Girl Scout Cadette Olivia G. has earned the Girl Scout Silver Award—one of the highest awards in Girl Scouting—by designing a sustainable, measurable community awareness campaign on the urgent need for more foster homes in Florida.

Inspired by her own experience as an adoptee raised by her grandparents, Olivia felt a deep connection to the struggles faced by children in foster care.

Through research, she discovered that licensed foster homes in Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties have declined by 35% since COVID-19, leaving more than 1,400 children in need of foster placement without available homes. Determined to create lasting change, she developed an informative, visually engaging infographic to educate the public and inspire families to consider fostering—choosing a format that could be shared and reused for years to come.

Olivia partnered with the Venice Community Center, Laurel Park Community Center, and local information ambassadors at her church, including real estate agent Cherie Belcher, who committed to distributing the infographic to clients and community members. She also placed a copy in her Little Free Library outside her home—providing ongoing access to passersby—and launched a dedicated social media page and video series. Her videos have already gained hundreds of views, and community partners continue to share her infographic to keep the message circulating.

Olivia is monitoring foster care statistics in the tri-county area to see whether her efforts inspire new families to become licensed foster homes, giving her project measurable long-term impact.

To cover her expenses—including a Canva graphic design membership, copy paper, and ink—Olivia fundraised independently, proving that impactful advocacy can be self-funded and community-supported.

Her work not only spread vital information, but also strengthened her leadership skills. “I learned that when speaking about something you have passion for, people start to listen,” she said. “I learned that I can advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.”

Olivia’s project leaves a lasting legacy of resources for her community and has prepared her to take on new leadership opportunities in high school, including joining the Debate Club and Democratic Club to continue advocating for children in need.

Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc.: Girl Scouts create the world they want to live in and strive to make it better every single day. They explore their strengths, take on new challenges, and can always be themselves, regardless of background or ability. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida council has a membership of nearly 3,800 girls in grades K-12, and 1,900 adult members. GSGCF is chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA and serves girls in ten counties including: Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, and Collier. The council is governed by a volunteer board of directors who represent the geographic, ethnic, and social demographics of the council’s jurisdiction. For more information about Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida visit www.gsgcf.org. 

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At just 16 years old, Maddie Canty is making a life-saving impact in her community—and earning the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

The Englewood teen, a member of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for her extraordinary leadership project, A Hope for Kittens. Her project focused on reducing kitten euthanasia in Sarasota County by combining public education, direct care, and local policy change.

“I realized too many kittens never get a chance,” said Maddie, a Girl Scout from Troop 138. “They’re euthanized simply for being too young, too sick, or not socialized. I wanted to help change that.”

Over 16 months, Maddie dedicated 219 leadership hours to designing and executing a comprehensive, life-saving initiative to protect vulnerable kittens and prevent unwanted litters. With support from Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, she partnered with the Englewood Animal Rescue Sanctuary (EARS), trained in Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) methods, and organized hands-on opportunities for the public to get involved.

Her results speak volumes:

• She fostered and socialized abandoned kittens, helping prepare them for adoption.
• She led 21 educational presentations at churches, civic clubs, summer camps, and Girl Scout troop meetings.
• Successfully advocated for a City of Venice proclamation recognizing February 2025 as Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and designating a local World Spay Day. Her advocacy led to a collaboration with The Cat Depot, who sponsored a free Spay/Neuter Day on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 for personally-owned pets residing in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.
• She produced and published 12 educational videos tied to national pet awareness days across YouTube and community platforms.
• She mobilized 346 volunteers to visit EARS and help socialize adoptable kittens.
• She earned her Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) certification so she can trap, neuter, and release feral cats in her own community.

Maddie also addressed financial and logistical barriers to adoption. She organized bake sales to fund adoption starter kits, which included food, litter, toys, a tote bag, and a $10 EARS gift card. She distributed over 40 kits to new pet parents who adopted cats from EARS during the duration of her project. Feedback Maddie collected from recipients showed that the kits made it easier for families to welcome new pets into their homes.

To ensure the project’s sustainability, Maddie recruited volunteers and identified a local supporter who now collects recyclables to fund future adoption kits.

“There are so many reasons kittens are euthanized—illness, being too young, or not being socialized enough to adopt,” said Maddie. “I wanted to give these animals a better chance by educating people and getting them involved.”

The Girl Scout Gold Award, earned by fewer than 6% of eligible Girl Scouts, challenges girls to identify a community issue, take the lead on a sustainable solution, and create measurable, lasting impact. The award challenges Girl Scouts to identify a meaningful issue, design a sustainable solution, and lead a team through an 80-hour project with measurable impact. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida is currently supporting over 65 girls across the region as they pursue this prestigious achievement.

Maddie’s project embodies the values of Girl Scouts: courage, confidence, and character in service of a better world.

“This project taught me that I can reach big goals,” Maddie reflected. “And that people are willing to help once they understand how they can make a difference.”

[Fort Myers, FL] — Morgan S., a local Girl Scout Cadette, has earned the prestigious Girl Scout Silver Award for creating and implementing a brain wellness program for seniors—an initiative that’s already making a lasting difference in her community.

The Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette, in grades 6–8, can earn. To achieve it, girls must identify a community issue, research potential solutions, build a team, plan and carry out a project that addresses the root cause, and ensure their work has sustainable impact. Each project must total a minimum of 50 hours of individual effort.

For Morgan, the issue was deeply personal.

