Mercer Island Girl Scout earns Silver Award

Published 9:48 am Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Annalise Weiss, a freshman at MIHS, earned her Girl Scout Silver Award this summer.

This award is earned by demonstrating leadership, personal growth and a commitment to serving the community. It requires developing and implementing a service project of at least 50 hours.

Weiss, from Troop 42012, chose Guide Dogs for the Blind as the agency she wanted to serve.

Since last February she has been attending meetings with a local group: Guide Puppies of Seattle. These volunteers commit to raising guide puppies for up to 18 months, at which time the puppies return to a training center in Oregon.

For the service project, Annalise learned about what is involved in raising a guide puppy and became a puppy raiser herself.

During May and June, she took several different guide puppies to Islander Middle School to raise awareness and educate other students and staff about guide dogs for the visually impaired.

Additionally, she put together a video that was broadcast at IMS and further used as an educational tool in volunteer trainings at SPCA.

Weiss and her family are currently raising Captain, a 3-month-old lab.