When a group of local Girl Scouts started brainstorming ideas for a Bronze Award project, some of them decided on a plan to help children and moms right here in Duvall.

Last December, a group of Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 1070 served dinner and held a craft night for the children living at Acres of Diamonds – a transitional house for homeless women and children. Each of the children made presents for their moms while the mothers enjoyed an evening off.

In addition to the craft night, the Scouts organized items for a garage sale to benefit Acres of Diamonds. These items were donated throughout the year to the facility – but were unable to be used in their home.

“I think it’s a good experience to learn to help other people and give back to your community,” said Hailee Johnson, age 12. This is her seventh year in scouting, and she is one of five troop members who earned their Bronze Awards through this project.

The others include Katie Birum, Destiny Hines, Grace Kufeldt and Kelsy Nowobilski. Acres of Diamonds has operated in Duvall for the past 10 years. The program’s goal is to equip homeless women for independence.

Three other Scouts also earned their Bronze Award. Brianna Eggleston, of Troop 1149, put together the passports used for Thinking Day, a scouting celebration held each year. She also took pictures of each Girl Scout who attended the event to put in their passport.

Deidre Greenfield, of Troop 1945, planned a pool party event for all the Girl Scouts in the Valley. She designed and ordered a patch, recruited girls to help, organized the registration and provided snacks at the event.

Jerrica Kjorsvik’s project was to build and install a birdhouse at Stillwater Elementary. After researching the types of birds in the area, and negotiating with the principal at Stillwater, she chose an appropriate design. With the help of her dad, she completed and installed the birdhouse.

The Bronze Award is the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn. After completing prerequisites, the girl must complete a project (at least 15 hours) to benefit the community.