Local Beaver Scout Pursuing Highest Award

By Deanna Bertrand

COTTAM — Love, help, donate — and earn the highest level award for a young Beaver.

That is the goal and theme for a service project created by seven-year-old White Tail Beaver, Sierra Crissford, of 2nd Cottam Scouting.

Sierra was out selling used books and collecting donations at the Rotary Park in Cottam Saturday, November 27 with the goal to use the money raised to “help the kids” at Windsor Regional Hospital.

Her hope is to purchase items for the children that will make their stay in hospital a little easier.

She plans to make her donation at the hospital December 8.

Sierra Crissford with many donations of books she is reselling to raise funds to help children ease their stay in hospital this holiday season. It is part of a service project she is working on to earn the highest level award, the North Star Award.

SUN photo by Deanna Bertrand

Sierra said she had already received many donations from her school — Gosfield North Public School — where she also held a previous used bookand new battery drive.

Scout leader Crystal Heinrichs said that Sierra is completing her North Star Award which is the highest level of distinction a Beaver Scout can achieve.

“Not everybody achieves this,” she explained. “This is not something she has to do.”

Heinrichs said that with the pandemic it was “quite remarkable” to her that when they were “just trying to keep Scouting alive” and holding meetings online that Sierra would take on this project.

“This pandemic has been very challenging for all of us,” said Heinrichs.

She explained that it required several steps, including many hours of planning, community service hours in Scouting and non-Scouting community events, and then a final review before the award is presented.

Heinrichs expects Sierra will be presented the award sometime next month, once she completes the donation to the hospital.

You can follow her progress on the 2nd Cottam Scouting Facebook page.