What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I created a Baby Bundles program. Baby Bundles are to provide low-resource families and single/teen moms, clothes and necessities for their babies. Most of them cannot provide the basic supplies for their babies. My project provides mothers the materials needed to help their growing family. A few of the essential, and non-essential, baby items needed to raise a healthy baby are: washcloths, diapers, blankets, clothes, bibs, baby wipes, bottles, socks, baby toys, and baby books. I created and distributed donation flyers and then continued to hold multiple donation drives in order to acquire these items. After I collected the donations, I made a resource guide for new mothers so that they could know where to go if they are seeking help. I compiled the bundles, delivered them to Family Life Services and Life Network, and distributed my resource pamphlets to the women and families there. I led a team of volunteers on the distribution of the bundle and they also distributed the resource guides to hospitals and OBGYN clinics in the greater Colorado Springs area. I also created a how to guide for my project, to include an example donation flyer and resource guide, which has been sent to Girl Scout leaders around the world.

How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?

The joy of seeing moms’ reactions to receiving a Baby Bundle: I had a mom dancing/full of joy when she saw size six diapers. That is when I knew I had changed the life of this mom and her baby!

How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?

My project will be sustained beyond my involvement by, three things, one being that Family Life Services and Life Network can continue on this project using the instruction guide I provided. Another way it will be sustainable is I have given local hospitals and organizations my resource pamphlet so that they can print copies and hand them out to mothers so that the mothers will know where they can go to get help if needed, especially if they don’t have access to a computer to look up places. The third way this project can be held sustainable beyond my involvement is that, with the help of my Girl Scout leader, Leader Laura, my pamphlet and how to guide has been handed out to Girl Scout leaders all around the globe so that they can also do a similar project if they would like to.

What is your project’s global and/or national connection?

My project helped to address the basic need of baby supplies to help mothers and families who are struggling to know how to provide for their babies. When babies don’t have the right supplies, resources and organizations available and basic necessities to use, there would be more sicknesses, and diseases because they wouldn’t have the right supplies, leading to makeshift supplies, which can lead to sickness and possibly death, babies do not have strong immune systems. Not having enough money to provide babies with what they need is common around the world. Baby Bundles help relieve some of the stress financially, because it provides essential supplies so that mothers can get a head start without the additional stress when bringing a baby home.

What did you learn about yourself?

Throughout this project, I feel as though I have grown more as a leader, because this project has made me come out of my comfort zone. And, it has also made me more confident in myself as a leader. I love helping people and I love children. However, I can be very shy and quiet. In doing my project I had to make phone calls, talk to and even lead complete strangers. I have learned that I may be a shy and quiet teen, but I can plan a project, manage a team and be successful in carrying that project out I learned to overcome obstacles and challenges that I was faced with and to re-group and fine a new organization that believed in my project and understood the need.

How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?

Earning my Gold Award helped me put many skills together and taught me confidence in myself, that I can overcome obstacles, lead a team, and complete a project with impact. All these skills will further help me in the future whether in school or the workforce.

Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?

I feel that it helped to teach me to put all the skills I have been building through the years in Girl Scouts together. It showed me to believe in myself and all thing are possible no matter what age.

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? 

I believe this project has set the stage for my leadership skills, because it has taught me so much. And because of it, I have learned what is need to raise a healthy baby. Which I can use in the (distant) future. This project has also made it so that I am more comfortable with talking to strangers to get information and leading a group. In the future, I will be able to lead with a better understanding of others, and how to organize/manage a group/project.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication, and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org.