Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Haley Storms of Middleport, NY, as a 2019 Gold Award Girl Scout. Storms’ project was titled “Project G.I.F.T: Reading Awareness.”

Storms explained, “I worked closely with the Royalton-Hartland Community Library in Middleport to raise awareness of how important reading is for children. Some children don’t have access to books to read, so I wanted to give some to them. I read to two different daycares and gave each child a book to take and read at home. The biggest part of my project was collecting books and setting up six crates of books at different locations around my community. The children can bring a couple of books home to read and then bring them back for others to read. After a couple for weeks I’d replenished the crates with more books, so the children can have different varieties.”

Storms added, “Girl Scouts made me a more outgoing person. I’ve gained more leadership skills and learned how to communicate better while doing my projects.”

Storms will receive her Gold Award at the Gold Award Ceremony on June 1, 2019. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls.

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” A Girl Scout’s project should be something that a girl can be passionate about—in thought, deed, and action that encompasses organizational, leadership, and networking skills. The project should also 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 to enter the military a full rank higher than her peers.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, 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. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers.

The Gold Award requires a Girl Scout to identify an issue and investigate it to understand what can be done to address the problem. The girl then forms a team to act as a support system, including a project advisor close to the issue who is not a troop leader or family member, while she leads the project. The Girl Scout creates a plan to ensure they know what steps they must tackle while working on the project. The Girl Scout submits a proposal for her project to her local Girl Scout council. After acceptance, the girl begins to work through the steps of their plan utilizing the assistance of her support team where necessary. Lastly, the project is used to educate and inspire others about the cause they are addressing.

To learn more, visit gswny.org.