SEBASTIAN — Three Girl Scouts from a Sebastian troop earned one of the organization’s highest honors for transforming a local senior center’s butterfly garden into a haven for native plants and pollinators.
Tauni Greer, Taelynn Taylor and Riley Quinones, all members of Troop 51013, received the Girl Scout Silver Award during a ceremony Sunday in Boca Raton hosted by the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida. The award, the second-highest in Girl Scouting, recognizes projects that create lasting community change.
The girls partnered with Richard Blankenship, a city of Sebastian employee, to identify the need at the Sebastian Senior Center. They spent more than 50 volunteer hours removing overgrown vegetation and invasive species, then replanting with native butterfly-attracting plants and adding pine needles as natural mulch.
Troop leaders Teresa Taylor and Jacey Quinones guided the effort. The troop also commits to monthly maintenance at Sebastian’s Garden Club park on Barber Street as part of its ongoing community service.
The Silver Award is open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade Girl Scout Cadettes who have completed prerequisites like the Bronze Award or a leadership journey. To earn it, scouts must notify their council, identify a community issue, form a team or work solo, plan a sustainable project and reflect on its impact.
All the girls are from Sebastian River High School and are all in the 9th grade.
