This year is Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas’ 20th annual Women of Distinction event, a luncheon celebrating girl scouts and professionals in the community.
One of these young women is Girl Scout Katherine Polimerou, a senior at Plano East Senior High School who recently completed her Gold Award. Polimerou is a founding member and former media manager of the Williams High School Hope Squad, a faculty-nominated position in a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program; a PISD PALS mentor; captain of the Plano East girls golf team; a member of the Plano East Student Athlete Leadership Program; a violin player in the Plano East orchestra and a former Tejas Rider.
How does it feel to be one of three Girl Scouts honored at the Women of Distinction event?
Being recognized as a Young Woman of Distinction for my Girl Scout Award project is truly an unexpected honor. I’m grateful for the recognition and am thankful to everyone who supported and contributed to the project. I could not have done it without the help of my Eastside community.
Tell us a bit about your Gold Award project.
For my Gold Award project, I created the Can-Do Community Cookbook. The purpose of the Can-Do Community Cookbook is to combat food fatigue among food pantry recipients. Food fatigue is a result of eating a repetitive cycle of foods or meals. It causes recipients to feel uninspired and disconnected from their food. Working with Minnie’s Food Pantry, I developed a collection of recipes utilizing most commonly donated food pantry items. The Can-Do Community Cookbook gives access to recipes that are nutritious, varied and easy to follow. I distributed over 100 of the physical books and also created an online version that is accessible through a QR code. Having an online version makes it accessible beyond my community.
Growing up in east Plano, I’ve seen first hand how our local food pantries such as Minnie’s assists our community. Throughout this process I’ve learned how to harness the power of community. I’ve learned not to be afraid of taking on large projects — that breaking something down into smaller parts and keeping my eye on the goal will ensure my success.
Looking back at all of your years as a Girl Scout, is there anything you want to share as you near graduation?
Girl Scouts has been a big part of my life growing up. It has provided friendships, exposed me to so many experiences and taught me how to be a leader among my peers and community. I’m grateful to all the adults within the organization that have provided me with this opportunity.
Katherine Polimerou will be honored at the Women of Distinction Luncheon on October 25 at the Hilton Anatole.
