First Girl Scout Community Troop to Earn Bronze Award
August 01, 2025
First Girl Scout Community Troop to Earn Bronze Award
To Be Honored with Ribbon Cutting
St. Petersburg, FL – Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) is proud to announce a historic milestone: Troop 96360, Florida’s only deaf and hard-of-hearing Girl Scout troop, has become the first Community troop in the council to earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award.
Community troops in Girl Scouts are led by trained staff and are designed to serve girls who may not have access to a traditional troop setting, often due to financial or logistical barriers. Troop 96360 is funded by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and provides an inclusive, ASL-accessible space for girls who are deaf or hard of hearing.
To honor the troop’s achievement, GSWCF invites the media and community to a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Saturday, August 9, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Lealman Exchange Community Center (5175 45th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33714).
The Bronze Award is the highest honor a Junior Girl Scout (4th-5th grade) can earn, and recognizes girls who demonstrate leadership, dedication, and a passion for creating change in their communities. The girls of Troop 96360 worked with the Family Center on Deafness, where they carried out their Bronze Award project by building a butterfly garden.
“This is more than an award,” said Mary Pat King, CEO of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. “It’s a powerful example of how Girl Scouts, regardless of their situations or circumstances, can lead positive change when given the opportunity. We are so proud of Troop 96360 for being trailblazers. These girls are breaking barriers and proving that leadership knows no limits.”
“We are extremely proud of the prestigious Bronze Award bestowed on Girl Scout Community Troop 96360, a partnership with the Family Center on Deafness and made possible through funding by the Juvenile Welfare Board,” said Michael G. Mikurak, JWB Interim CEO. “Since 2013, JWB has proudly invested more than $1.2 million in the Girl Scouts program in Pinellas County with funds focused on community troop programming and capital improvements to Camp Wai Lani. Community troops funded by JWB are active in nearly 30 sites countywide, partner with community providers such as the Family Center on Deafness, and serve nearly 700 girls annually. Their focus on developing youth leadership, resiliency, problem-solving, and social responsibility parallel JWB’s own commitment to ensuring all children fulfill their potential and achieve meaningful and purposeful lives.”
The event will include remarks from leaders, community partners, and GSWCF staff, as well as a formal ribbon cutting to celebrate the troop’s project and their leadership journey.
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About Girl Scouts of West Central Florida
Girl Scouts’ mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with nearly 2.5 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts of West Central Florida serves more than 20,000 members throughout its eight-county footprint that includes Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties.
