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Celebrating Our Gold Award Girl Scouts

May 21, 2026

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting and one of the most prestigious honors a young person can earn. Through this award, Girl Scouts identify pressing issues in their communities, investigate root causes, and create sustainable solutions that make a meaningful, long-term difference. Earning the Gold Award requires extraordinary dedication, leadership, perseverance, and heart.

This year’s Gold Award Girl Scouts took on projects that addressed mental health, food insecurity, STEM access, dementia care, inclusion, wellness, music education, and more. They partnered with nonprofits, schools, care facilities, and community leaders to create initiatives that will continue impacting others long after their projects are complete.

These Girl Scouts didn’t wait for change, they became the change. Through compassion, innovation, and countless hours of hard work, they discovered what’s within themselves while helping build stronger, more connected communities for everyone around them. Read more about their projects.

Brianna F. of Kearney

S.A.F.E. Center Employee Wellness Program and Family Inspirational Art

Recognizing the emotional toll burnout can have on social workers, Gold Award Girl Scout Brianna F. created a long-term wellness program for the employees of S.A.F.E. Center (Spouse/Sexual Abuse Family Education Center). Her project focused on supporting physical, emotional, and mental well-being while also encouraging connection and support among coworkers.

Brianna developed a wellness initiative called Tour Nebraska, a collaborative fitness challenge where employees tracked exercise miles virtually across the state through six themed routes while earning prizes along the way. She also assembled Relax Jars filled with simple stress-relief exercises employees could use during difficult moments and coordinated presentations from health professionals on wellness topics. To ensure sustainability, Brianna organized all program materials into a Wellness Binder so the center can continue the initiative in the future.

In addition to supporting staff, Brianna created 24 inspirational paintings for families staying in the S.A.F.E. Center’s housing program. Featuring uplifting affirmations like “You are enough” and “Trust in the power of beginnings,” the artwork offers encouragement, hope, and reminders of self-worth to survivors rebuilding their lives.

Alyssa F. of Lincoln

Different Interests But Still Human

Inspired by her own experiences with being judged for having different interests, Gold Award Girl Scout Alyssa F. created a children’s book focused on teaching respect, empathy, and acceptance to young readers ages 3–5. To bring the project to life, Alyssa assembled a team of artists and developed a story that encourages children to celebrate differences and treat others with kindness.

In addition to the book itself, Alyssa included a list of recommended titles for parents, teachers, and children to continue conversations around inclusion and understanding. She shared the book with more than 140 students at Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties and expanded access by placing physical copies in Little Free Libraries throughout the community.

To make the project even more inclusive, Alyssa created digital translations of the book in French and Korean alongside the original English version, helping reach a broader audience and ensuring more children could connect with its message.

Imani G. of Omaha

Mental Health Fair

Recognizing the stigma surrounding teen mental health, Gold Award Girl Scout

Imani G. created a community Mental Health Fair focused on education, awareness, and healing. Her project aimed to help adolescents and the adults in their lives better understand suicide prevention, recognize warning signs, and learn healthy ways to support mental wellness.

Imani hosted the event at Zion Baptist Church where she coordinated local mental health providers, created educational materials on youth mental health concerns, distributed awareness ribbons, and demonstrated healthy coping strategies. Through the fair, she educated approximately 50 community members on mental health issues affecting teens today.

To further promote awareness and remembrance, Imani also organized a suicide awareness walk honoring those lost to suicide while creating space for community healing, support, and conversation.

Gretchen H. of Elkhorn

Energy Store Makeover

Inspired by her volunteer work at Crown Pointe Retirement Community, Gold Award Girl Scout Gretchen H. set out to help residents build stronger connections and increase participation in community activities. After noticing low attendance at events like bingo and movie nights, she developed a creative solution to encourage engagement and foster a greater sense of belonging.

Gretchen transformed an unused room into the “Energy Store,” a welcoming community space where residents can redeem “Energy Bucks” earned through participation in activities. She renovated the room by painting, building furniture, and meeting directly with residents to learn what items they wanted stocked in the store.

