Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida recently partnered with the Boston Red Sox to host the first ever Inaugural Spring Training Girl Scout Day at JetBlue Park Stadium on March 26 for girls and their families to enjoy. A total of 60 Girl Scouts and their family members purchased tickets for the weekend game.

Those who attended reported they had a wonderful time and are already looking forward to attending future Girl Scout events with the Red Sox.

“This was a lot of fun for the girls,” said Christine DiBenedetto, a Girl Scout parent who attended the game on Sunday.

Every Girl Scout with a game ticket was given access to special events, including a pre-game announcement welcoming the Girl Scouts to the ballpark, an in-game video shot and a pre-game parade along warning track. All of the Girl Scouts who attended also had the opportunity to announce “Play Ball” before the game over the PA system. Girls had the chance to meet and fist-bump with players, as well.

In the pre-game ceremony, the Boston Red Sox presented 15 high school seniors each with the Lee County Red Sox Scholarship, a $5,000 scholarship for academically talented Lee County public high school seniors who are making meaningful impact through service in their community. This prestigious scholarship award is for students pursuing a two-year or four-year degree at any college or university.

Two of the recipients, Autumn Pepper Rhodes and Alexis Smith, are Gulfcoast Girl Scouts and Gold Award recipients. The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Gold Award Girl Scouts in high school complete projects to make the world a better place. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award.

“It was really cool to attend a game like this,” scholarship recipient Autumn Pepper Rhodes said. “It was something I have never done before, and it was really cool to meet the other scholars, to talk to them and to see how diverse everyone was. Next fall, I am going to college at Rice University in Houston and I am going to be a dual major in mechanical engineering and astrophysics.”

“Attending the game was better than I would have ever imagined,” said Alexis Smith. Girl Scout Day was her very first experience attending a baseball game. “The staff were extremely friendly and seeing all the Girl Scouts there made the experience even better. This scholarship is really going to help take off some of the financial burden and stress I was having. I am working towards becoming an orthopedic surgeon and will be attending Florida International University in the fall to major in health science. I am also pursuing an internship in sports medicine while there.”

The March 26 game was between the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. According to ESPN, the Twins won, with a game score of 7 – 2.

For every ticket purchased a portion of that ticket was generously donated by the Red Sox back to Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.