Inspired by time spent with her grandfather at The Palms senior center, Morgan launched a wellness initiative to help residents strengthen their memory, cognition, and mental resilience.

“I planned activities and games that were fun, hands-on, targeted the 5 senses, and designed to keep the brain active,” she said. “By sharing tips, engaging the seniors, and encouraging healthy mental habits, I helped raise awareness about how daily choices can lower dementia risks.”

In addition to presenting information about nutrition, sleep, hydration, and social engagement, she created an easy-to-use “brain health box” that included all the materials and instructions seniors or staff would need to continue the activities well after the program ended.

Morgan also designed an educational poster display on brain health to remain on-site at the center, and shared highlights of her project online through her mother’s Facebook page—where it quickly garnered support from friends, family, and community members.

Morgan completed the entire project independently—from research and planning to outreach, supply shopping, workshop facilitation, and final reporting. The experience, she says, gave her invaluable real-world skills.

“I discovered that I truly can do what I want if I put my mind to it,” she reflected. “Whether it’s consistent planning or speaking up in front of people, getting over constant fears and reaching my goals was extremely satisfying in the end.”

Now part of a proud tradition of Silver Award Girl Scouts, Morgan hopes her project will continue to spark awareness about brain health while encouraging others to take action in their own communities.

To learn more about the Girl Scout Silver Award and how girls can create sustainable change in their own communities, visit www.gsgcf.org.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. This prestigious award is earned through the creation and completion of a sustainable, measurable Take Action project that addresses an issue the Girl Scout is passionate about. Each project requires a minimum of 80 hours of work, typically completed over the course of three months to a year. To earn the award, the Girl Scout identifies a community issue, conducts research, develops and implements a solution, and measures the project’s impact. Finally, she shares her project with the broader community to educate and inspire others to take action.

Girl Scout Zoe Lander of Manatee County identified beach pollution as a pressing issue in her community and set out to make a difference.

“For my Gold Award I created a Beach Toy Borrow Bin, where anyone can leave or take toys. The bin is located on Holmes Beach at 68th street beach access. The main idea for this was so that travelers wouldn’t leave plastics on the beach when they can’t fly home with toys as well as allowing for toys to be played with again rather than thrown away.”

“This not only reduces pollution, but it prevents sea turtles from getting stuck when going to the water after hatching, or any animals from eating plastics.”

According to the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, beach toys can block nesting turtles, hinder hatchlings from reaching the ocean, become entangled or ingested by sea turtles, leading to injury or death.

According to the Environment Florida Research & Policy Center, 58% of Florida beaches tested last year had at least one day when bacteria levels exceeded the EPA’s safe swimming standard. Florida’s most contaminated beach was in Manatee County.

One possible contributor to bacterial contamination on beaches is plastic toys. Studies have shown that these toys can actually become breeding grounds for bacteria when left behind in the sand or water. Not only can that pose a risk to people enjoying the beach — it can also affect marine life like sea turtles.

“In order to create my bin, I had many people help me research locations, materials, and building plans. This research was very essential to finding locations that are heavily used so the bin could be successful. Researching also led me to use wood and flex seal paint to create the box, allowing it to be weatherproof.”

Zoe’s Beach Toy Borrow Bin is a shining example of how one Girl Scout’s vision and dedication can lead to meaningful environmental change. By addressing a local issue with global implications, Zoe not only helped reduce plastic waste and protect vulnerable sea turtle populations, but also educated her community about sustainable practices. Her Gold Award project demonstrates the power of youth-led solutions and serves as an inspiration for others to take small, impactful steps toward a cleaner, safer planet—for beachgoers, marine life, and future generations alike.

Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies learn about civics and voting. (Girl Scouts of the USA)

[Sarasota, FL]—Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida is preparing incoming Daisies (rising kindergarteners and first graders in fall 2025) for the upcoming school year with the new, exclusive Get Ready with Girl Scouts™ program. The Get Ready with Girl Scouts™ program, open now until June 30, will help current pre-K and kindergarten girls who are new to Girl Scouting kick off their summer with fun and adventures while gaining new friendships. Girls will grow their confidence, use their imagination and build skills they can take into the next school year. Through this special program, girls will receive three skill-building activity books, shipped directly to them from June through August 2025, unlocking a world of possibilities.

These school-readiness activity books, available in English and Spanish, will help prepare girls for kindergarten and first grade through fun, character-building Girl Scout activities. The Get Ready with Girl Scouts™ program emphasizes important skills such as motor skills, communication, critical thinking, emotional regulation and more through imaginative play, puzzles and teamwork activities.

“At Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, we believe confidence starts early—and that strong partnerships with local schools are key to the success of our Movement” said Mary Anne Servian, CEO of GSGCF. “The Get Ready with Girl Scouts™ program offers a joyful, hands-on introduction to learning that helps our youngest girls feel prepared for school and excited for what’s ahead. It lays the foundation for a lifelong love of discovery, friendship, and courage that continues throughout their Girl Scout journey.”

By signing up for the Get Ready with Girl Scouts™ program, girls will receive a Girl Scout membership through September 30, 2026; 18 months of membership for what you’d normally pay for just one year, at no additional cost. As Girl Scouts, girls can choose from a variety of activities, surround themselves with supportive peers, and engage with mentoring adults. For more information on the Get Ready with Girl Scouts™ program, visit girlscouts.org/getready. To learn more, join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.