The labyrinth garden is at the corner of Day and Pearl streets in Seymour.
SEYMOUR – Feeling anxious?
If so, local Girl Scout Kayleigh Carson created a place to seek peace and relaxation.
Kayleigh, 18, recently wrapped up a project she embarked on several months ago to earn a Gold Star Award for the Girl Scouts. The award is similar to an Eagle Scout project for Boy Scouts, which is the highest rank that can be attained in Scouting. Kayleigh joined the Girl Scouts when she was just five years old, and earning the Gold Star Award would be the ultimate feather in her cap.
With help from her family, friends and some local businesses, Kayleigh created a meditation/healing labyrinth garden at the corner of Day and Pearl streets (185 Day St.), and also refurbished the Seymour Land Trust’s deteriorating wooden gazebo there.
Now that the project is done, Kayleigh is asking the public to assist her in completing the final requirement toward earning the Gold Star Award. All people need to do is take a quick trip to the site, scan a couple of QR codes with their cell phone cameras and take a brief survey on how the healing spot made them feel before and after their visit. Kayleigh needs to collect at least 50 responses to hand in with her final report, and hopes to do so before Aug. 20 when she leaves for college. Kayleigh will be starting her freshman year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Kayleigh was inspired to create a calming oasis at the Land Trust property during a visit to a similar labyrinth/healing garden while vacationing in Seattle, Washington back in 2016. After doing some research on ways to improve mental health and well-being, Kayleigh came across the labyrinth as a helpful tool.
“The goal of this project is to be a space where people can go outside of their house to focus on their mental health and relieve any stress or anxiety they may have,” Kayleigh said. “I’ve had many people tell me that it was a great project, and from the surveys that were filled out, the labyrinth was very helpful with their mental health.”
Kayleigh’s project- estimated to cost a little over $2,000- got a helping hand from Rob Stevenson from Contractor Nation and JoElle Anderson from the downtown flower shop, Dragonflies. She also received funding from the Girl Scouts and a grant from the Valley Community Foundation, as well as donations of stone dust and rocks used to create the labyrinth and pathway leading to it, courtesy of Haynes Materials.
The labyrinth was created by first digging out a big circle to create the shape, which Kayleigh got help from her neighbor Pawel Mrozik. She then filled the circle with stone dust to keep the bricks creating the circular pattern in place. She created flower beds encircling the labyrinth and made a pathway from the existing sidewalk to the entrance of the labyrinth.
For the gazebo makeover, Kayeigh and company replaced the deteriorating railings and the roof, replacing it with a more durable polycarbonate roof. The new wood installed was treated and will need to be stained once it has completely dried, Kayleigh noted.
Kayleigh’s mom, Beth Carson, lauded her daughter’s accomplishment.
“I am immensely proud of Kayleigh and her dedication to this project,” Carson said. “A run for a state basketball title as well as the COVID pandemic threw several financial and manpower challenges at this project, but her love for her community and service kept her going. I think she learned a lot about herself and about project management that will help her as she goes off to college and in life.”
CORRECTION: It is a Gold Award, not a Gold Star Award, according to an email from the Amity-New Haven Service Unit
From a Girl Scouts of CT Gold Award press release: “The Girl Scout Gold Award requires Girl Scouts in grades 9 – 12 to spend at least 80 hours researching issues, assessing community needs and resources, building a team, and making a sustainable impact in the community. A Gold Award Girl Scout’s accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart as a community leader. Nationally, only 6 percent of older Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.“
Kayleigh Carson
