Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons proudly recognizes 12 local Girl Scouts who are part of the 2025 Girl Scout Gold Award class who earned the highest award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award. Gold Award Girl Scouts make positive impacts on our local communities by addressing some of the most pressing issues. We congratulate Grace Boltjes of Brookings, SD, for earning her Gold Award.
Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs. The 2025 Gold Award Girl Scout class identified issues in their communities, took action, and found or created solutions to earn their Gold Awards, addressing real-life problems such as environmental sustainability, mental and physical well-being, and gender inequality in STEM.
Grace earned her Gold Award by completing her Memory Care Fidget Blankets Project. Grace sewed 20 unique fidget blankets and donated them to residents at a local nursing home. The blankets have ties and other items for residents to use to keep their hands busy and to help them practice repetitive motions. In addition to the blankets, Grace created a video showing how to create similar blankets and shared it online for others to use.
Her accomplishments reflect leadership, citizenship, and foundational skills built through Girl Scouts. “[Girl Scouts] has been a huge part of my life. I joined when I was really young, and it continues to shape me into who I am today. I truly have learned so much from my troop and the places we go,” Grace said.
Grace is finishing her junior year at Brookings High School. She will receive her award at the council’s Honoring Excellence recognition event to be held on June 8, 2025.
