Lee County resident and South Fort Myers High School student Cynthia Young has earned Girl Scouting’s highest honor – the Gold Award – with her project titled, Caps 4 Kids.

Young noticed a lack of playground equipment in her community and sought a way to address that need. She learned cost is the most common barrier to creating safe, outdoor play spaces. Through her research, Young found a program in which plastic screw-on caps are collected and used to manufacture playground equipment.

Young got together a group of volunteers to promote the project, establish multiple cap collection sites, and deliver the caps to the sponsoring organization.

She hopes to inspire other girls like her with autism to set big goals and overcome their unique challenges to achieve those goals.

“This project gave me the determination to branch out to others,” Young said. “I learned that if I put my mind to something, I can accomplish anything that comes my way.”

The Girl Scout Gold Award, open to high school Girl Scouts, recognizes girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through take-action projects with sustainable impact in their communities. The Gold Award is so prestigious that some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements.

Congratulations Cynthia!