Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Nora Hayes of Holland, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Nora is from Troop 30200 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 12 years.

What Nora said about Girl Scouts

I have met many amazing people.

Project: Bat House Project

The purpose of my Gold Award project was to help bats repopulate. A disease has been spreading among the bat populations that has been dramatically reducing their numbers, reportedly killing millions of bats in North America.

I worked with the town of Holland. I researched and built bat houses to help give the bats additional places to safely reproduce and raise young to help boost their population numbers.

The community could come to a socially distanced meeting and claim a bat house and information packet. Now there are bat houses across Holland! A side effect that my project had was to reduce insect populations such as mosquitos, which the bats use as a food source, but make areas more comfortable for humans.

The skills I used included time management, work ethic, and determination. I learned that I can do a lot for my community if I work hard.

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.