Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) recently announced 56 Girl Scouts as 2021 recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award, including Amanda Daubert of Spencerport and Rachel VanWinkle of North Chili.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” The project should fulfill a need within a girl’s community (whether local or global) and create change that has the potential to be on-going or sustainable. Approximately 80 hours of community service are involved in the project. Completion of the Gold Award also qualifies the Girl Scout for special scholarship opportunities and she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade.
For her project, Amanda Daubert constructed a Blessing Box located in front of Hilton Baptist Church to provide free food and supplies to the community. “I addressed the issue of poverty by being able to give free supplies and food to whoever is in need. Especially since COVID-19 hit, lots of people have lost their jobs and aren’t able to make as much money as they used to. The Blessing Box is able to give some supplies to people in need for free,” Amanda said. The youth group at Hilton Baptist Church will be maintaining the box, making the project sustainable.
Of her work on the project, Amanda said, “I learned that I can do anything if I just put my mind into it and take the time that I need. I was determined and motivated.” She feels the most successful part of the project has been the outcome. “A lot of people are using it and donating to it. The best part is that many people are benefiting from it!”
Amanda is from Troop 60727 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 13 years. She said, “Girl Scouts made me care about others in my community. It made me realize that you need to take action if you want to help make a difference in society.”
Rachel VanWinkle’s passion for animals led her to work with Seneca Park Zoo on a project to enrich the living environment of zoo animals. “The issue my project addressed was the problem of zoo environments not effectively resembling an animal’s natural habitat. The enrichment for animals is used in a manner that allows them to increase their activities, stimulate natural behavior, and enhance their psychological and physical needs,” she said. “My project involved working with the zoo coordinators to establish animal needs, making enrichment toys and making a loom to be kept at the zoo which will allow zoo staff to continue to make additional enrichment toys.”
Rachel is from Troop 60235 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 12 years. She said, “Girl Scouts has helped me develop good work ethic, working well with a team and using leadership skills.”
For more information on Girl Scouts or the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit gswny.org.
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