Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Stella Bauschard as a 2025 Gold Award Girl Scout.

Project: Combatting Loneliness in the Elderly

For my Girl Scout Gold Award Project, Combatting the Loneliness in the Elderly, I researched the effects of flowers on happiness, dopamine, and serotonin production. After learning about their positive effects, I planted a cutting garden at St. Johns Living facility. For the garden, I worked with a younger Brownie troop to paint rocks as well as made a tic-tac-toe board out of a tree stump to place on a table next to the garden’s bench. Lastly, I added decorative metal signs, LED lights, a stepping stone, and a welcome sign throughout the garden. In addition to this outside area, I hosted multiple flower bouquet making classes for residents as part of St. John’s craft program. After surveying residents post-program, 100% said they felt an increase in happiness and over 90% said they felt more socialized. To conclude my project, I wrote and published a research paper detailing the mental and physical effects of loneliness on the elderly, along with proposed solutions (including flowers, of course). Still, I plan to host an outdoor event this summer with residents and staff of St. Johns to celebrate the bloom of the cutting garden and the completion of my project.

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.