O'Connell senior Molly Weaver recently completed her Girl Scout Gold Award with her leadership project, titled “Forever in my heART.” During a series of art classes at The Virginian, a continuing care retirement community in Fairfax, Molly encouraged residents to express themselves through and draw enjoyment from art.
The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, combines leadership development, community service, and career exploration. Each girl must discover an issue in the community, connect with experts and community members, and take action to effect positive change. It culminates in a leadership project that each girl plans and executes according to her own interests and passions. Only six percent of Girl Scouts nationwide successfully complete their Gold Award.
Molly has been a lover of art since a very young age. She has studied art since she was five years old and her work has been displayed in shows and publications throughout Northern Virginia.
She knows how beneficial art can be for both the artist and his or her family through her experiences with her own grandmother. “When I would visit my Nana, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, her room at her nursing home was always decorated with various paintings and crafts that she had made. Although she couldn’t verbalize her feelings, she always got a big smile on her face whenever we commented on her work. It gave my family a way to connect with her,” Molly said. Molly’s hope for her Gold Award was to use her artistic talent to bring the same joyful connection to other families with loved ones suffering from dementia or similar disorders.
Molly conducted a series of art classes with residents of The Virginian. The residents completed several watercolor and acrylic paintings, decorated mosaic picture frames, and contributed to a group piece of artwork that was donated for display at The Virginian. The project culminated with an art show for all of the residents of The Virginian and for the families of the nearly 20 artists that participated in the art sessions. All of the pieces were framed and put on display at the art show so that the residents and their loved ones could admire them.
Shari Berman, volunteer coordinator and member of the activities department staff at The Virginian and one of Molly’s Gold Award advisors, “was thrilled to have Molly complete her Gold Award leadership project at The Virginian. Molly was wonderful to work with and her Forever in my heART Program engaged many of our Health Care residents, allowing them to express their feelings, ideas, and creativity through artwork, which they can enjoy with their families."