Eight Year Old Summerville Girl Scout receives Life-Saving Award

SAMANTHA ROSE PIRKEL HONORED WITH THE BRONZE CROSS LIFESAVING AWARD

On April 22, 2013 in front of a Publix Supermarket in the Knightsville area a tragedy was averted due to the love and quick thinking of a big sister.

Johnnie Pirkel was shopping for supplies for a Girl Scout meeting with her two youngest daughters Samantha, age 8, and Alison, age 3. On their way out the younger of the two sisters Alison, left the side of her mother and darted out into the road. What she didn’t realize what there was a red truck that had just run two stop signs and was headed right for her. Both Samantha and her mother Johnnie yelled Alison’s name and called for her to get out of the road to no avail. Without any hesitation Samantha rushed into the road, grabbed her sister in a bear hug, and fell backward out of the way of the impending danger. Neither Samantha nor Alison were injured.  

Samantha Pirkel, a Girl Scout Brownie, was presented the Bronze Cross Lifesaving award at a mother daughter tea last night at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church in Summerville on May 12, 2014. When Samantha was asked if she had anything she wanted to say, Samantha said, “I’m so happy that I got to save the life of my little sister.”

Loretta Graham, CEO of The Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina, presented Samantha with this esteemed award and said, “We are proud to have a girl like Samantha in our organization and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for her.”