[00:00:00] Walter: The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and share network produced by off the Walter media.
[00:00:11] Sheryl: Welcome to hearts of gold. Today we have Leila with us. Hi, Leila
[00:00:16] Leila: Hi.
[00:00:17] Sheryl: Can you tell us about your Girl Scout gold award project?
[00:00:21] Leila: So my Girl Scout Gold Award is called Growing As You Grow Older. It was inspired that through COVID, my grandma, who had went through kidney cancer, she was severely affected by COVID because she was very alone.
[00:00:36] She only lived with her dog and she was in isolation due to her having a compromised immune system, leaving her to be alone for days on end and not be able to do certain things. And what I wanted to be able to do with my Gold Award was help. Elderly in my community by having a social aspect to that and also being able to improve their mobility whilst doing so, so that they can perform their daily functions and try to maintain their overall.
[00:01:06] better life. And I did that through having bi weekly gardening meetings where they would do hands on gardening and they’d make little like flower arrangements and all these different things.
[00:01:19] Sheryl: Your grandmother was the inspiration and she was in isolation. How were you able to take your project and broaden it so that those who couldn’t be in your classes could participate?
[00:01:30] Leila: I have gotten the opportunity to go through many different meetings and interviews talking about my gold award, hoping that I can reach a broader aspect. I also have an Instagram page that I’ve used to promote this, as well as bringing in volunteers from my school’s Key Club that work alongside me during those meetings to help them also spread the word and engage everyone else in it.
[00:01:54] What are some of the activities you did? To name a few, we did pressed flowers on small wooden logs and what we did with those is they would press them or they could draw on them. And we got a donation from Home Depot for a small Christmas tree. So for Christmas they decorated the little Christmas tree with all their different ornaments.
[00:02:14] And when their visitors would come in, they would point out theirs and it was the sweetest thing. We’d also do flower arranging. We planted a couple tomatoes and bell peppers. We also redid a lot of their succulent pots in their main courtyard where they would hang out because when we got there they were dying because they just didn’t get the proper maintenance that they needed.
[00:02:35] So we redid about four of those in their courtyard as well.
[00:02:38] Sheryl: What was most surprising to you during your project?
[00:02:41] Leila: The big impact that COVID still had during this time, because this was last summer and they would frequently go into lockdown due to their compromised immune systems, which we had to work around.
[00:02:53] So we ended up. Changing some of the meetings to be remote, I would pack up little lunch bags and have paints and brushes and all these different things with step by step instructions that they could do from their bed because I also talked to a couple of the seniors and they were like, we are only watching TV and sitting in our pedal day.
[00:03:13] And I was like. We need you to do something. We need you to get out there, use your hands, go do something that’s functional and helps your mobility.
[00:03:23] Sheryl: What did you learn about the Gold Award process while working on your project you didn’t know and would be helpful for others?
[00:03:29] Leila: How the rules work and the guidelines to be able to achieve your Gold Award.
[00:03:34] I was fortunate enough to do my due diligence. and look through all of the different requirements and all the different things that you need to have because you can have a fantastic project but yet you don’t meet one of the points which is essential to achieving your gold award.
[00:03:50] Sheryl: Can you give some tips or examples from your project on some of those criteria and what you did?
[00:03:57] Leila: I would say your global outreach. It’s typically a bigger struggle. I’ve also talked to a couple of other Gold Award Girl Scouts and that was their main thing that they struggled with was going outside of their small community that they’re more directly affecting and trying to get it out there. So I would recommend going and talking to as many people as you can, going to different communities to spread your project, or actually bringing your project into several different communities rather than just your own.
[00:04:26] Sheryl: What did you do for your measurability section?
[00:04:30] Leila: I think I measured mine by how comfortable my seniors got around the girls and around our volunteers. They were very standoffish at the beginning because they’re very comfortable and very acclimated to their indoors. And bringing them outside and introducing new faces was a bit of a tough challenge, but at the end it was all worth it.
[00:04:53] I even had one of… The seniors. I was out one day because I was sick. So my volunteers were still there and they just kept asking like Where is she? Where is she? Like all these different things. And one week we took off because we were trying to rearrange for COVID and how to go about that. And so our next one back, they were asking, Oh, we miss you guys so much.
[00:05:17] We just love having you guys here. We. All these different activities. So it was very heartwarming and a very great experience that really showed my measurability and how I was able to impact those seniors and really just touch them in a way that I’m just so glad that I was able to do.
[00:05:34] Sheryl: You mentioned your volunteers. Who was on your team and how did they support you?
[00:05:39] Leila: My Sage Creek High School Key Club. I worked very closely with the president and what we would do, we had a joint volunteer hours. So she would post them and have them sign up and we had like a max list because it was a pretty popular volunteer event.
[00:05:55] And they would get hours while they come over and they’d assist them with giving very one to one. details on how to work and all these different things. Because as the meetings went on, we got more and more seniors coming. So we needed more volunteers to help out individually, except for just me and the Key Club president.
