Gold Award Girl Scouts are the dreamers and the doers who take “make the world a better place” to the next level. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable—proof that not only can she make a difference, but that she already has. Seniors and Ambassadors who earn the Gold Award tackle issues dear to them and drive lasting change in their communities and beyond.
To learn more about these amazing Gold Award Girl Scouts, page through our 2024 Award Yearbook.
Elsie Brzezinski
Wausau, WI
In hopes of aiding endangered wildlife, Elsie educated people on making their backyards more wildlife-friendly by constructing a Wildlife Habitat at the Council Grounds State Park. This included a butterfly garden, a bat house, and birdhouses. Additionally, Elsie hosted educational sessions at the park, published a website, and started a Facebook page, all dedicated to educating and inspiring people to help wildlife.
Lauren Linstedt
Neenah, WI
Lauren’s goal for her project was to inspire a positive environmental mindset in her local community. She constructed compost bins for her local community garden to raise awareness for environmental issues and to improve the soil quality. She also worked with local government to provide a space for composting. She set up multiple workshops where she introduced composting and its benefits. This project strengthened Lauren’s passion for sustainability, and allowed her to solve a problem in her community.
Aanya Kasera
Appleton, WI
Aanya created a cultural education and appreciation initiative in her community to encourage children to develop their global literacy and spark their love for diversity. Aanya published a children’s book, Samosas with Saanvi, to share how she grew to love her cultural identity, capture the joys of cultural diversity, and portray the emotional journey behind acceptance. The mission of her project was to bridge the cultural literacy gap she noticed in her community, allow children to discover their own cultural identities and foster meaningful community connections.
Elise Palecek
Oshkosh, WI
Elise created an exhibit for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Museum that showcases influential women in aviation and aerospace. The exhibit is titled “Women in Aerospace.” It features Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Eileen Collins, and Ann Druyan, all of whom have achieved great accomplishments in aviation and aerospace! Elise hopes that this exhibit will help girls feel validated and inspire them to learn about these amazing female role models!
Kendra Raddatz
Wausau, WI
Kendra compiled a closet of men’s and women’s formal clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, and makeup. This closet is available to any student interested, regardless of need, to address the root cause of poverty and inflation. Many families lack extra money to purchase formal apparel worn only once or twice. Kendra obtained over 550 dresses, menswear items, shoes, and accessories through donations from students and community members. The Wausau East Prom/Winter Formal Committee will continue to maintain this resource for the community.
Ella Trampe
Neenah, WI
Ella created and distributed grief resource binders for K–12 grades in the Neenah Joint School District. The grief resource binders are made for any lost loved one and are not aimed at a specific age group, so they can be used by anyone who needs them. Ella created a strong partnership with her district mental health coordinator, and developed partnerships with all of the counselors and social workers in the Neenah district. Ella credits the counselors as the reason her grief binder got the opportunity to help grieving children start their grieving journey.
Cassidy Rose
Clintonville, WI
Cassidy created a free dog park for the community. A previous survey conducted among Clintonville residents showed that while the community wanted a dog park, they did not want to allocate taxpayer dollars to build it. Someone needed to step forward and start organizing, planning, and fundraising to get the ball rolling for this park to be established. Cassidy recruited Public Works Director, Justin McAuly, to be her project advisor. They began formulating a plan to create the dog park, entirely funded by private donations and fundraisers.
