Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Molly Heinzelman of Pittsford, NY, as a 2022 Gold Award Girl Scout. Molly is a member of Troop 60452.

What Molly said about Girl Scouts

Being a Girl Scout has taught me numerous different skills, ranging from life to sport to craft skills. But most importantly, Girl Scouts has taught me how to be a better person. It has taught me how to be kind to everyone, how to communicate, how to be open minded, and most of all how to be a leader. Over the years, especially with my Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award, I have development many skills, and I can honestly say that I would not be who I am today if it wasn’t for Girl Scouts.

Project: Don’t Forget About the Vet’s Pets!

For my Gold Award project, I built shelves for the Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) so that they could have more storage space, then I did a donation drive for pet food and toys to fill the shelves. I did two different drives: one was partnering with the Rotary Club’s monthly food drive, and the other one I organized included Girl Scout troops from around the area delivering flyers and picking up donations in a “Scouting for Food” style.

I have always felt like I wanted to give back to veterans as they do so much for the country. I decided to start by dedicating my Gold Award Project to them. When I asked the VOC what would be most helpful for them, they said that they needed more storage space and more pet food. My project directly helped veterans as it gave them pet food to help feed their pets. In addition, my project also impacted the community. The Girl Scouts that helped me now know how to effectively do a drive and thus can recreate one if needed. Furthermore, community members now know that they can donate extra pet food and supplies to the VOC which will hopefully keep the VOC’s shelves stocked and continue to help the veterans’ and their pets for a long time to come.

See Molly’s website: Don’t Forget About the Vets’ Pets

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.