Go to Blog

Celebrating the 2025 Silver Award Girl Scouts

July 08, 2025

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. It represents a significant commitment to making a lasting difference in the community and challenges girls to identify an issue they care about, develop a sustainable solution, and take action. Earning the Silver Award requires courage, dedication, and a true desire to create change. This year, we're proud to celebrate an incredible group of Girl Scouts who took the lead on innovative and meaningful projects across Nebraska. Their efforts have made their communities stronger, kinder, and more connected. Read on to be inspired by their projects!

We are proud to share here the remarkable projects completed by this year’s recipients. Photos of the project can be found in our Flickr gallery.

Troop 00050 – Kindness is Key
Anti-bullying and kindness are at the heart of Troop 00050’s Silver Award project. They developed a game for younger Girl Scouts and recruitment events that teaches the importance of kindness and reinforces the Girl Scout Law. Using resources from libraries, schools, and fellow troops, their interactive tool helps younger girls explore how to be kind through play and learning.

Troop 00887 – Camp Cosmo Outdoor Music Factory
Troop 00887 brought music and creativity to Camp Cosmo in Grand Island by building an outdoor music factory. With repurposed materials like PVC pipes, cake pans, rainmakers, and trash can lids, they created a space where scouts can express themselves through sound. They also added hand-painted animals native to Nebraska and musical notes to inspire joy and curiosity in future campers.

Troop 08237 – Sutton Park Cleanup
After hearing from a community member about the condition of an old park in town, Troop 08237 set out to clean and restore several outdoor areas in Sutton. They replanted flower boxes at Clarks Pond, picked up trash, and restored old playground equipment with fresh coats of paint—reviving a Merry-Go-Round, slide, and teeter-totter. To celebrate, the troop hosted a play day at the park, inviting all Girl Scouts to enjoy the refreshed space together.

Troop 10232 – Cadette Island Makeover
Troop 10232 took on a hands-on renovation of Cadette Island in Lakeview, transforming an overgrown and underused space into a safer and more welcoming environment. They addressed issues like unstable platforms, safety hazards, and overgrowth to make the area enjoyable and accessible for future use.

Troop 18542 – Hobby Mobility Station
Troop 18542 designed a mobile hobby station for nursing home residents, making it compatible with standard walkers. Using lumber, recycled milk jugs, and donated fabric, they created sensory, gardening, and seek-and-find activities to encourage mobility, stimulation, and joy for older adults.

Troop 20001 – Palmyra GaGa Ball Pit
Girl Scout Cadettes from Troop 20001 noticed a lack of teen-friendly recreation options at Taggart Community Park in Palmyra, NE. After gaining approval from the Village Board, the girls secured donations and built a Gaga Ball pit. This inclusive and active play space is now ready to welcome teens for years to come.

Troop 20735 – Cozy and Coloring
Troop 20735 created cozy lap blankets and custom coloring books with crayons for donation to the Foster Care Closet in Lincoln. They saved the coloring book templates on a flash drive for easy reprinting, ensuring their comforting project could continue to support children in foster care.

Troop 20749 – Willie’s Underwear Project
Troop 20749 supported Willie’s Underwear Project, a volunteer-run effort that provides undergarments and clothing to students in Lincoln Public Schools. The Cadettes organized donation drives, hosted a neighborhood ice cream social, created a “reverse trick-or-treat” event, and held a spring carnival—all to raise awareness and gather donations. They also surveyed school nurses to improve the program’s outreach and shared their work during Give to Lincoln Day, helping the project hit a record number of donations.

Troop 20770 – Nebraska Children’s Home Society Donations
Troop 20770 raised awareness about the needs of foster youth by organizing a community donation drive. After gathering clothing, toiletries, and comfort items, they donated everything to the Nebraska Children’s Home Society to directly support children in foster care.

Troop 20788 – Hygiene Box
Troop 20788 noticed a community need for accessible hygiene products and responded by installing a hygiene box at their local library. They collected supplies through a hygiene drive and committed to restocking and decorating the box year-round to serve their neighbors with dignity.

Troop 20821 – Supporting Community Pets and Owners
Troop 20821 organized a walk-a-thon fundraiser benefiting Lincoln Animal Ambassadors, raising over $400 and collecting a barrel of pet food and supplies. Their project increased community awareness about keeping pets with their loving families by supporting access to affordable care and supplies.

Troop 20853 – Helping Refugees
Troop 20853 partnered with Catholic Social Services to support Ukrainian refugees settling in Lincoln, NE. They collected household items, hosted two soup suppers, sold handmade bracelets, and helped move a refugee family into their new apartment—offering care, stability, and hope to families starting anew.

