In their meeting Tuesday morning, Brownwood City Council members thanked 11-year-old Girl Scout Karissa Raines for her service to the community.

Karissa gave a presentation during the meeting explaining her project to have more trash cans installed along the walking trails at Festival Park. Karissa worked with City of Brownwood parks department staff to address an issue with litter she had seen during activities with her Girl Scout troop at the park.

Currently in Troop 4040, Karissa is finishing her seventh year in Girl Scouts. Her troop regularly meets at Festival Park for activities, including promotional ceremonies held at the large wooden bridge near the parking area of Gordon Wood Stadium. Karissa is working towards achieving a Bronze Award with the Girl Scouts and needed to complete a community project as part of the requirements for the award.

She had noticed litter often around the bridge and in various spots along the walking trail and was concerned about local wildlife. She decided to make her community project address those issues and reached out to City of Brownwood staff to help install trash cans in the area. City of Brownwood parks department staff worked with Karissa through each step of having new trash cans approved and installed at the park. She was able to be hands-on throughout the project, from conception to completion.

“I hope the trash can project will help people realize it’s harmful to the beautiful park for trash to be laying around,” Karissa said. “Hopefully now more people will come out and use the park.”

Karissa hopes to eventually achieve a Gold Award with the Girl Scouts and plans to attend Texas A&M to become a veterinarian. After her presentation, members of Council praised Karissa for her initiative and her contribution to the community.