Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Faith Walter of Rochester, NY, as a 2023 Gold Award Girl Scout. Faith is a member of Troop 60422.

Project: Hometown Heroes Banner Program

For my Gold Award project, I started a Hometown Heroes program in my community, Chili, NY. I presented my idea to the Town of Chili and received their support of the project. I then worked with the American Legion Family Post 1830 to receive the funding for this project, and I used a local supplier that I worked with to design the banners. My project recognized 10 of Chili’s Servicemen that were killed in action and who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I only had the names of these 10 servicemen, so there was a lot of research, time and effort put into trying to locate the families of these servicemen, many going back to World War II, and to get their service picture. The Town of Chili unveiled these 10 Hometown Hero banners in September 2022, and then they were mounted to the light posts that led the path to the Chili Community Center where they can be admired by the entire community. This project was done out of appreciation and respect for our military veterans, and to provide them with the recognition that they deserve.

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.