Fort Bend Girl Scout earns Gold Award

Ebangha Tanyi of Fort Bend recently held a workshop to educate children on the dangers of obesity to earn her Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Gold Award.   According to a press release, this is the highest award a Girl Scout can receive and less than 5 percent of Girl Scouts achieve this national recognition.   For her project, Tanyi led a team of volunteers in planning and hosting her workshop, which included games and activities to teach children about the dangers of childhood obesity, according to a press release.   The children learned about body mass indexes, healthy meals and left with a booklet in which to record their healthy behaviors. Approximately 40 children participated in the workshop.   "I learned that I am very passionate about health care and the general welfare of others around me," Tanyi said in the release. "I have come to believe that I do have a voice in the world and that the way I use it can change other perspectives."   Earning the Gold Award requires recipients to demonstrate outstanding leadership skills, career planning, community involvement and personal development, according to the press release. It takes more than 100 service hours and two or three years of work to complete award requirements.   "Ebangha learned to undertake a project by planning, scheduling and marketing," said Bernard Tanyi, Ebangha's father, in the release. "She also learned how to encourage others to plan for their well-being. All this gave her a strong self-esteem and confidence."   Tanyi graduated from Hightower High School last spring and was a member of Girl Scouts for 11 years. At Hightower High School she was a member of the dance team and the National Honor Society. She participated in her church's youth group and was a member of the Ann Moody Sill Dance Studio. She plans to attend college this fall to study biology.   For more information, call 800-392-4340 or visit www.gssjc.org.   Photo cutline: Ebangha Tanyi recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award.