Going for Gold: Teen launches adaptive aquatics program to earn Girl Scouts top award
Erin Dunn, a junior at Trinity High School and lifelong Girl Scout, has earned the Girl Scouts’ highest honor – the Gold Award – for a program that will continue to benefit young swimmers with disabilities for years to come.
Dunn started a special needs summer swim program for kids in grades 5-12.
The adaptive aquatics program, held twice a week during the past summer at Trinity Middle School pool, helped children with disabilities learn to swim and work on their swimming skills in a safe and supportive environment.
A member of the Trinity High School swim team who also has cerebral palsy, Dunn recognized the need for a program that would not only improve swim skills for special needs children, but would also help build physical strength, increase movement and provide social opportunities.
“I enjoyed working with the kids with disabilities,” said Dunn. “They gained confidence in the water and one even continued with the learn-to-swim program that is offered during the school year.”
Trinity High School assistant swim coach Carla Hartley supervised and assisted Dunn with her swim program. She praised Dunn’s initiative and the impact of the program.
“She’s one cool little chick,” said Hartley. “Swimming is an essential life skill that all kids should have access to. Erin made this happen by giving these children a safe and comfortable space where they could build confidence in the water and have fun with their peers. Each week, it was awesome to see the kids gain confidence not only in swimming, but in themselves, Erin included.”
For Dunn, who started her Girl Scout journey as a Daisy in kindergarten, earning the Gold Award is the culmination of a lifetime in Scouting.
She will officially be presented with her Gold pin at a ceremony in May.
“I was very excited to earn the Gold award. I gained some leadership skills. I became more confident as the program progressed and enjoyed that role and seeing the kids get better and more comfortable,” said Dunn.
In both Scouting and swimming, Dunn has found success and a sense of community.
Swimming provides benefits for those with cerebral palsy, including improved muscle strength, coordination, and less restricted movement.
“Swimming is a place she is comfortable with – it’s in her comfort zone, and she wanted to share her love of it with kids with disabilities,” said Amanda Dunn, Erin’s mother. “Swimming and being part of that team is important to her. It’s an individual sport, but it’s a team sport, too, and your team is cheering for you. It’s a great sport, and her teammates have been so supportive of her.”
Hartley said Dunn is one of the most dedicated swimmers she has met in her more than 30 years as a swim coach. Dunn often asks for extra time to practice skills, such as diving off the blocks.
“She is usually the first one on the deck for practice and the last one to leave the deck,” said Hartley.
Amanda Dunn is proud of the dedication, determination and resilience Erin has shown as a Girl Scout and a swimmer, and what she has achieved both in the pool and her day-to-day life.
Nationally, only 5% of eligible Girl Scouts receive the Gold Award each year.
“It’s been fun for me to see her step into this leadership role and take charge of the swim lessons. Her goal was to see if she could get more kids with disabilities interested in swimming because she enjoys it so much, and the kids really did enjoy it and their parents appreciated it,” said Dunn.
Dunn plans to pursue a career as a physical therapist assistant – she has been inspired by the physical therapists she has had at UPMC Washington Children’s Therapy Center – or in medical imaging.
That’s not surprising. The Girl Scout Law calls on Girl Scouts to “make the world a better place.”
And that’s what Dunn will keep on doing.