Going for the Girl Scout gold

Angelique Flores

Instead of sitting in front of the television this summer, Juan

Cabrera, 6, learned how to make strawberry shortcake, used a solar oven

for the first time and put together his own garden of carrots and beans.

The Santa Ana boy did all this at a day camp organized and run by

Huntington Beach teen Kimi Porter.

“We’ve learned to make ice cream and bake. I’ve never done that

before,” Juan said with an ear-to-ear grin.

Porter is going for the gold in Scouting. And she’s making lots of

children happy along the way. The 18-year-old is working on the Girl

Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement available in the Girl Scouts.

Her major project is a series of free day camps for children in Santa

Ana.

Last week, Juan spent three days at the Warwick Apartment Square in

Santa Ana with children as young as 5. Her goal was to reach out to a

community of children to teach sports and nutrition.

“My hope is to bring something new that they’ve never seen or done

before,” Porter said.

With a staff of five -- all teens who are Porter’s friends -- she

organized crafts, cooking, sports and games. By throwing around the

football and playing volleyball, Porter and her staff taught the kids the

importance of teamwork.

The children also learned how to bake food in solar ovens, made

kick-the-can ice cream and planted small gardens of carrots and beans.

Porter also taught them facts about nutrition, such as different ways to

eat healthy, but not so tasty, foods such as celery.

Though the kids realized what they were learning, they still had a

ball.

“I like the things we learned,” said Magdalena Velasco, 10, who

attended the camp with her sister, Jessica, 7.

Wendy Amante, 9, also came to the day camp with her brother and

sister.

“I learned how to make ice cream and butter,” Wendy said. “My mom

likes me to learn, that’s why I’m here.”

Other parents also appreciated the day camp.

“My son would be watching TV if he wasn’t out here,” parent Tina Pena

said. “This is really educational.”

Many of the families in the apartment complex fall into the low-income

bracket. The children either have two working parents or young siblings

who don’t allow mothers to be as involved with their older children.

“It’s a wonderful thing. It’s crucial for the kids to have

alternatives in the summer. I don’t want them sitting at home watching

TV,” said Julisa Lendo, the social services director at Warwick.

Because of recent budget cuts, the complex didn’t have the normal

summer activities they’ve had in past summers. Lendo was more than happy

to welcome Porter into the community to provide some free activities for

the children.

“It’s sad that it’s only three days. There’s so much of a need for

these activities,” Lendo said.

That’s why Porter will take her day camps to two other communities,

she said.

The day camps are the main component of her gold award project, which

requires a 50-hour service project that must serve a community outside of

Girl Scouting.

For a year, Porter has diligently worked on attaining the award, which

includes earning four interest projects, the career exploration pin, the

Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award and the Senior Girl Scout Challenge

pin.

Porter will receive her gold award pin in May.

“I’m trying to affect as many as I can,” Porter said. “If I affect

these 20 kids, then they take it to a friend.”