Growing up, Maggie Hostetler recalls planting outside with her mother, Eileen Hostetler; looking at different plant species while on family hikes; and hanging out at Jaycee Park. Maggie joined Girl Scouts when she was in second grade. As a Brownie, Maggie started with a troop at Wesley United Methodist Church in Strasburg and then transferred with that group when it joined Troop 70905 at Lampeter United Methodist Church. Girl Scouts can complete three higher-level awards - Bronze, Silver, and Gold - which, along with helping the community and giving the girls valuable life experiences, can yield scholarship money for college. The last item on Maggie's to-do list before leaving for Bridgewater College in Virginia this past August was completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

Maggie knew she wanted to help improve the daily life of those within her community. While figuring out what she wanted to do for her project, she realized she spent a great deal of her childhood at Jaycee Park. During the spring semester of her senior year at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Maggie contacted Jaycee Park board members Karen Reynolds and Pete Kingsley to inquire about any work that needed to be done at the park. Reynolds and Kingsley noted that the park needed plants to reduce weed removal in several areas of landscaping. Soon enough, Maggie planned out her Girl Scout Gold Award project, which consisted of planting pachysandra and myrtle under several trees as well as along one of the park's hillsides. Maggie also made signs relaying information about the plants to park visitors.

"I really liked that the project helped give back to the same environment I grew up in," said Maggie. "It kind of came full circle."

After the completion of her Girl Scout Gold Award project in mid-August, Maggie received a message from the Jaycee Park board. The message reads, "The Jaycee Park Board really appreciates Maggie's work. We are an all-volunteer board, so we are extremely grateful anytime we can receive help keeping the park beautiful. The plants and mulch Maggie added look great, and her hard work didn't go unnoticed."

Maggie is grateful for the efforts of Amy Sue Diehl, who led her in Girl Scouts for many years.

To learn more about Girl Scouts, visit http://www.gshpa.org.