Katie Rider submitted the article.
Emily Hinrichs has been involved in Girl Scouts of the USA since she was five years old. Now, a recent home school graduate, she is bringing Girl Scouting days to a close, by earning her Gold Award, the highest achievement in Scouting. Emily is a Juliette, an “independently registered member” of GSUSA. She does not belong to a troop, but selects and works on badges on her own. Emily says she loves “the different range of activities. If you’re not into camping or traditional Girl Scout things, you can do lots of other activities.” She is particularly fond of the Government badges. Some of her favorite activities included interviewing the Mayor of Chadwick, IL, and traveling to Springfield, IL, for a day at the State Capitol.
Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award is the pinnacle of Girl Scouting, or, as the Girl Scout website proclaims, “the mark of the truly remarkable.” To earn this prestigious award, girls design a sustainable project that makes a difference in their communities and beyond. Emily considered several ideas before choosing literacy initiatives, which seemed right for Morrison. IL. Her project was submitted, revised, and approved by the local Girl Scout Council.
It has two parts:
- planning and running a Young Adult Summer Reading Program through Odell Pubic Library
- building and distributing three Little Free Libraries around Morrison.
The first piece in Emily’s Gold Award plan was to engage teens in reading over the summer. When asked why such a project was necessary, Emily explained, “It’s important. I’m a teenager, and reading was heavily emphasized in Kindergarten up to 5th grade. Then in 6th grade everything stopped. There was no push to read, and I stopped doing it.” When she began home schooling as a Junior in High School, she picked up reading again. Almost immediately, Emily noticed that reading helped reduce her stress and anxiety and gave her a momentary escape from the problems of the real world. She laments that busier schedules also mean less time for [recreational] reading for teens, but says reading–especially Young Adult books that are designed for teens–is worth the effort.
Hinrichs is employed as a Student Worker at Odell Public Library. She created a YA Bingo Card for Morrison area teens to complete during the month of August 2020. Youths (from 7th grade through College Freshman) register to receive a Bingo Card on Odell’s website or social media pages (Facebook/Instagram) or email Emily directly at ehinrichs.odell@gmail.com. Readers must complete at least five reading challenges to get a “Bingo.” Challenges cover a wide range of activities including reading in bed; reading a book that was made into a movie, and having a screen-free day.
Bingo cards are meant to provide fun options for teens to help them step back into reading. They complete the grid at their own pace and choose activities that sound interesting. As a bonus, readers may turn in their completed Bingo cards for the chance to win a $25 gift card to a local business of their choosing. Cards are also available for children and adults on Odell’s website.
Hinrichs holds a Bingo card outside the Odell.
The second piece of the Gold Award project, and perhaps the most long-lasting, will be the creation and installation of three Little Free Library (LFL) boxes around town. A LFL is basically a container with free books that are exchanged within the community. According to the LFL webpage, “…children growing up in homes without books are, on average, three years behind children in homes with lots of books.” One way to close this gap is to make books more readily available to children. Unlike a traditional library, no card is needed; there are no due dates; books can be exchanged 24/7 Users simply take what they need and choose whether or not to return it when they are finished. Emily plans to keep Morrison’s FLFs stocked with books for all ages, from toddlers to adults.
She has priced lumber and drawn up plans for the boxes. Odell will supply books to get the project started. Hinrichs is working with the City of Morrison on possible locations. While her original plan was to have the libraries installed by Wednesday, September 30, complications from COVID-19 have pushed the deadline to the end of 2020. She hopes to have them up and running before winter.
Emily is working to secure a grant to cover some of the costs. Those interested in donating toward this project can email her at ehinrichs.odell@gmail.com.
The Gold Award experience has been challenging. Like many projects in 2020, coronavirus has added untimely setbacks. Emily learned the fine art of reimagining her goals. While she would have liked the opportunity to get more teens involved in programming at the library, virtual programming is an admirable substitute. She is excited to begin construction on the Little Free Libraries, bringing more literacy opportunities to Morrison residents.
That sounds like “the mark of something truly remarkable.”