Two Mercer Island teens have earned the highest honor in Girl Scouts: The Gold Award for Community Service.

Christina Marie Culver and Sara Behnke, both seniors at Mercer Island High School, received their awards at a ceremony in Bellevue on June 11.

Culver earned the Gold Award for her work in planning and running a tutoring and mentoring program called Hand in Hand. She recruited 13 high school mentors and paired them each with at-risk second-graders at Lake Hills Elementary School in Bellevue. Mentors carpooled to Lake Hills every Monday for the school year. Culver has been a Girl Scout for 13 years. She is the daughter of Doug Culver and Peggy Fuller.

Behnke’s Gold Award project grew from her experience volunteering in homeless shelters and food banks. She created Knit with Love, a group that made 50 hand-knit hats for the homeless. Behnke is the daughter of Lance and Ramona Behnke. She has been a Girl Scout for six years.

A Gold Award project fulfills a need within a community, creates change and can be ongoing. The project is more than good service — it encompasses organizational, leadership and networking skills, to honor the Girl Scout credo of providing service to community while helping girls grow strong.

Two Mercer Island teens have earned the highest honor in Girl Scouts: The Gold Award for Community Service.

Christina Marie Culver and Sara Behnke, both seniors at Mercer Island High School, received their awards at a ceremony in Bellevue on June 11.

Culver earned the Gold Award for her work in planning and running a tutoring and mentoring program called Hand in Hand. She recruited 13 high school mentors and paired them each with at-risk second-graders at Lake Hills Elementary School in Bellevue. Mentors carpooled to Lake Hills every Monday for the school year. Culver has been a Girl Scout for 13 years. She is the daughter of Doug Culver and Peggy Fuller.

Behnke’s Gold Award project grew from her experience volunteering in homeless shelters and food banks. She created Knit with Love, a group that made 50 hand-knit hats for the homeless. Behnke is the daughter of Lance and Ramona Behnke. She has been a Girl Scout for six years.

A Gold Award project fulfills a need within a community, creates change and can be ongoing. The project is more than good service — it encompasses organizational, leadership and networking skills, to honor the Girl Scout credo of providing service to community while helping girls grow strong.