Two local Girl Scouts earn National Medal of Honor
13 Dec 2022
Thanks to their Girl Scout experiences, 4th graders Maddalyn and Lucy knew exactly what to do when they saw a girl struggling in the deep end of a hotel pool. For their heroic actions, the two elementary students were honored with Girl Scouts’ Medal of Honor at the Springfield Township Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, December 13.
On August 13, 2022, during a Girl Scout field trip to Toledo, Lucy and Maddalyn’s troop visited their hotel pool. The group noticed a girl seemingly playing in the pool’s deep end, but it soon became clear she needed help, as she could not stay above the water. Lucy and Maddalyn worked together to help her. From the deck of the pool, Maddalyn reached for the girl’s hand, but she was too far away and too panicked to connect. Meanwhile, Lucy jumped into the pool and assisted the girl to the edge, where she was pulled to safety.
Girl Scouts have been honored since 1913 for meritorious deeds that help save lives. Two National Lifesaving Awards are reserved for Girl Scouts who have performed acts of heroism beyond the degree of maturity and training expected for their age. Nominations are submitted to Girl Scouts of the United States of America, where the National Lifesaving Review Committee then considers the application. The committee deemed both girls’ lifesaving actions worthy of the Medal of Honor.
The Springfield Township trustees meeting is an especially fitting location for the award presentation. With their Girl Scout troop, Maddalyn and Lucy attended Springfield Township’s Youth Fire Academy, and their leader, Debbie Baker, credits the academy for the girls developing the skills needed to respond to the situation.
