Members of senior Girl Scout Troop 531 started April with a big celebration.
For the fourth year in a row, the four remaining members of the group prepared, organized and held a Father-Daughter dance for Girl Scouts in their service unit to dance the night away.
Organized by Laura Pendlebury, Lauren Hartman, Chelsea Sasala and Carly Morganwalp, during the time of pre-dance planning the four senior scouts were also in the process of wrapping up their Gold Award projects.
THE GOLD AWARD is the highest honor awarded in Girl Scouts and requires that each member spend at least 50 hours working on the project.
Kathy Hartman, mother of Lauren Hartman, said only 6 percent of the senior scouts applied for the award this year and for every member of Troop 531 to receive a Gold Award was uncommon.
In addition to planning their various Gold Award events, the girls also wanted to host the dance to raise money for a father-daughter night of their own before leaving to their respective colleges.
Of the four members, Pendlebury chose to tutor students after school so that parents were able to attend English as a second language courses. She chose this project because of the rising costs of child care, many parents cannot afford to have a baby sitter while they attend language courses.
Hartman hosted a Secret Shop and Safety Fair at the Reston homeless shelter so that children could select a new gift for their mothers for Mother's day as well as learn about safety from the police and fire and rescue departments.
In addition Morganwalp chose to host numerous social events for members of the Tall Oaks Senior Center, including a fashion show and movie night.
Sasala hosted a bike and safety fair at Fox Mill for area children to learn the importance of safety.
The young women are scheduled to be officially recognized for their efforts at a ceremony in May where they will receive their Gold Awards.