Raleigh, NC — Katherine Willis of Fuquay-Varina, NC has been awarded the Girl Scout Silver Award by Girl Scouts — North Carolina Coastal Pines, which is the second highest achievement in Girl Scouting. This award symbolizes outstanding accomplishments and a commitment to excellence, and helps girls build skills, explore careers, gain leadership skills, and make a commitment to self-improvement. It's Girl Scouts like Willis that make the world a better place.

For her Girl Scout Silver Award project, Willis collected baby care items and then created New Mother kits that she donated to SouthLight, an organization that assists teenage mothers-to-be that have substance abuse or addiction problems.

Katherine is the daughter of Jim and Lisa Willis of Fuquay-Varina and has been a Girl Scout since 2001. She is a member of Girl Scout Troop # 657 advised by Helen Barnes, Kim Khare, Gail Utnage, and Donna Shinn. In addition to Girl Scouting Willis is a member of Beta Club, Tri-M Society, Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church and plays the violin.

About the Silver Award

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award girls in grades 6-9, or are the ages 11-14 can earn as a Cadette Girl Scout. The Girl Scout Silver Award represents a girl's accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others. The first four requirements of the Girl Scout Silver Award help girls build skills, explore careers, gain leadership skills, and make a commitment to self-improvement. The Girl Scout Silver Award Project can be undertaken when the first four requirements are completed. It can be done as an individual or with a group. If done with a group, a girl must be responsible for a specific part of the project and evaluate her contribution to the project and the group.

Girl Scouts and Leadership

Girl Scouts of the USA has a 97-year tradition of building leadership skills in girls. Girl Scout alumnae represent 70 percent of women serving in Congress and 66 percent of women of professional achievement. Illustrious alumnae include Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States; Eileen Collins, the first woman space shuttle commander; Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard University; Katie Couric, the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast; and Governor Beverly Perdue, the first female governor of North Carolina.