Area Girl Scouts Receive 2022 Gold Award

My Hometown Scouts

Area Girl Scouts receive 2022 Gold Award for service projects

Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) has announced 15 Girl Scouts in Monroe County as 2022 recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award. Recipients from this readership area include Addison Glozer of Spencerport, Ashlyn Neathawk of Rochester, Rachel Reifsteck of Rochester, and Maya Voelkl of Rochester.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award 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 leaders and visionary change makers.

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” The project should 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.

Addison Glozer of Spencerport is a member of Troop 60727. She said, “Overall, I am extremely grateful for the constant presence that Girl Scouting has been in my life. While other clubs, organizations, and sports fade in and out as you progress through school, Girl Scouts has been there from kindergarten to high school graduation. I have made lifelong friendships with the girls in my troop and we have countless memories from our years together. Additionally, I’ve been able to try so many things I may not have had the chance to do otherwise and have learned valuable lessons along the way.”

Glozer’s project, After School: Elementary French Program, was developed to teach basic French vocabulary to elementary students through a series of fun presentations and engaging activities. Her goal was to inspire the same love of French language learning that she has in elementary students and expand global awareness starting at a younger age. While the COVID-19 pandemic derailed her original intentions of starting an in-person club run by high school French students, the pandemic also presented a unique opportunity to reach even more people. “Ultimately, I created an interactive website that students of all ages could access and spend as much or as little time as they wanted practicing new vocabulary, reviewing with fun games, learning about French culture, or even exploring different French-speaking countries via Google Maps,” Glozer said.

Ashlyn Neathawk of Rochester is a member of Troop 60631. She said, “Being a Girl Scout has provided me opportunities to collaborate with others and provide service within my community. I met a lot of people who helped me grow in my communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. I learned that through my hard work and good fortune, I could provide for and support others in need.” Neathawk’s project, Project Paper Product, was designed to supply paper products for the Coldwater Women and Children’s Residential Home in Rochester. Through advertisement and personal communications, she solicited donations and collected them over a period of a few months.

“Despite the pandemic, I exceeded my goal and provided paper plates, bowls, cups, napkins, toilet paper, paper towel and facial tissues. When I delivered the paper products, the shelter was overwhelmed by the quantity and generosity of the donors. I was able to collect and donate 1,503 paper plates, 607 paper bowls, 460 paper and plastic cups, 960 napkins, 74 rolls of toilet paper, 21 rolls of paper towels, and 85 boxes of facial tissues,” Neathawk said. The project will continue to be sustained by Neathawk and her fellow Girl Scouts in the Black Creek Service Unit. Rachel Reifsteck of Rochester is a member of Troop 60028. She said, “Girl Scouts helped me to understand the importance of service to others and our environment. It also helped me to obtain leadership skills that will prepare me for my future.” Reifsteck’s Gold Award project was to build bat houses, creating a roosting habitat, at the First Responders Park in Gates. “I chose this project because the population of bats is decreasing and bats play a significant part in our ecosystem,” she said. Bats are beneficial because they eat approximately 3,000 mosquitos per night. A greater presence of bats means fewer pesticides are needed, reducing the amount of chemicals released into the environment. She collaborated with the town of Gates Recreation and Parks Department and worked closely with Director of Parks to make the project possible. “I created four bat houses that were constructed, painted, had plaques attached, and were affixed to trees I selected in the park,” Reifsteck said. Maya Voelkl of Rochester is a member of Troop 60727. She Addison Glozer said, “Girl my values Scouts provided me with and character through all the opportunity to establish types of experiences. It also showed me the importance of helping others to do the same while simultaneously having a fun time.” Lack of inclusion is a problem that individuals face at all ages, but in many cases it stems from a young age. To help combat this issue, Voelkl painted a mural at Leo Bernabi Elementary School, a pair of wings representing each individual child’s abilities, and created a worksheet that went along with it. “I sent letters home to each parent promoting conversations about privileges and disadvantages that each student has. The ultimate goal was to circle the conversation around to recognizing that while each student faces different challenges, each student has also formed their own pair of wings that they personally need to fly,” she said. The children each colored a pair of wings and wrote three things that were special about them on the same piece of paper. The students were told to compare their paper to a friend so they could see that no two pairs of wings looked the same, but still had the ability to take them places. “I believe my goal was accomplished because many teachers said that the kids were amazed no one had the same drawings. They were encouraged to think about what made them different from each other and how that made them special in a positive way,” Voelkl added. Ashlyn Neathawk In total, presented 36 girl scouts across the Western New York region with the 2022 Gold Award on Saturday, June 4. For were more information on the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit https://www.gswny. org/en/our-program/highest-awards/gold-award.html.

Rachel Reifsteck Maya Voelkl