Pantry. The pantry, housed in the St. Joseph Church...

Senior spotlight Eric Poe

February 7, 2020

February 7, 2020

Every week we ask a St. Joseph-Ogden senior five questions. This week we talked to Eric Poe. Thank you to...

Running for a good cause

March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

John Lubinski has a sizable commute each day to get from his home in St. Joseph to his place of...

Upcoming SJO graduate Lewis ‘excited’ to take next step at University of Kentucky

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Hannah Lewis always wanted to go to college out of state. She traveled to Alabama and Florida trying to find...

Kids Say…

April 3, 2019

April 3, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

Comments
Leave a Reply