Fort Mill Scout says ‘exercise brains as well as thumbs’

Rising Fort Mill High School senior Allison Brann is hoping to bring the joy of reading to more children in the community.

To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, Brann built two Little Free Libraries in Fort Mill and another in Rock Hill, giving those communities a place to take, donate or exchange books no matter the weather.

“Kids spend too much more time with electronics than books, especially in the summer,” Brann said.

“Besides improving the possible love of books and generating the imaginations of kids, parents will benefit from the increased vocabulary. They can see brains exercised instead of thumbs.”

The project, titled Children Literacy & Book Love, created a Free Little Library on Coralstone Drive in Fort Mill, Sutton Road in Fort Mill and India Hook Road in Rock Hill next to God’s Blessing Christian Child Care, she said. Each is open 24/7.

“I’ve always loved reading,” Brann said.

Brann, member of Girl Scout Troop 849, finished the libraries in April after months of work with help from Fort Mill Boy Scout Troop 250. For one of the boxes, she went from digging and mixing cement to a prom dress five hours later.

“It’s worth it in the end,” she said. “I’ve heard positive things about it.”

The books were donated from troop leaders, a Fort Mill High School club and Promising Pages, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that collects new and gently used children’s books and then cleans, labels and wraps them to redistribute to the community.

Besides bringing books to local children, Brann is doing what just a small percentage of Girl Scouts accomplish in earning the Gold Award.

“The Gold Award has been compared to the Eagle Scout but is harder to get,” she said. “You start when you are older, and the project is more involved and with broader implications.”

To earn a Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors must complete two Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador journeys, or earn a Silver Award and complete one senior journey, according to the award guidelines.

A minimum of 80 hours is suggested for the Girl Scout to complete the project steps after fulfilling her journey requirements. Steps include identifying an issue, investigating it, getting help and building a team, creating and presenting a plan, gathering feedback, taking action and educating others, according to the guidelines.

Brann is hoping her project inspires others to create Free Little Libraries and spread the love of reading.

“I love kids reading,” she said.

This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Fort Mill Scout says ‘exercise brains as well as thumbs’."