Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Miranda Kimber of Middleport, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Miranda is from Troop 70095 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 14 years.

What Miranda said about Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts taught me about helping other people.

Project: Make People Aware of Monarch Butterflies in Peril

My Gold Award project was about saving the monarch butterflies. I held a presentation and made a display case in the Middleport Library. I also made a butterfly garden at Girl Scouts of Western New York’s Camp Windy Meadows property. I worked with my butterfly spokesperson Master Gardener Maxine Grimmer, and Lumberjack Lavin, a former groundskeeper at Windy Meadows.

In my presentation, I explained how using chemicals is bad for the butterflies. The garden I made will last for years with the perennials flowers I planted that will come back every year. Other Girl Scout troops will also help to maintain the garden. The garden can serve as a place for the butterflies to go and repopulate so their numbers come back. I had two gardens: one with annuals and milkweed, the second garden featured perennials.

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.