educate
J
Star Student
SPRING 2018
maskmatters.org
61
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of Girl Scouts—Arizona-Cactus Pine
A
seventh grade Girl Scout at
Stetson Hills Elementary,
Eden Sapien stands out for
unleashing her inner G.I.R.L.
(Go-Getter, Innovator, Risk
Taker, Leader) to make the world a better
place. And she’s garnering broad support
for her agenda.
In October 2017, Eden was awarded
the Disney Summer of Service grant
through YSA (Youth Service America)
for her latest project addressing the issue
of public health and homelessness. She
is one of 270 young leaders across the
country awarded this grant to assist young
people in the development of projects to
help make their communities healthier,
greener and stronger.
The grant provides resources for
Eden to provide hygiene products for
the homeless. Further, she will educate
and mobilize her peers around the issue
of public health and homelessness, and
create solutions for public health and
homelessness through awareness, service,
advocacy, and philanthropic activities.
Eden has been working on this project
in earnest throughout 2017, and is still
seeking donations of new and used bars
of soap and shampoo bottles from local
hotels. She sanitizes any used soap and
melts it down to make new soap bars,
and fills the shampoo bottles with new
product. She donates everything directly
to the Phoenix Rescue Mission, which
has shown handing out soap and other
hygiene products to the homeless is key to
building relationships with them to create
trust and encourage them to accept other
available services.
Why did Eden choose this project?
“While researching ideas for my Silver
Award, my mom
read a story about a
charity that recycles
soap for people in
other countries,”
she says. “I liked
that idea, but I
wanted to help
people in my own
community. Plus
making soap is fun.”
Eden practices leadership with grit
like a go-getter, problem-solves like
an innovator, embraces the new like a
risk-taker, and shows empathy like a
leader—all key values of the Girl Scout
Leadership Experience. In fact, this
service project was part of Eden’s work
toward earning her Girl Scout Silver
Award, which will be awarded this spring.
The Bronze, Silver and
Gold Awards are the
highest awards in Girl
Scouting, requiring
the completion of a
service project that is
sustainable and benefits
the community.The
project must also be
replicable and relevant
in a global sense.
In addition to serving her community,
Eden likes to ride horses, run cross
country, play the tenor saxophone and
watch episodes of “Friends.” She’s an
awesome camper and builds a great
campfire. She hopes to eventually earn her
Girl Scout Gold Award.
STAR
STUDENT
EDEN
SAPIEN
“While researching ideas for
my Silver Award, my mom
read a story about a charity
that recycles soap for people
in other countries. I liked that
idea, but I wanted to help
people in my own community.
Plus making soap is fun.”