[00:06:14] So that is how I did that.
[00:06:16] Sheryl: Can you expand on those leadership skills you developed and how you worked and manage your volunteers?
[00:06:23] Leila: So, the leadership that I experienced was very in depth and very detailed with running all of this. First, I had to get in contact with the Activities Coordinator at the Senior Center that I worked with, while also getting in contact with the Key Club President, and our funding was also a very big thing that I was able to take a stride and go for.
[00:06:44] I applied for the BEST grant at my school, and I was awarded 250. which with all of the application process, it really took a big leap of courage and confidence to go and do that. And luckily enough, I got the grant. And I think that that was the main point in my leadership that really exemplified my hard work throughout this whole project.
[00:07:10] Sheryl: What other Girl Scout adventures have you been on?
[00:07:13] Leila: I would say my biggest ones, my very fond memories, are from Winaka and Whispering Oaks in Julian, California for our sleepaway camps. We did a troop, my very first one, I think, that was our little troop recruit down there, and I went ziplining for the first time.
[00:07:31] I think I was like, not ziplining, I think it was walking across a rope with the little helmets on. That was so fun, and everyone was there like holding you and supporting you. sweetest thing ever. And I think I did it every time that I went back there because I just loved it so much, especially doing the rock wall.
[00:07:50] And then eventually as I got older, I did do the zip line down there as well.
[00:07:54] Sheryl: How big of a cookie seller are you?
[00:07:57] Leila: Whew, I think I’ve gotten a couple of cookie awards. I think about a couple of years ago I got a pretty good one. And I think our troop was also a really big seller one of the years. I think we got one of the top ones in our little district.
[00:08:14] So I would say a pretty, a pretty big amount. I also at one point got enough cookie boxes to go get myself to camp. Which that was a big drive for me since I just love camp so much.
[00:08:26] Sheryl: What other experiences do you have outside of Girl Scouts?
[00:08:29] Leila: Outside of Girl Scouts, I’m involved in a lot of clubs at my school.
[00:08:34] I really enjoy connecting with my community down there and helping out the underclassmen and all of the other kids at my school, along with me being in National Charity League, I’m able to volunteer alongside my mom and we go to various different philanthropic groups and we help out there. I’ve gotten quite a few hours down there.
[00:08:56] Is your mom involved in your Girl Scout troop? Yes. So I say around third or fourth grade, we went independent and she is my troop leader. Which I’m very grateful for. She’s given me a lot of guidance and she’s also also double managing another little girl Girl Scout troop. So that’s very sweet.
[00:09:15] Sheryl: How is working with your mom on your Girl Scout activities different than working with her on the National Charity League?
[00:09:22] Leila: I would say it’s very different because we are working for one big goal rather than a bunch of different spread out groups. And it’s very, it shows longevity and working towards that was a big long adventure rather than a couple of different like three hour, four hour volunteering sessions. And I think this one also made a longer lasting impact.
[00:09:45] Sheryl: You also had the honor of speaking at your Council’s Gold Award celebration. Can you tell us about that?
[00:09:52] Leila: Yeah, it’s a conference. It’s coming up this weekend. I’m very glad to have been asked to go. And I will be going alongside one other Girl Scout. It’s for some parents and I think also troop leaders who have questions about the Girl Scout Gold Award.
[00:10:06] So I’ll be there giving advice and questions and all these different things to help them out throughout their journey. What do you plan for your future? I plan to major in public health. And if I am feeling motivated enough to it, hopefully medical school. I have very big goals for that. I am coming up on college application season as well, so.
[00:10:27] That is upon me, so.
[00:10:29] Sheryl: Has something in your past triggered that interest in medical?
[00:10:33] Leila: I would say I’ve gone through a lot with myself through medical issues as I’ve been younger. I’ve been in and out of hospitals, getting x rays, CT scans, all these different things, and I think being heavily involved in that area has made me also very deeply connected to it and wanting me to make an impact in that field as well.
[00:10:54] Sheryl: What else would you like to share with the audience?
[00:10:57] Leila: Make sure you have a big, strong support group during this journey time. It is a lot of work and it’s a lot of effort, but trust me, it pays off and you feel really great and really good on the impact that you make on your community and to everyone else.
[00:11:12] Sheryl: And how do you make your s’mores?
[00:11:14] Leila: I like my s’mores a little bit brown and a tad bit burnt, just crunchy.
[00:11:19] Sheryl: Well, thanks for joining us today.
[00:11:21] Leila: Yeah, thank you.
[00:11:22] Sheryl: Make sure to click follow or subscribe so you always know when new episodes are released. Power your passion and conquer your challenges.
[00:11:32] Walter: Thank you for listening.
[00:11:33] If you’d like to be on the show to share your story of how you earned your gold award, reach out and send an email to growandshare@outlook.com. Be sure to catch up on our previous shows on any of your favorite podcasting platforms, as well as view the full video versions at youtube.com/SherylMRobinson. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you next time.