Meet high school senior Natalie Anzivino, who knows a thing or two about honor and the importance of taking action to inspire community change. Through her Gold Award project, Natalie brought an entire community together in celebration of Japanese culture by creating an annual cherry blossom festival in Huntington Beach, California.
With the
support of the Sister City Association and the City of Huntington Beach,
Natalie organized, planned, and executed the First Annual Huntington Beach
Cherry Blossom Festival in 2014. She brought together Japanese performers, food
vendors, cultural exhibits, and craft and game booths for the event, in
addition to recruiting Girl Scout troops and local high school volunteer groups
to run the craft and game booths.
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Photograph by Gregory Robertson and courtesy of Historic Wintersburg. |
In addition
to increasing awareness about Japanese culture and the importance of cultural
exchange, Natalie’s project inspired other students interested in community
service to give back. Each year, the program will be managed by selected student
ambassadors.
“I was
inspired by the change in perspective that occurred within the community as a
result of the festival I organized,” Natalie said. “One man that was
interviewed at the event was of Japanese descent and he relished the
opportunity to show his children some of their heritage that they had not
experienced until the festival came along. I was proud to have created
awareness of these cultural traditions and believe strongly that celebrating
different cultures within our community strengthens us all.”
Girl Scouts helps
girls like Natalie become the leaders they are meant to be and take action to
impact their community. That’s why we launched the ToGetHerThere campaign, the
largest fundraising campaign for girls in history. We know that when you invest
in girls, they change the world. With Girl Scouts by their side, our girls will
develop the courage, confidence, and character they need to reach their fullest
potential and transform their world.