Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) is proud to announce 56 Girl Scouts as the 2021 recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award, and 33 Girl Scouts as 2021 GSWNY scholarship recipients.

These exceptional change-makers took action to improve their local, national, and global communities while earning Girl Scouts’ most prestigious award in the world for girls.

In Genesee County, the sole awardee is Ava Flores, of Troop #42141, Oakfield, whose project was called "Feed the Need."

In addition to the Girl Scout Gold Award, Ava is one of the recipients to also be awarded a scholarship, in her case, $1,000 from Hans and Charlene Schoenenberger.

The Girl Scout Gold Award 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.

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 ongoing 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.

For more information on the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit gswny.org.