WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland hosted their annual Recognition Breakfast on Saturday. The organization acknowledged recipients of a variety of different awards during the event.
Thirteen Scouts were recognized with the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive. The honor is presented to those who complete a project that creates meaningful and lasting change in their community.
Wichita Independent Senior Lauren Schmeidler was this year’s GSKH Gold Award Scholarship recipient. Lauren worked with state legislation to introduce House Bill No. 2461, meant to remove the tax on feminine hygiene products within the state.
“I visited the local Wichita women’s shelter, and I just saw how difficult it was to get those products because they’re just so expensive. And I really wanted to help people in lesser financial situations be able to afford their feminine hygiene products,” said Schmeidler.
The Wichita native plans to use her scholarship to help with college next year, where she will major in sports medicine.
Schmeidler says skills from her project, like sticking with goals and public speaking, will help her succeed in her future endeavors.
