ROCKLAND — Three Girl Scouts from Rockland Troop 191 earned their Silver Awards for tackling a community issue based around veteran grave preservation in Owls Head. The Girl Scout Silver Award—the highest honor a Cadette can earn—is achieved when Girl Scout Cadettes focus on an issue they care about in their community and take action to make a difference.

Harmony Withee of Rockland, Lorelei Young of Washington, and Morgan Erickson of Thomaston decided to focus their project on the particular subject after noting an abnormally high number of cemeteries in Owls Head. This spurred their curiosity about Maine state laws regarding veteran gravesite standards, which they soon discovered were quite minimal. Upon further investigation, they also realized that Owls Head did not have a record of buried veterans, making it extremely difficult for the town to adhere to said state laws regarding the graves.

With the newfound issue in mind, the three girls teamed up with the cemetery committee, town planning board, and other community members to create a system of properly documenting veterans buried in Owls Head. For each veteran record found, the girls included the deceased’s name, age at passing, residential town, branch of military served, war fought in, and biographical information. The project is currently being sustained by the cemetery committee who will continue to update and add to the records upon discovery, ensuring equal and optimal access to veteran information for all.

“We made sure that the veterans who served for our country get the respect and memory that they deserve so that future generations will know about our service men and women,” said Withee, Young, and Erickson, in a Girls Scouts of Maine news release.

All three girls were honored with their Silver Awards at the Girl Scouts of Maine (GSME) 2023 Annual Celebration on May 13 at Messalonskee Performing Arts Center in Oakland.

To learn more about their Silver Award project, visit https://www.girlscoutsofmaine.org/highest-awards-stories.

Girl Scouts of Maine

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs across the state of Maine and beyond, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.girlscoutsofmaine.org. For the latest updates follow us on Facebook @girlscoutsofmaine and Instagram @girlscoutsofmaine.