September is a month of awareness designed to honor Neonatal Intensive Care Awareness (NICU) families and the health professionals who care for them. The observance seeks to increase awareness of the challenges faced in the NICU.

Gulfcoast Girl Scout Alexis Smith, who plans to become a doctor one day, decided to dedicate her 80-hour Gold Award Project to helping NICU families with her project, “Heart to Heart.”

Alexis recognized the difficulties faced by many families whose babies must stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for prolonged periods of time after premature birth. She wanted to help nurture the bonds between parents and their babies during their stays in the NICU.

Alexis created a Facebook page with educational resources about prenatal care for parents-to-be and organized a group of volunteers to sew over 250 heart-shaped aromatherapy clothes for babies staying overnight in the NICU at Golisano Children’s Hospital. In order to accomplish her goals for this project, Alexis taught herself how to sew and later taught her volunteers how to sew, as well.

“While completing my Gold Award, I learned that I am good at public speaking. In the past, speaking in front of others always seemed intimidating to me, but once I began presenting and explaining my project to people, I realized how comfortable and confident I was,” she said.

Alexis will be attending International University in the fall to major in health science.

Alexis earned the Girl Scout Gold Award in March 2023. In May, Alexis was announced as the recipient of the 2023 Lyndi Cyphers Memorial College Scholarship.

“Gold Award Girl Scouts are the dreamers and doers who take ‘make the world a better place’ to the next level. “These girls tackled issues that are important to them and their communities, and we congratulate them on this momentous accomplishment,” said GSGCF CEO Mary Anne Servian.

The Girl Scout Gold Award acknowledges the power behind each Gold Award Girl Scout’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. Through earning the Gold Award, Girl Scouts become innovative problem solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally.

By earning their Gold Awards, these young women have distinguished themselves as true community leaders and change-makers who have made a meaningful and sustainable difference in the world. Their accomplishments reflect leadership and social responsibility that set them apart from their peers.

According to recent research, Gold Award Girl Scouts are more likely to fill leadership roles at work and in their personal lives and are more civically engaged than their non-Girl Scout peers. Eighty-five percent of Gold Award Girl Scouts say that earning their Gold Award gave them skills to succeed in their daily lives, and eighty-seven percent say it gave them skills to help them succeed professionally.

As a bonus, the Gold Award opens doors to a variety of scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, strong networking and amazing career opportunities, and much more. About 4,000 Girl Scouts earn their Gold Award every year, placing Alexis among a prestigious community of change-makers who have achieved this honor. Since 1916, over 160,000 Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.