Madelinn Canty, a member of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida and Gold Award candidate, was honored with a Proclamation from the Mayor of Venice during the City Council meeting on Feb. 11, 2025. The proclamation recognizes February 25, 2025 as “World Spay Day” and February 2025 as “Spay/Neuter Awareness Month,” as part of her animal advocacy efforts for her Girl Scout Gold Award.

The proclamation can be read online.

Canty spoke at the City Council meeting where she recieved the proclamation. “Thank you so much for recognizing World Spay Day and Spay/Neuter Awareness Month,” she said. “My Girl Scout Gold Award project, “A Hope for Kittens,” focuses on the importance of socializing kittens so they are more adoptable. But of even greater importance is spaying and neutering pets, which saves the lives of animals by reducing the amount of stray animals and also helps control pet populations, reducing the amount of homeless and euthanized animals.”

Girl Scout council leadership, a Gold Award Committee representative, and the Venice Sheriff’s Animal Control Unit attended the meeting as the mayor presented the proclamation.

Canty, a sophomore at Venice High School, is working toward her Gold Award through A Hope for Kittens, a project aimed at raising awareness about the needs of feral cats and those awaiting adoption. A longtime volunteer with Englewood Animal Rescue Sanctuary (EARS), she is dedicated to educating the community and advocating for feline welfare. She is working with EARS on her Gold Award project, which is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. The award requires an 80 hour sustainable leadership project that addresses a community issue.

For more information about Girl Scouts and the Gold Award, visit www.gsgcf.org.