Local Girl Scouts Win 'Gold' For Community Projects

SHREWSBURY, MA — Four local Girl Scouts were honored this month for a variety of community service projects aimed at helping seniors, kids and the community at large. The Gold Award Girl Scout title is the highest honor bestowed by the organization.

Here's more on the projects from a Girl Scouts news release:

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts is celebrating the 2024 class of Gold Award Girl Scouts: 16 teen world-changers in central and western Massachusetts who invested nearly thirteen hundred hours creating lasting impact on issues important to them.

The Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, available to girls in high school who create sustainable change on a community or world issue. From creating access to menstrual hygiene products to addressing COVID-19 isolation, Gold Award Girl Scouts address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change, and lead a team of people to success.

"Earning the Gold Award is a distinguished honor that sets Gold Award Girl Scouts apart from their peers," said Theresa Lynn, GSCWM CEO. "As they take action to transform their world, they gain tangible, real-world skills and prove they are the leaders that campuses and communities need."

The teens were honored at the Girl Scout Gold Award and Silver Award Ceremony on June 12, 2024 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. The Grafton, Milford, Shrewsbury and Westborough teens are:

Annabelle Koshy, Westborough
Get Up And Dance

Annabelle dedicated her Gold Award to helping children gain confidence in themselves through dance. Growing up, she was very shy and had little confidence but that all changed when she started dance classes. Some kids want to dance and are curious about it, but they don't think they're good enough, or they don't feel comfortable. Annabelle recruited helpers from her dance class and held a two-day dance program that introduced kids to different dance types. Since there were no dance classes offered for 10-12 year olds, she targeted this group for her free classes that were open to any child, including those who didn't have any prior dance experience. Taking dance classes and performing in annual recitals gave Annabelle immense confidence she carried over to other parts of her life. Volunteers in her dance program will run the program in the future.

“Girl Scouts has helped me get out of my shell socially. Being a Girl Scout has also helped me with my leadership skills and being more comfortable taking risks.”

Annabelle will attend Brandeis University to study biochemistry.

Emilia Mahoney, Grafton
Life Skills For Little Ones

Emilia chose to focus her Gold Award on helping preschool and kindergarten age children learn and develop the necessary skills to take care of themselves, such as zipping their coats or tying their shoes. She struggled with many of these skills when she was younger and learned from her mother, who is a teacher, that many children are lacking the skills they need to take care of themselves, especially after the pandemic. Emilia created kits with different activities that allow children to practice life skills and took them to North Grafton Elementary School where she completed some of the activities with the students. Kits were left with the school and are also available at the Grafton Public Library. She created Facebook and Instagram accounts and pamphlets with links to instructions to make each activity in the kits.

“As I got older and entered my middle school and high school years, my Girl Scout friends changed from people I had fun with to people who supported me and people I could go to.”

Emilia is a rising sophomore at Framingham State University studying psychology.

Elena Papula, Milford
Memorial Elementary Mural

Elena applied her love for art and creating it to the wall behind the Memorial Elementary School playground. She enjoys bringing her work to new spaces and saw the existing painting was aged, faded and barely visible. Elena hoped to show students and playground visitors that it doesn't take expensive things to create art and that art is all around them. She covered the mural with a sealant to protect it from the elements and enlisted the school art teachers to involve their students in doing future touch-up that will eventually be needed on the wall. The reaction of everyone at the unveiling of her project was most rewarding for Elena.

“I have made lifelong friendships with other Girl Scouts in my Troop. I love and miss them all!”

Elena is pursuing animal studies with a minor in fine art at Eckerd College.

Aanya Sachdeva, Shrewsbury
Virtual Activities for Senior Citizens

Observing the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable senior citizens inspired Aanya to focus her Gold Award journey on taking action to support the mental well-being of seniors in her community. Limitations on in-person activities at the Shrewsbury Senior Center due to health risks led her to spearhead the creation of an online video series tailored specifically for seniors. Aanya recorded a series of videos with diverse content that provided engaging, therapeutic activities and valuable resources accessible from the safety of their homes. She encouraged community members to contribute and topics now range from instructional tutorials on crafting "Multi-Purpose Rice Socks" to painting projects fostering creativity and social connection. The ongoing video series is now available through senior centers across Massachusetts, is broadcast on the Shrewsbury Media Connection local channel SETV 329, and is available online worldwide. If you are interested in contributing a video tutorial to the series, please feel free to send it to Shrewsbury.videos@gmail.com.

“Girl Scouting has awakened something within me - a desire to actively make a meaningful difference in people's lives. I’ve learned that leadership isn’t just about leading; it’s about empowering others to lead alongside you.”

Aanya is a rising sophmore at Parsons School of Design where she is studying fashion design and fashion business. Her goal is to continue growing her ethical fashion brand, AanyasBOWtique.