Kjersti Kleine of Cary has earned the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.

For her Gold Award project, Kjersti taught local teens about homelessness and hunger in the community. She organized activities for middle school students to help them understand these issues and created a manual for Christ the King Church to use in planning local mission trips.

Kjersti, the daughter of John and Heidi Kleine, is a senior at Cary Academy and a member of Troop 1860, led by Wanda Schramm. Elizabeth Neeley of Christ the King Lutheran Church served as her project adviser.