Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Amanda Daubert of Spencerport, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Amanda is from Troop 60727 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 13 years.

What Amanda said about Girl Scouts

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.

Project: Blessing Box

My Gold Award was building a blessing box that provides free food and supplies to the community. It is located in the front of Hilton Baptist Church with whom I collaborated. I chose to build a blessing box because I like projects that I have to build and it’s easy for people to access at any time. For my project I had a bake sale to raise money, buy the supplies, cut the wood, assemble the pieces, paint it, and place it in the ground.

The root cause of the issue for my Gold Award was that the rate of poverty in the town of Hilton from 2015-2019 was 7.9%. If we can help give to our community as much as we can, we can help people live a much easier life. 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.

By building the blessing box, people have access to free materials such as nonperishable foods, toiletries, school supplies, books, etc. This will help many people who aren’t able to buy supplies for school or are in desperate need for a meal. I have received many comments and compliments from people who have visited the blessing box or saw it in the newspaper. Some people have told me that they loved my idea and that it is very helpful and many other people told me that they would also like to help out the community, so they put in many donations.

My project is sustainable because it is staying on the property of Hilton Baptist Church. The youth group will be taking care of it and checking up on it every Sunday after church.

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. The most successful part of my project was the outcome. It looked very nice and you can tell that I put a lot of time and effort in it. A lot of people are using it and donating to it. The best part is that many people are benefiting from it!

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.