Pearland Girl Scout earns Gold Award for hurricane preparedness

Girl Scout Elizabeth Hesse earned her Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.'s Gold Award for a hurricane preparedness seminar project.    Hesse created, planned and hosted her seminar with help from a team of volunteers. The event included a scripted play, a hurricane safety video and a number of guest speakers. More than 50 area children were taught how to assemble their own hurricane safety kits.    "I chose this project because I found out that there was a need for education in my community and not much of it was directed towards educating children on hurricane preparedness," Hesse said in a press release. "I felt that I could be the one to make a difference."   The Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Gold Award is one of the top honors in scouting, with less than 5 percent of all Girl Scouts receiving the award. It requires two to three years of work toward scouting awards and achievements, more than 100 hours of community service work and a final project designed and carried out by the Gold Award candidate.    A nine-year member of the Girl Scouts in the San Jacinto Council, Hesse participated in dance, drama and Popcorn Leadership programs at Incarnate Word Academy in Pearland. She hopes to attend the University of Louisiana in Lafayette after graduation, with an intention to study computer science, physics or English.    For more information on the Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council, visit www.gssjc.org or call 1-800-392-4340.