Carbon monoxide detectors help girl scouts earn Silver Award

FALLBROOK – Members of Girl Scout Troop 4042 – Carley, Emalee, Grace, Jenna and Veronica – were honored June 17 in a council wide ceremony at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, where they received their Silver Award, the second highest award in the Girl Scouts of the USA.

The Silver Award is an honor that only Cadettes can earn. It is symbolic of their accomplishments in Girl Scouts and gives them a chance to show that they are leaders and are committed to improving their community.

The Silver Award is not required for a girl scout to advance in rank, so earning this award puts them among a remarkable group of girls who have used their knowledge and leadership skills to make a difference in the world.

What makes the Silver Award unique is that it is a take action project. This means the girls not only need to identify a problem, but actively work on finding a solution that positively impacts the citizens in their community.

The girls may work together within a small troop, but each member needs to dedicate at least 50 hours towards this community service project, and they must follow the guidelines established by the Girl Scout Council.

It is very difficult to complete all the requirements for the Silver Award in one year, so often times the girls begin to work toward this award immediately after bridging to the Cadette level.

For their Silver Award, Girl Scout Troop 4042 chose to educate the citizens of Fallbrook and Bonsall on the dangers of carbon monoxide. Through donations and fundraising, they not only purchased but also installed a total of 40 carbon monoxide detectors in the homes of those who needed them.

Troop leader Kelly Romero expressed her gratitude towards the Fallbrook Firefighters Association.

“We were so lucky to receive carbon monoxide detector donations from the Firefighters Association," said Romero. "It was very generous and we appreciate their help.”

Romero went on to say how proud she is of her troop.

"The girls have been working for two years to earn this award," said Romero. "It took a lot of dedication and hard work. We are so grateful for the support we received from the residents of Fallbrook. They helped make our community service project successful.”

Captain Eddie Jones, president of the Fallbrook Firefighters Association, congratulated the troop on a job well done.

“It is extremely important to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide and to have a working detector in your home," said Jones. "The girls did a great job, and the Fallbrook Firefighters Association was happy to help.”