[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 Savannah with us. Hi Savannah.
[00:00:17] Can you tell us about your girl scout gold award project?
[00:00:21] Savannah: I have a friend who volunteers at our local animal shelter, and she was telling me about all of the issues they have there and things like that.
[00:00:29] And so, as an idea, I went there to ask them what they wanted to be done and they let me know about the issues they have with volunteering and their trails and dog walking and a bunch of stupid things. And we had to choose or narrow down on 1 specific problem. So what we did is there. Trails for people to walk dogs on was absolutely chaotic.
[00:00:53] Like, you couldn’t really tell where the trails were and there was no names for them. No maps. No way to keep up with it. So, if you were new, it was very, very confusing. And so, what we did is we cleaned up the old trails. We added a few new ones. We added names for them and put signs up, but we also put a map with the mileage of each trail and their names.
[00:01:17] So that way, if you wanted to keep up with their steps or something like that, you able to track it. And then also, I made a pamphlet for the new coming volunteers. So that they know the rules, they know what the animal shelter does, and they know how they can help.
[00:01:32] Sheryl: Can you tell us a little bit more about these trails and why you have multiple trails for your project?
[00:01:38] Savannah: Each dog is a little bit different. Some of them have just gotten out of surgery and different things like that, since they do help with certain things. And some dogs can walk further than others. Some dogs are more energetic than others. And so we have different trails with different difficulties, different lengths, and things like that for those different people who are walking the trails and the different dogs.
[00:02:00] So it kind of merges in everyone. Can you tell us how the trails were named? I got to name one of them, so I named it the Scout Route, but the rest of them were named by the volunteers and the workers at the animal shelter.
[00:02:13] Sheryl: What did you discover during your project that was a challenge and how did you overcome it?
[00:02:21] Savannah: My biggest challenge would have to be time management. When I started this project, I was a junior in high school and junior year is always very hectic, but senior year was even worse. I was in at least five different clubs and I was president of at least three of them. And then I was also leading our seniors and Girl Scouts in earning badges.
[00:02:42] And I had so much on my plate. And so to find time to do my project, especially since I lived 30 to 40 minutes away from this animal shelter, was very difficult. But thanks to my family and my friends who helped me with the project, I got it done in time.
[00:02:57] Sheryl: Can you tell us more about your team and what the different people did to help you?
[00:03:01] Savannah: I had a volunteer who is like one of the main volunteers at the animal shelter. She helped out so much. She was my contact with them. She knew exactly what was happening, told me what I need to do and things like that. My parents were definitely the ones who pushed me to get it done on time. They were there for me.
[00:03:18] They helped get people there to help with our days that we cleaned up the trails since there were so many trails and they were so like grown up. We needed a big team to help clear it. So, my dad is a boy scout leader. We got some of his boy scouts to help. We got family friends. We got my girl scout troop.
[00:03:35] We got. just about everybody we can get to help us with this. It was great.
[00:03:40] Sheryl: The signs you made for the trail are super cute. How did you come up with the design? What material did you end up using to make those signs lasting? And what else could you maybe offer for other Girl Scouts that might want signs as a part of their project?
[00:03:58] Savannah: The way I made my signs is I went on Amazon and I found these kind of boards for, they were acrylic or something like that. And we just kind of ordered different colors because on the map, we actually color coded each trail. And so their sign was matching the color on the map. And the way we did that is we had a cricket at our house and we printed out vinyl that had like the sticker name.
[00:04:25] It was in a sticker form and things like that. So I had the name of the trail and then we stuck them on the acrylic. And then after we had that together, we took rebar and we kind of hit it into the ground a little bit and then we put PVC pipe over top of it. And we glued those together, and then we drill the sign into the PVC pipe.
[00:04:47] This seemed to be a good way to do it, but they actually broke rather quickly because the people who mow their lawns don’t pay attention to them and the acrylic was really fragile, which I did not realize. And so we had to fix several of them throughout the time. So I would highly recommend. Probably using wood if you actually want to do something with signs, which is something that I learned and wish I did.
[00:05:12] It works.
[00:05:13] Sheryl: What did you learn about yourself during your project?
[00:05:17] Savannah: That I am terrible with time management. I definitely had to write down everything. So like when you’re doing or keeping up with your time and your hours, since there is a requirement of hours, definitely write everything down because it is very hard to keep up with it.
[00:05:34] Sheryl: What are some of the outcomes from your project? The measurability pieces, what kind of feedback have you gotten from volunteers and from the shelter?
[00:05:43] Savannah: Definitely the signs need a little more work and I’m going to work with the animal shelter about that. But the feedback about keeping up with like new volunteers and the mileage and everything like that has been amazing.
[00:05:55] People love that. And they’ve even talked about, like, adding different benches and seats along the trail so that people can sit down and kind of take a breath if they need to and things like that. And it’s just been overall great because people have talked about how it’s so much easier to walk now that we have, like, mulch down and they can see where the trail is and things like that.
[00:06:15] Sheryl: I viewed the map and it’s, it’s for somebody who’s not sure what we’re referring to. It’s very much like a small park, like a county park that has trails and the maps that they would do. Although I think that your map is much better than a lot of county parks come out with, but it’s, it’s very similar like that with the colored trails so that you know that what trail you’re on as you’re walking through and then the different paths you did a super nice job on the map.
[00:06:43] How did that come about?
