Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Catherine Holahan of Pittsford, NY, as a 2022 Gold Award Girl Scout. Catherine is a member of Troop 60127.

What Catherine said about Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts has given me the chance to develop many skills from communication to leadership to planning and building. The experiences and skills learned will help me in college and in my future jobs. 

Project: The Thornell Road Sensory Room

My Gold Award project refurbished the Thornell Road Elementary School Sensory Room. A sensory room is a place where students with various abilities can go and experience a variety of sensory activities. The room had been well used for many years and needed to be updated.

I began by emptying the sections of the space and repainted the walls of two rooms. Padded paneling was added to the swing area. I fundraised and purchased connectable foam floor mats to help cushion the floor in the swing and trampoline areas. I repainted and sanded the damaged and worn shelving and I installed carpeting and a wall activity board in the quiet area of the sensory space. Students from the class who use the sensory room the most helped me paint a mural on the activity wall. Once the project was completed, it was so much fun to be able to spend an afternoon with the class and play in the updated space.

Two to three weeks later the COVID lockdown happened and we could not return to school. I decided to add to my project by creating videos for at-home sensory experiences that the students could do with their families. The staff and the students really appreciated all the updates to the sensory space and the videos. 

About the Girl Scout 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.