Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Rebecca Hefty, Castle Rock, “Improving Wiggly Field Dog Park”

Rebecca Hefty

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

A huge passion of mine is animals so when I saw a need in my community to improve my local dog park, Wiggly Field Dog Park, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for my Gold Award Project. The dog park did not have any shade for dogs or places for their people to sit. For shade, we installed a 10’x 16′ Trex pergola on a cement slab.  I also installed two new picnic benches underneath of the pergola for people to sit and relax. We also installed a sign in Wiggly Field Dog Park’s parking lot, so the community can easily find the local dog park. On Sunday, January 29, 2017, from 1 – 4 p.m. I held an Opening Day Celebration at Wiggly Field Dog Park. At the celebration, I invited local dog-related businesses to have stations with merchandise for sale and/or information about their business. The celebration also had a Girl Scout troop selling Girl Scout Cookies because it was the also the first day of cookie sales for the year.

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

Before I did this project the park would only have a few visitors a day.  At the Opening Day Celebration, we had about 250 people come with their dogs. I had many people tell me “I have never seen this many people here,” “we come here all the time, but there are never any dogs to play with our dog,” “ I didn’t even know that we had a dog park in our neighborhood.”  Since the Opening Day Celebration the park has 10-15 visitors each day. I think this number will also increase as the weather improves and more people are doing things outside with their dogs.

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

Throughout my project I made many conscious efforts to make changes to the park that would last for a long time and will not require a lot of maintenance. For example, we ordered a Trex pergola instead of a wood/ cedar pergola. Even though a wood pergola would be less expensive upfront it actually becomes more expensive in the long run. Trex pergolas are made from recycled plastic and they have a 20-year warranty on them so if something goes wrong  The Meadows Neighborhood Company, the business that maintains the park, will be able to fix it free of charge as long as they follow the warranty requirements.

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

I have a huge passion for helping all animals especially misunderstood breeds like pit bulls and rottweilers. I feel that the Villalobos Rescue Center has made a huge difference in so many pitbulls lives but they have also made a huge impact on the way people think about pit bulls. I also sent the Villalobos Rescue Center in New Orleans a letter explaining what a Gold Award is and what I did for my project. I also attached some pictures that were taken throughout my project so they could see what I have done to better the lives of people and their dogs in my local community.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned so many valuable life skills from this project, including leadership, perseverance, and negotiation skills. There were many times during the process of my project that I thought to myself “every girl should do this kind of project” and “when I have kids, I want them to be apart of an organization like this that helps kids learn valuable life lessons and prepare them for their future.”

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

By earning my Gold Award, I have opened a lot of doors for myself. It is an accomplishment that I will be able to write on college applications and job applications for the rest of my life. Earning your Gold Award says something about who you are and also sets you apart from others.

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

Ever since I joined Girl Scouts I have been working towards my Gold Award by working on the journeys and earning my Bronze and Silver award. Everything I have done in Girl Scouts has prepared me for earning my Gold Award.

**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