Gonzales Girl Scout earns gold: Kincaid receives top honor for service project

Hannah Kincaid has reached the highest plateau in Girl Scout achievements, and has done something special for her community in the process.

Kincaid, 18, recently became the first Gold Award recipient in the Gonzales Independent Trails Service Unit.

For her project, she decided to replace the rotten and unsafe tables and benches at the Thompsonville community center.

“The project had to produce a root cause in the community,” Kincaid said. “Take the tables I worked on in Thompsonville, for instance. I couldn’t just say they were old and needed to be replaced; I had to involve a community impact concept.

From there, Kincaid presented her plan to the community, which received overwhelming support.

“We raised over $4,000,” Kincaid said. “Many friends, family and people in the community worked with me to make this project a success.”

What Kincaid thought would only take a couple of months turned into a highly involved endeavor that took seven months to complete.

“It took awhile because there were more steps involved,” Kincaid said. “ I had to get a letter from the Thompsonville Cemetery Association saying they would replace the table- tops when they rotted, and it couldn’t be a project that had already been done before.”

 “Today’s Girl Scouts will be the future leaders in education, business, government and the community,” said Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. “Yet Hannah and her achievement in earning the Gold Award demonstrates that she is already a leader in her community, and has learned how to make the world a better place.”

“The donations really gave us a boost,” Kincaid said. “People in the community donated ‘in memory of’ or ‘in honor of’’, and it was paid for that way. On each table, there are small, business-size plaques saying whose honor it was of or whose memory it was in, and with the family’s name.

“There is also a big plaque inside the ‘perpetual series’ that gives a brief description of the project,” Kincaid said. “And each small plaque identifies the honoree.”

Several important skills were realized during Kincaid’s project.

“Hannah got exposed to elements such as realistic time management and coordinating work with others,” said Dwana Kincaid, Hanna’s mother. “We all learned how important it is to keep organized records!”

As for her future, Kincaid plans to continue to strive for success in any venture she may undertake.

“I’m going to attend Texas State University in the fall,” Kincaid said. “I want to major in business finance and minor in business management. Even though I’m not going to major in education, I’d still love to teach; particularly, 8th or 9th grade Algebra.”

Kincaid will also continue to help the organization that been such an important factor in her life.

“Girl Scouts had a special offer that says when you graduate, you can become a lifetime member for half price,” Kincaid said. “I really liked that offer, so I took it. And since my mom will continue to be troupe leader, I’ll still be able to help her when she needs me.”