Weekly Girl Scout Gold Award Spotlight

Check out this week’s sampling of go-getting, innovating, risk-taking Gold Award Girl Scouts—young women who know what it means to lead with true G.I.R.L. spirit! 

Alexis, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania

Alexis Mandell Left, Maria Ciao Right

To go for her Gold, Alexis organized a science fair to help girls in grades 4–8 who are interested in science feel more comfortable in the STEM areas they’re most passionate about. Twenty-three girls attended the event, where they planned, created, and presented STEM-related projects to a panel of judges with backgrounds in STEM. The most rewarding part of the experience for Alexis? “Listening to each girl share what she did and what she learned, and seeing the excitement and passion they had not only for science, but for sharing science with others." A Girl Scout for 12 years, Alexis was well prepared to pursue the most prestigious award in the world for girls—and the most challenging to earn.

Learn more about Alexis’s project.

Caroline, Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey

   

Caroline is an avid equestrian, so it’s no surprise that her Girl Scout Gold Award project was inspired by her volunteer work at a horse-assisted therapy and adaptive riding facility. When she learned about a dilapidated shed at the facility, she set out to remodel it so that instructors could store equipment for adaptive riding lessons. Rolling up her sleeves in true Girl Scout fashion, Caroline replaced key elements of the shed and repainted and caulked it to waterproof. This Gold Award Girl Scout hopes her “project will [help] others experience the wonders of adaptive riding and equine-assisted therapy."

Learn more about Caroline’s project.
                                                                             

                                                                           Haley, Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast

With her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Haley set out to raise funds for a local food pantry. She unleashed G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)TM ingenuity to repurpose shipping pallets and turn them into towel racks, planters, and decorative art. (You know what they say—one girl’s trash is another girl’s treasure!) After creating the items, she donated them to the Eastern Shore Chapel food pantry where they were sold to raise money for the facility. Haley has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, which has clearly helped her develop the leadership skills it takes to go Gold!

Learn more about Haley’s project.

Camille, Girl Scouts of Western New York

Giving back to the community is the Girl Scout way—and Camille’s Girl Scout Gold Award project certainly honors this. By collecting donations for her Give and Take Closet, Camille offers people who need no-cost clothing the opportunity to select what they’d like without shame or embarrassment; and she provides others with the chance to clean out their closets and give their clothing a second home. (Talk about using resources wisely, Girl Scout style!) The Give and Take Closet, which is located in the Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, is open to the public two to three days a week.

Learn more about Camille’s project.


Gold Award Girl Scouts are recipients of one of the most prestigious awards in the world for girls. By the time they put the final touches on their seven-step projects, they’ll have addressed a significant problem in their community—not only in the short term, but with a plan to sustain the work for years into the future. They’re also eligible for college scholarships and to enter the military one rank higher than non–Gold Award Girl Scouts. 

Got a Girl Scout Gold Award story to share? Send the details and relevant photos to socialmedia@girlscouts.org for a chance to have it featured.