Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Madeline Lagraves of Buffalo, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Madeline is from Troop 30568 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 12 years.

What Madeline said about Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts taught me leadership skills and the importance of community service.

Project: Shining Stars

My church, Grace Lutheran Church of South Buffalo, did not have a play to perform for the Christmas pageant every year. They also didn’t have a wide variety of costumes and scenery. The Hispanic congregation at my church also did not have a play to perform in Spanish.

The coronavirus cannot stop the celebration of Christmas and the traditions that happen every year. I created a way to still have a Christmas pageant that was safe. I got parental permission and four children performed in my play (socially distanced and wore masks). I recorded the kids performing and uploaded it to my Church’s Facebook page. I also wanted to write it in Spanish to include the other congregation.

I reached all of my goals: to create a Christmas play, sets, and scenery; translate my play to Spanish; and create a safe way to get it to the congregation through video and editing. I used my leadership skills by delegating tasks and coordinating meeting times. I did all of the work efficiently and also listened to feedback for things I needed to change. I also learned I can do anything I put my mind to with hard work and effort.

About the Gold Award

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 she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade.

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.

For more information on the Gold Award, click here.