Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Eva Mihalitsas of Rochester, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Eva is from Troop 60452 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 8 years.

What Eva said about Girl Scouts

Girls scouts has given me a strong community to rely on. Girl Scouts has provided leadership skills and years of friendships.

Project: Making Masks for Restaurant Workers

I made masks for local businesses in the Rochester area. I also taught other employees how to make them themselves. The masks were reusable and they had a separate pocket for a filter.

I would make 2-3 masks per restaurant, then I would teach the employees, along with the owners, how to make their own. One of my trainees was making them for a correctional facility. Her husband is one of the officers and they were in dire need of masks.

The mask contained a special pocket that coffee filters could be cut to the shape of the mask and placed inside. This provided an extra layer of protection. The coffee filters are free and all the restaurants I went to had them on hand. These masks are reusable and more eco-friendly than disposable ones. For the end off my project I made a YouTube video that explains how to make the masks.

My project helped the local economy start up after lock-down by helping restaurants open up. It also put about 100 families safely back into work. It allowed restaurants to open for customers so they could visit places they love to bring back a sense of normalcy.

I grew as a leader because I taught multiple classes and guided people as they learned to make their own masks. I learned how to create and edit a YouTube tutorial video that people can access and use as a resource. My leadership skills will grow in the future because I had to learn how to problem solve quickly multiple times. I was surprised at how many unexpected obstacles arise when you start a project. I also learned that sometimes things take much longer than anticipated when you start a new business venture.

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.