Jessica Miano

The Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida were invited to the Red Sox’s Inaugural Spring Training Girl Scout Day on March 26^th. Two Girl Scouts were presented with $5000 scholarships in a pre-game ceremony.

Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida recently partnered with the Boston Red Sox to host the first ever Inaugural Spring Training Girl Scout Day at JetBlue Park Stadium on March 26^th for girls and their families to enjoy. A total of 60 Girl Scouts and their family members purchased tickets for the weekend game.

Those who attended reported they had a wonderful time and are already looking forward to attending future Girl Scout events with the Red Sox.

“This was a lot of fun for the girls,” said Christine DiBenedetto, a Girl Scout parent who attended the game on Sunday.

Every Girl Scout with a game ticket was given access to special events, including a pre-game announcement welcoming the Girl Scouts to the ballpark, an in-game video shot and a pre-game parade along warning track. All of the Girl Scouts who attended also had the opportunity to announce say “Play Ball” before the game over the PA system. Girls had the chance to meet and fist-bump with players, as well.

In a pre-game ceremony, the Boston Red Sox also presented 15 high school seniors each with the Lee County Red Sox Scholarship, a $5,000 scholarship for academically talented Lee County public high school seniors who are making meaningful impact through service in their community. This prestigious scholarship award is for students pursuing a two-year or four-year degree at any college or university.

Two of the recipients, Autumn Pepper Rhodes and Alexis Smith, are Gulfcoast Girl Scouts and Gold Award Girl Scouts. The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Gold Award Girl Scouts in high school complete projects to make the world a better place and earn the highest award available to Seniors and Ambassadors. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award.

“It was really cool to attend a game like this,” scholarship recipient Autumn Rhodes said. “It was something I have never done before, and it was really cool to meet the other scholars, to talk to them and to see how diverse everyone was. Next fall, I am going to college at Rice University in Houston and I am going to be a dual major in mechanical engineering and astrophysics.”

“Attending the game was better than I would have ever imagined,” said Alexis Smith. Girl Scout Day was her very first experience attending a baseball game. “The staff were extremely friendly and seeing all the Girl Scouts there made the experience even better. This scholarship is really going to help take off some of the financial burden and stress I was having. I am working towards becoming an orthopedic surgeon and will be attending Florida International University in the fall to major in health science. I am also pursuing an internship in sports medicine while there.”

The March 26^th game was between the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. According to ESPN, the Twins won, with a game score of 7 – 2.

For every ticket purchased a portion of that ticket was generously donated by the Red Sox back to Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.

March 26, 2023, Fort Myers, FL: Girl Scouts say play ball before a Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida Sunday, March 26, 2023. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/Boston Red Sox)

All of the Girl Scouts who attended had the opportunity to announce say “Play Ball” before the game over the PA system.

March 26, 2023, Fort Myers, FL: Girl Scouts walk the field before a Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida Sunday, March 26, 2023. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/Boston Red Sox)

Girl Scouts met and shared fist-bumps with players.

The Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida were invited to the Red Sox’s Inaugural Spring Training Girl Scout Day on March 26th.

Autumn Rhodes, 2023 Red Sox Scholar

Autumn Rhodes and Alexis Smith, both Gold Award Girl Scouts from Gulfcoast Florida, received the Lee County Red Sox Scholarship on March 26th, a $5,000 scholarship for academically talented Lee County public high school seniors who are making meaningful impact through service in their community.

March 26, 2023, Fort Myers, FL: Scholarship winners are recognized before a Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida Sunday, March 26, 2023. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/Boston Red Sox)

Three members of the Girl Scouts Gulfcoast Council were among those representing the Girl Scout movement and serving as delegates at the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in March.

The Gulfcoast delegates included Girl Scout Seniors Mackenzie Shockey, Olivia Trader, and Mackenzie Valenza.

Each year, more than 5,000 women and girls from around the world gather for this session focused on the worldwide state of gender equality. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida is one of only five Girl Scout councils, out of more than 100 councils nationwide, selected to send a delegation to the 2023 session.

The girls submitted applications to the council and were selected to join fellow Girl Scouts from California, Florida and Oklahoma.

During the Commission on the Status of Women, girls attended sessions, listened to speakers and advocated for what they believe is important and relevant for girls today. They engaged with non-governmental organizations, U.N. agencies, country missions and other youth delegates from around the world. Delegates also took part in and spoke at Girl Scout parallel events about STEM, digital literacy, access to technology in rural areas, and the importance of Girl Scouts and other organizations to champion digital literacy for girls.

Along with attending inspirational events led by women leaders and professionals from across the globe during their visit to the U.N., the girls were also part of advocacy groups, conversation circles, assisted with girl statement writing, and moderated their own event in collaboration with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. They also met people from all over the world, visited GSUSA headquarters, sat in on the UN General Assembly and more.

To prepare for their roles during the experience, Girl Scouts participated in bi-weekly Zoom training beginning in August 2022.