Rancho Santa Margarita Residents Honored by Girl Scouts

IRVINE, Calif. (June 19, 2018) – On Sunday, June 3^rd, Girl Scouts of Orange County and its Board of Directors came together with over 750 guests to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of local Girl Scouts and the adult volunteers who support them at the annual Girl Scouts of Orange County Recognition Event luncheon at the Disneyland Hotel. The event was emceed by Tricia Wedekind, a lifelong Girl Scout and troop leader of Girl Scout Junior Troop 3249 in Anaheim and Lisa Hinshaw, Girl Scout Alum and liaison to Girl Scouts of Orange County’s Gold Award Girl Scouts. The theme for the event was superheroes, celebrating the local girls and women, and several outstanding men, who are taking action in their communities, inspiring others, and making our world a better place!

Commenting on the award recipients, Girl Scouts of Orange County CEO Vikki Shepp shared: “I am so very proud to honor the superheroes of our movement - the Girl Scouts who are making our world a better place and the volunteers who inspire them to dig deep, tap into their G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) ™ spirit, and reach for their dreams. From the Girl Scout troop who advocates for change at their city council, to the volunteer who helps a shy Girl Scout Daisy build confidence, Girl Scouts are spreading truth, justice, and friendship everywhere they go. ”

The following Rancho Santa Margarita residents received a prestigious award during the event.

Mary McPherson received the Spotlight Award for providing outstanding service to their Girl Scout Service Unit.

17 year old Girl Scout Ambassador Anushka Bhaskar from Troop 871 was surprised with the Outstanding Senior Girl Scout Recognition, an award given to graduating seniors who have demonstrated their belief in the ideals of Girl Scouting. With approval from the Capistrano Unified School District and administrators at Aliso Niguel High School, Anushka spearheaded a sustainable garden beautification project. She is also the Youth Ambassador for Algalita, a Marine Research and Education Group dedicated to keeping plastics out of our oceans. She served as a Girl Scouts of Orange County Board Girl Advisory Member, was a National Delegate to the National Girl Scout Council Meeting and Convention, and is working to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

15 year old Girl Scout Senior Anchal Bhaskar from Troop 871 was surprised with the Girl Scout Take Action Award, which recognizes Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, or Ambassadors whose efforts to Take Action created lasting impact and inspired others to act to make the world a better place. Anchal’s Take Action Project “Let’s Make Campus Single-Use Plastic Free” focused on the need to eliminate single-use plastic waste at her school. Over a two year period, her project eliminated over 25,000 single use bottles of water, provided with lunch at The Pegasus School in Huntington Beach.