Using funds she raised, Gretchen filled the store with snacks, toiletries, cards, and fun items, while also creating space for residents to sell handmade artwork and crafts. Since the ribbon-cutting ceremony, activity participation at Crown Pointe has significantly increased, helping residents feel more connected, engaged, and valued within their community.

Kansas L. of Elkhorn

Elkhorn South Food Bins

After noticing large amounts of untouched cafeteria food being thrown away at Elkhorn South High School, Gold Award Girl Scout Kansas L. created a sustainable food recovery program to help reduce waste and address food insecurity in the Omaha metro area. Her project introduced “Food Bins” placed above cafeteria trash receptacles that allow students to donate unopened, unwanted food instead of discarding it.

Through partnerships with cafeteria staff and Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, the collected food is redistributed twice a week to organizations serving communities in need across Omaha and Council Bluffs. Overstock cafeteria items, including frozen meals and other unused food, are also donated through the program.

To expand awareness and encourage similar initiatives, Kansas presented her project to the Green Omaha Coalition, educated fellow students, mailed informational newsletters to Omaha-area high schools, and began developing a grant program for future school food recovery efforts. Since launching in November, the project has successfully redirected more than 2,000 pounds of food back into the community.

Shradha M. of Omaha

Project Memoire

Inspired by the belief that connection is essential to dignity, Gold Award Girl Scout Shradha M. created Project Memoire, a memory-support initiative designed to enhance the lives of individuals living with dementia while empowering youth to become advocates for Alzheimer’s awareness and care.

Through her project, Shradha assembled personalized memory kits tailored to residents’ life stories, hosted BINGO nights to encourage joy and social connection, and installed sensory-friendly garden beds that provide calming outdoor experiences for nursing home residents. To expand the project’s reach, she partnered with the Alzheimer's Association to establish a Youth Advisory Council, giving students opportunities to volunteer, advocate, and lead community outreach efforts focused on dementia awareness.

Shradha also helped mobilize youth across Nebraska to participate in advocacy initiatives and legislative efforts, including support for Nebraska’s LB253, which expands access to early Alzheimer’s detection and biomarker testing. To ensure the project’s long-term sustainability, she created an online toolkit featuring memory kit templates, volunteer resources, and caregiver activity ideas that are now being used in local care facilities.

Bella M. of Bellevue

Outdoor Music Garden

Inspired by her experience in the Bellevue West marching band, Gold Award Girl Scout Bella M. created an interactive Outdoor Music Garden designed to foster creativity, collaboration, and a love of music within her community. Working alongside her team, Bella hand-built four unique instruments: a color-coded PVC pipe xylophone, a chime pillar, tube drums, and a textured woodblock.

The garden encourages hands-on learning through music, movement, and sensory exploration. The PVC pipe xylophone includes QR-coded songs that help children practice hand-eye coordination and learn how musical chords work together to create harmony. Bella also designed instruments that introduce users to rhythm, sound variation, and texture through engaging play.

By combining education, creativity, and accessibility, Bella’s Outdoor Music Garden creates a lasting space where community members of all ages can explore music, build confidence, and connect with one another through shared experiences.

Grace N. of Omaha

Building a Future in Robotics

Recognizing the ongoing gender gap in STEM education, Gold Award Girl Scout Grace N. created a sustainable robotics initiative designed to increase access, confidence, and opportunity for Girl Scouts interested in technology and engineering. Her project focused on removing common barriers, such as cost and limited volunteer resources, that often prevent troops from exploring robotics programming.

Grace raised funds to purchase VEX GO robotics kits and programming tablets, which are now housed at the Omaha Girl Scout DreamLab and available for troop co-leaders to use free of charge. To ensure long-term impact, she also developed a comprehensive robotics curriculum aligned with Girl Scouts of the USA badge requirements, complete with interactive Google Slides, instructional videos, vocabulary guides, and step-by-step learning materials.

Through two hands-on workshops, Grace trained 10 troop co-leaders, significantly increasing their confidence in teaching robotics and expanding potential access to STEM programming for nearly 100 girls. By creating sustainable resources and empowering volunteers, Grace’s project helps more girls envision themselves as future engineers, innovators, and leaders in technology.