Brainstorming my Gold Award Project

It took me quite awhile to figure out what I wanted to actually accomplish for my Gold Award project. I knew I wanted to get started on it this summer while I had time. I brainstormed all the possibilities I mnight be interested in by looking on the Internet for project ideas as well as looking at Gold Award project ideas girls in WI have done in the past couple years. I narrowed it down to upgrading a naturetrail like the one at my old elementary school or creating a community center for underpriviaged kids. While riding on Brown Deer Rd in Milwaukee once day, I noticed a sign about a future teen community center coming to a building across the street from a Lutheran church. My mom and I stopped in to talk to person in charge of it. Their proposed dream was still in it's very preliminary stages and the building was too large of an undertaking for me. It would probably have taken a crew of paid workers months of daily work to renovate the prior restaurant into a teen center. After mulling this over for a day or so, I decided to look onward. My mom thought of Urban Day School as about a year ago our family donated about 250 books to their 12th Street campus. I called that campus and was told they already had a parent resource room, but they thought their other campus on 24th and Vliet might need a parent resource room created. I called them and they were very happy to have me create a parent resource room at their school. They were already using an empty classroom in that school to meet with parents for meetings, counseling, etc. but it was in pretty bad shape. About a week later, my mom and I visited the school and the administrators gave me the option of renovating one of two rooms, along with making and filling tote bags to give the children upon registration as well as organizing several parent workshop speaker evening programs. I chose to deal withthe Head Start program because the room looked in worse shape than the elementary school age room did. I also really liked the two Head Start administrators I talked with. I felt I could work and communicate well with them, especially Ms. Latrice Robinson. When I got home, I e-mailed Ms. Robinson to tell her of my decision. She was very excited.