January 5, 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

Senior Spotlight… Ally Monk

January 29, 2020

January 29, 2020

What are your plans after you graduate from St. Joseph-Ogden? After graduation, I plan on attending the University of Missouri...

Talk of the Town with SJO Superintendent Brian Brooks

May 9, 2019

May 9, 2019

Every week we ask a village mayor, school superintendent or board member three questions. This week we talked to St....

‘We lost a great young man’

October 22, 2024

October 22, 2024

When Corey Thompsen was in high school at St. Joseph-Ogden, he and his fellow cross-country runners would race across the...

Bagby selected as winner of Chamber Scholarship

April 23, 2019

April 23, 2019

Goals are nothing new to St. Joseph-Ogden Senior Cassidy Bagby. As a varsity cross country and track athlete she sets...

Where to see Fireworks

July 3, 2019

July 3, 2019

Area residents have numerous chances to see fireworks this weekend. This post is sponsored by Island Travel Group and Events....

How I get it done… Diana Foltz

October 7, 2022

October 7, 2022

We are asking local business leaders how they accomplish goals and run their businesses. We spoke to Diana Foltz, the...

How do I help my kids try new foods?

October 19, 2021

October 19, 2021

By: Dr. Jeanelle Murphy, DO Thanks to Christie Clinic for sponsoring this content. Encouraging young kids to try new foods...

Get to know Senior SJO Marching Band member Bryce Collins

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

The community surrounding Marching Band is filled with some of the most talented, passionate, and downright amazing people I’ve ever...

‘I am proud of all of us’ by Kristen Costa

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

To the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Class of 2020, when I began writing this speech, I didn’t even know where...

Doctor’s love of medicine started at early age

February 18, 2019

February 18, 2019

St. Joseph resident Dr. Jeanelle Murphy fell in love with medicine in the oncology wing at the Children’s Hospital of...

Kids Say….What does farmer do?

January 6, 2020

January 6, 2020

We asked students from St. Joseph Grade School what they think a farmer does each day. Here are their answers....

A familiar face to lead PVO

February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019

Jeffrey Isenhower will start a new job on July 1, 2020. He will take over the Prairieview-Ogden superintendent for Vic...

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...

Kids say…

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

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

10 Things you don’t know about me… Terri Rein

November 6, 2019

November 6, 2019

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

Comments
Leave a Reply