There’s no doubt that we’re facing hard times. But one local girl is aiming to make the world a better place.
Emma Klatt, a Manitowoc Girl Scout, recently earned her Gold Award, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn. When Emma decided to focus on domestic violence, she immediately reached out to InCourage in Manitowoc. She learned that many women who come to the shelter do so with just the clothes on their backs. They are provided with pillows and clothes, but because these items can’t be reused, there is always a great need for them.
All of this inspired Emma to make a difference and dedicate her project to helping InCourage and raising awareness about domestic violence. Emma made two goals. One was to supply duffel bags stocked with pillows, clothes, face masks/coverings that are an absolute necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, personal hygiene items, towels, and a pillowcase. These fully stocked bags would be handed to people arriving at InCourage and would be theirs to keep when leaving.
Providing these necessary supplies would solve an immediate need in her community, but Gold Award Girl Scouts aim higher and solve an issue at the root cause. Emma’s second goal was to raise awareness about domestic violence in her community and the world, and the need to support organizations like InCourage through donations and volunteering.
Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award is no easy feat. Emma dedicated over 80 hours of work to her project. Accomplishing this entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more remarkable. The pandemic gave Emma challenges she hadn’t planned on. Instead of meeting with large groups, she was forced to meet one-on-one to keep everyone safe and maintain social distancing.
She also had to adjust to a new lifestyle with online schooling and staying at home, causing her to struggle with motivation at times. But she adjusted her plans and was able to make a huge impact despite facing many challenges.