Troop 41774 – Rainbow Suite Little Library
To support families staying in the Rainbow Suites at Nebraska's Children’s Hospital, Troop 41774 built and painted a bookshelf and collected book donations. Their goal was to help reduce stress and boredom for parents waiting on their child’s recovery by offering easy access to comforting reads.

Troop 43578 – Intergenerational Relationships
Cadettes from Troop 43578 formed lasting connections with residents at Heritage Ridge Retirement Community in Bellevue. They hosted monthly events like Game Night, Nail Night, holiday parties, and more—building friendships through crafts, music, dancing, snacks, and, of course, plenty of Bingo! The girls even donated Girl Scout Cookies as prizes and plan to continue visiting the residents in the future.

Troop 45334 – Mental Health Sunshine Kits
Cadettes in Troop 45334 assembled 150 thoughtfully curated “Sunshine Kits” to support pre-teens and teens struggling with mental health challenges. Each kit included items with research-based calming benefits, like breathing cards, journals, lavender lotion, and worry stones, and was distributed to local schools and community organizations to offer encouragement and promote emotional wellness.

Troop 45483 – Aurora’s Lending Library
Troop 45483 Cadette Aurora created a neighborhood lending library by attaching a book-sharing box to her community’s announcement board. Her goal was to increase access to reading materials for families in her area and promote literacy through a simple, accessible solution.

Troop 48563 – F-READ-OM to Read About Book Banning
Troop 48563 took a stand against book banning by advocating for access to diverse and historical literature. Their project emphasized the importance of protecting free expression, encouraging empathy, and promoting educational equity. By targeting Girl Scouts, educators, families, and faith communities, Troop 48563 raised awareness about the dangers of censorship and the importance of the freedom to read.

Troop 48689 – Little White Dog Rescue: Raising Awareness and Donations
Inspired by their love of animals, Troop 48689 partnered with Little White Dog Rescue to help replace items stolen from the organization. They created posters, raised awareness, collected donations, and ultimately provided much-needed supplies to the rescue, supporting its mission and encouraging future community involvement.

Troop 48689 – Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue
With a strong passion for animals, Troop 48689 partnered with Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue to support its mission. After researching the organization’s needs and speaking with staff, they created awareness posters, hosted a donation drive, and delivered much-needed supplies to help rescued pets find loving homes.

Troop 48902 – Red Courage
Troop 48902 addressed period poverty in Sarpy County through their Red Courage event. Partnering with Access Period, they hosted a community supply drive and trivia night, collecting over 8,000 items and assembling 50 three-month period kits. The kits are now available through NeighborGood, launching a sustainable effort to support teens in their community.

Troop 48902 – Thrive Together
Focusing on teens entering foster care or impacted by trauma, Troop 48902 created thoughtful care bags to provide comfort during difficult transitions. The bags included fun and calming items like fidgets, candy, coloring supplies, and anxiety strips.

Troop 50013 – Dog Waste Stations
Troop 50013 worked with the Battle Creek City Council to install dog waste stations in a local park. They raised funds through donation jars and grants, purchased and installed the stations, added signage, and even landscaped one area with wood chips to complete the project.

Troop 50164 – Bags of Joyfulness
Troop 50164 created bags filled with toys and engaging activities for children receiving support from the Bridge Center, a domestic abuse shelter. Their donations aimed to provide joy, comfort, and a sense of normalcy to young survivors during difficult times.

Troop 50304 – Book Boxes for Kids
To encourage a love of reading, Cadettes from Troop 50304 created themed “Book Boxes” for young readers. Each box includes a story and a set of hands-on activities to enhance engagement. The project helps children connect with books in creative, playful ways, inspiring a lifelong love of reading.

Troop 50527 – Waiting Room Little Libraries
Troop 50527 built and stocked two bookcases for the waiting rooms at Blair MCH Hospital to ease stress and provide entertainment for patients and visitors. The bookcases contain books for all ages and will be regularly restocked by the troop to keep the shelves full and the community engaged.

Girl Scout Joclynn B. – Patch-A-Paloza
Cadette, Joclynn noticed that the elderly often feel overlooked during the Christmas season. Motivated by this, she organized and hosted a special event called "Patch-a-Palooza" as part of her Silver Award project. The event aimed to bring the Christmas spirit to local senior citizens and reengage area Girl Scouts with their community and the joys of Girl Scouting. Her project successfully bonded her Girl Scout sisters with the elderly in her community during the holiday season.