Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Madhuri Singh of Clarence, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Madhuri is from Troop 30943 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 12 years.

Project: Helping Students Needing Food Assistance

Many students are eligible for free or reduced-cost meals in my school district and use the local food
pantry. I decided to focus my Gold Award project on assisting the students that do not have enough food.

I addressed the root cause of the issue by giving the school brochures with information about government programs that help with food and other necessities to assist those students. Because the school has access to the information of which students qualify for lunch assistance, they can identify and provide information to those individuals and connect them with resources.

During my project, I learned that I work better using checklists than planned schedules, that I enjoy working with
spreadsheets, and that putting more time and effort into something won’t necessarily improve the end
product if I don’t have a clear goal in mind. I was most successful at identifying the community need. It was fairly straightforward to do the math and then realize that there was probably an unmet need for information on government programs in the school.

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.