Three Fernie Girl Guides, Kyra Von Matt, Megan Hammer, and Hannah Thompson, have been awarded the Canada Cord.
The Canada Cord is the highest achievement a girl can earn as a Pathfinder, the second highest level in the Girl Guides program. The award is a reflection of the time the girls have spent in the last three years as Pathfinders, learning the importance of leadership, volunteering, and citizenship in the community of Fernie.
Leah Thompson, with the First Fernie Pathfinder Unit, commented, “I’m very proud of them. Not too many girls in each town get the award and so it’s a nice achievement for them.”
Thompson explained each of the girls participated in a number of activities throughout the Elk Valley as Pathfinders, including Demo Derby clean up, singing at the senior’s home, volunteering with the Salvation Army and the Sparwood Food Bank, making Red Cross hygiene kits, creating and selling bracelets for Free the Children, and knitting baby hats for the Fernie Hospital.
Kyra, Megan, and Hannah will now move on to become Rangers, the last step they can take as Girl Guides.
“As Rangers they’ll be taking a leadership role for younger guiding branches,” said Thompson. “There’s a lot of opportunities all around the world, they can do Girl Guide international training. At the end of grade 12 there are so many scholarships available when they’ve made these achievements and on their resume it looks amazing.”
Each girl will also receive two school credits for earning the Canada Cord award.