READING, Pa.- A Girl Scout in Reading is getting ready to complete her Gold Award project. It’s a major accomplishment for her and a way to give back to the community.
“She was so afraid at the beginning. She was like I can’t do this,” says Crystal Gilmore Harris, the Reading Girl Boss Liaison.
“Now she’s had such great success with her project,” Harris added.
Harris is one of many who helped support Girl Scout and Reading High Senior Ilee Wright with her Girl Scout Gold Award Project.
“We are so happy that we’re shining a light on this and giving it the attention that it needs because the Gold Award is just as prestigious as the Eagle Award,” says Gilmore Harris.
The project titled ‘Reaching Hands, Raising Scores’ will help promote literacy.
“Reading has always had a huge impact on my life,” says Senior Girl Scout, Ilee Wright.
“I didn’t enjoy it necessarily because it felt forced in elementary school, but as I’ve grown up, I’ve learned to love not just reading but the things I can take away from reading,” Wright said.
Ilee and her mom built and designed the book boxes, but they still have to put on the finishing touches.
Both boxes will be placed at 10th and Penn Elementary, where they will operate like a free library.
“The kids will all receive a free bookmark and a free book to begin their trading process,” says Wright.
The books will be inside the boxes where students will have opportunities throughout the day to take and exchange different books. There’s also a suggestion box for topics and books they’d like to see.
As part of the project, she had to raise the money and collected more than 1,000 books with the help of the community.
“I’m hoping that after I graduate and this is self-sufficient, that other schools will pick up on the same idea,” says Wright.