Grace Adeboyejo is a proud member of Girl Scout Ambassador Troup 5458 and has been working towards her Gold Award for the past two years. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can attain, and only 5.4% of Girl Scouts earn this prestigious award. Gold Award Girl Scouts aspire to “[use] everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to help fix a problem in their community or make a lasting change in their world”. Grace set out to do just that.
Grace is a talented harpist who has been studying the instrument for close to seven years. She describes hearing the sound of the harp for the first time on the radio and excitedly asking her mom what that instrument was. Upon learning more about the harp, Grace became intrigued and wanted to take lessons. She quickly joined the DC Youth Orchestra Program, and the rest is history. During the pandemic, her grandmother would often call her when she was having a troubling day and ask her to play her harp. This interaction gave her the idea to share her musical talents with older adults in her community. She began by creating a website specifically designed to be accessible to older adults and has been disseminating it among retirement communities. She was also interested in performing locally in person and was put in touch with Fellowship Square.
Over the past month, Grace has performed both at Largo Landing Fellowship House and Lake Ridge Fellowship House. She was initially nervous walking into the unfamiliar environment but was quickly put at ease, saying that “everyone had a smile on their face”. Grace chose songs and hymns that she had grown up with and says that some residents even sang along while she played. Others closed their eyes and allowed the music to become a meditative experience.
After the concert, Grace held a Q&A forum answering questions and connecting with residents personally. One resident, Rev. Bryan, was so impressed with her skill that she invited Grace to perform at her own church, an invitation she graciously accepted. When asked what she came away with, Grace says she truly enjoyed her experience at Fellowship Square and is encouraged not to be afraid to step into new environments as she heads to college next year.
Written By: Kristen Fitzgerald, Volunteer Program Manager