Worcester girl earns American Heritage award

By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent

When Kaley Somers, who’s studying criminal justice and social work at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, was in the sixth grade, her mom brought her and Kaley’s younger sister, Fiona, to a meeting for an American Heritage Girl troop that was about to launch in Worcester. She and her sister joined, and her mom became a troop volunteer. But Kaley had no idea how much being a member of AHG Troop 0716 at Our Lady of Loreto Parish would enrich her life.
Kaley said, “The friends that I made there are all superb people, and they made me happy to be around them, and they were some of my best friends in high school.”
In addition to blessing Kaley’s life with enduring friendships, being a member of the Christian organization gave her an opportunity to bless the lives of others with her gifts and compassion.  And the 2020 Algonquin Regional High School graduate recently became the second girl in Massachusetts to ever receive an American Heritage Girl Stars & Stripes Award. 
The American Heritage Girls started in 1995. Since then, the nonprofit has grown exponentially and now has a presence in every state in this country, and it’s in 15 countries throughout the world. According to the organization’s website, www.AmericanHeritageGirls.org, it’s dedicated to “the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country.” The website further states that the girls – who are in grades K-12 and are members of troop units categorized by age group – “participate in badge programs, service projects, leadership opportunities and outdoor experiences, all with an emphasis on Christian values and family involvement.”
The AHG’s Stars & Stripes Award is the organization’s highest recognition that its members can earn. Not only must the recipients of the award live the AHG creed and oath, they must fulfill several requirements. The requirements include earning 16 merit badges, holding leadership positions in their troops for at least six months, and organizing and leading 100-hours or more service projects. They must also submit essays about their life’s ambition or spiritual journey, submit their resumes, receive at least three letters of recommendation, and pass a Board of Review.
Lynn Somers, Kaley’s mom, who’s also the troop’s coordinator, said that she was “so proud” of Kaley when she learned – this past spring – that she would receive the award. She recalled that fulfilling the requirements was so difficult that there were times when the Northborough teen, who attends St. Bernadette Parish, wanted to give up, but didn’t. Although Kaley asked to have her troop’s Court of Honor Ceremony recognizing her achievement postponed until next summer, so that her grandmothers would be able to attend, Mrs. Somers started celebrating when she learned of her daughter’s accomplishment. 
“It was so exciting!” Mrs. Somers beamed, adding that she’s also proud of Fiona, who’s striving to win the same award. “I was so happy for her. She had worked really hard.”
Much of that hard work benefitted First Concern Pregnancy Resource Center, a pro-life nonprofit located in Clinton. For her extensive AHG service project, Kaley chose to clean and paint the center’s basement. The project provided the nonprofit with additional storage space for its supplies.
“I wanted to be able to help women who were in a situation that they might not be prepared for; my goal was to empower women by helping an organization that helped them,” Kaley recalled. She added, “It was very rewarding to complete the project. I was incredibly happy to be able to help women in a crisis situation.”
And Deacon Robert Connor, who’s the president of the board at First Concern, is grateful for that help. He said that the center’s basement became disorganized after it moved to its new location a couple of years ago. 
“Kaley Somers took our haphazard mixture of new, used, and unusable items…and very neatly and efficiently organized them so that we not only were able to understand everything we did have, but also what we were still in need of, and for those things we had - where they could quickly be located,” Deacon Connor noted. He added, “All of this flows, directly, to the benefit of our clients - as they are able to get what they need faster - and - where they have requests that we may not have on hand, we know it and can reach out to our supporters without being concerned that we may be asking for something we already have … or taking the time to search before we even know for sure.” 
Kaley, who previously received AHG’s Harriet Tubman, Dolley Madison and Lewis & Clark awards, finds something else rewarding as well.
“One of the things that I was glad to be able to do because of receiving this award was to blaze a trail for all of the younger girls in my troop, since I was the first person in my troop to receive this award,” Kaley shared. “Also, I was proud to be a role model for all of these younger girls, to be able to show them what they are able to do.”