Munster, Ind. native Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy proves to us all that you’re never too young to have an impact on your community. Currently a sophomore at Munster High School, Lakshmanamurthy has been involved in Girl Scouts since she was in kindergarten. As a bronze and silver award recipient, Lakshmanamurthy is now working on receiving her gold award from the Girl Scouts.
“What inspired me to do this gold award project is that I’ve been a member of the Junior Historical Society since elementary school. I wanted to incorporate that in my project and make it about Munster history,” Lakshmanamurthy said.
The Girl Scouts gold award gives young women the opportunity to work on a project that will be permanent in their community and make an impact. The project requires 80 or more hours of service and helps benefit the communities Girl Scouts live in.
The Munster Junior Historical Society, which serves as the base for Lakshmanamurthy’s gold award project, provides children in elementary through high school the opportunity to learn about Munster’s history, as well as help with service projects at the Kaske House.
“At the Kaske House, they do this event every winter where they have Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus there. The Munster Historical Society members will dress up as elves and we hand out candy canes and hot chocolate,” Lakshmanamurthy said. “We also do a Souper Bowl where we collect cans of food for families in need. We do a lot a of stuff for the community, as well as learn about Munster history.”
Lakshmanamurthy originally got involved with the Junior Historical Society because a friend of hers was a member and recommended that she check it out. In addition to her friend being a member, she was also inspired by Dr. Louise Chickie-Wolfe’s DOC 200 program, which encourages students to perform 200 random acts of kindness.
“For the DOC 200 program, there are different categories. There were acts of kindness around patriotism, acts of kindness around respecting others, and a whole checklist of acts of kindness. Some were as simple as opening the door for someone, placing flowers next to a veteran’s grave, or just getting out and volunteering,” Lakshmanamurthy said. “You do one act each day and then once you hit 200, you go see Dr. Chickie-Wolfe and tell her about your experiences, what you did, and then you earn that award.”
Lakshmanamurthy’s favorite parts of being in the Junior Historical Society are volunteering and learning about Munster.
“A part of me loves volunteering a lot,” Lakshmanamurthy said. “I volunteer in Girl Scouts, I’m in Project X at my high school, which is another community service club, and I just like doing stuff around my community.”
Lakshmanamurthy’s involvement and dedication to her community are inspiring to see, especially in someone as young as her. Most people would struggle to balance so many commitments and be successful in all their endeavors, but not Lakshmanamurthy.
“I feel proud to do these things in my community and I’m excited for my gold award because I get to spread the information I know and learn more about Munster. For my project, I’m making trail signs to go outside of the Kaske House that will take residents on a journey through Munster history. I also plan on making a Girl Scout Munster History patch that will allow more Girl Scouts to learn about Munster history,” Lakshmanamurthy said.
For her gold award project, Lakshmanamurthy is looking for some help from Munster residents.
“I am looking for people in the community who have a story to share, artifacts, photos, or have any ancestors or relatives who have made an impact on Munster history,” Lakshmanamurthy said. “I’m looking for anyone that I can talk with to inspire my upcoming project, and possibly help with the development of my signs.”
For anyone who is interested in helping with this project, Lakshmanamurthy encourages you to email her at dana1476@yahoo.com.