[00:06:44] Savannah: So what I did is I actually went to Google Earth and took a screenshot of the area and then I went over it and drew using my tablet and just kind of drew over with the colors and things like that, added in where we wanted it. And we made multiple, multiple changes to this map and the pamphlet.
[00:07:02] I don’t have one on me right now, but when I made the pamphlet. I would bring the paper over to our volunteer and we would mark that thing up with changes. Like it would be absolutely covered in pen scratch after every single visit. And same
[00:07:18] thing with the map too.
[00:07:20] Sheryl: How did that make you feel that something that you had worked on when you got feedback, basically needed to be mostly reworked?
[00:07:29] Savannah: The first two or three times, I understand because I want it to be perfect as well. It’s for them. I want them to want what’s on it. But by the like fifth or sixth time that we went through this process, it got a little disheartening, but I kept with it and we ended up getting it finished. And so it ended up being okay.
[00:07:51] Do you have a favorite memory from your project? My sister went with me out and just us two got to go out and put some of the signs up when we were first putting them up. And I don’t usually get to hang out with my sister very much because she lives quite far away and so she was visiting at the time.
[00:08:07] So it was great like sister bonding time.
[00:08:10] Sheryl: What did you learn about the Gold Award process itself that you didn’t know going into it and might be helpful for future Gold Award Girl Scouts?
[00:08:18] Savannah: I didn’t realize how important that global link is, because when you’re completing your paperwork and things like that, they ask you what that global link is going to be between your project and different issues throughout the world.
[00:08:31] And so it definitely took me back a minute and had to sit there and think, what is this doing for the world? What was your global link? Definitely, there is a lack of volunteers with animal shelters throughout the world and with it being easier for people to volunteer here, it helps boost that volunteer number.
[00:08:50] But then also, now, scientists say this, I’m not sure how true it is, but there is kind of a weight issue with people in America and with you being able to keep up with your mile is. mileage, it is much easier to keep in shape and work out a little bit while you’re taking care of the dogs.
[00:09:11] Sheryl: You mentioned that while this project was going on and you were in your senior year of high school wrapping things up, that you also were helping a Girl Scout Senior Troop with badge work.
[00:09:26] Can you tell us about that and where is that today?
[00:09:30] Savannah: So that troop that I was helping is actually my troop. I was helping the girls that were younger than me. When I was their age, I had at least five other girls with me of my same age, but by the time I got up to my senior year in high school, all of them had dropped out.
[00:09:44] So I was the only one in my age group. They’re doing it and so I wanted to keep those girls in this troop and sorry, I get emotional about this. I’m still there helping the troop. We are actually working on their gold awards right now and I’m helping the younger girls, but they’re silver and bronze awards now that I’m in college and I have 2 jobs.
[00:10:07] I don’t have time to help them with badgework anymore, but I am now there for all of them, helping them with their highest awards.
[00:10:14] Sheryl: That is super amazing, and I understand how you got verklempt. We had our highest awards celebration here for my council a couple of months back. And I happened to speak on behalf of the highest awards committee for, you know, like 30, 45 seconds.
[00:10:35] And I barely made it through the speech because I was so excited for all of these Girl Scouts that were getting their gold award that day. So I get it. I am with you. What other Girl Scout experiences have you had that you’d like to share?
[00:10:53] Savannah: It was definitely very interesting being the first girl in 11 years at our service unit to get the gold award and I want to change that.
[00:11:02] I want there to be many more coming in the future. I’m very excited about this summer because it is my 1st time being a camp counselor at the girl scout camp near me and I get to be their nature counselor. So I’m very excited for that. And as a kid. What I was first doing in the Girl Scouts, my mom did not put me in the Girl Scouts as a daisy because there was a little bit of miscommunication because she was told that the daisies don’t earn any badges and can’t sell Girl Scout cookies.
[00:11:31] And so, She just didn’t want me to be sitting around doing nothing. So she waited until I was a brownie to put me in Girl Scouts. And both of us definitely regret that to this day. And so I would really like to get it out there that the Daisies have lots to do. You can start it very young. They can do a lot of different things.
[00:11:50] They can still go to day camp. They can still sell cookies. They can earn lots of badges. And different troops can also teach them other things outside of the badge work.
[00:11:59] Sheryl: Where are you now and what are you looking towards for your future?
[00:12:03] Savannah: I am a now sophomore at Austin Peay State University. I am studying engineering technology with a concentration in mechatronics.
[00:12:12] I am going for the bachelor’s degree and I’m also working as a writing tutor and a lab assistant for the engineering technology department. And next semester I’m hoping to be a peer leader. What’s a peer leader? So there’s someone who sits in on the freshman classes and is just kind of another person for you to be able to talk to since talking with the professor is a little bit intimidating for freshmen.
[00:12:34] And so we’re just a person who knows things about campus and is there to help. What else would you like to share with the audience? Starting a project is exciting and definitely a little intimidating. And going through with a project can be even more intimidating. And just stick with it. If you start something, make sure it’s well planned and stick with that plan.
[00:13:00] So long as you have a good foundation, the project itself will end up being amazing.
[00:13:05] Sheryl: How do you make your s’mores?
[00:13:07] Savannah: So I make them two different ways. So I personally like them over the fire as like a golden brown. But my family also makes it a different way to where at certain stores, they sell these little mini pie crusts that are made out of graham cracker.
[00:13:24] And what we do is we put chocolate in the center of that, and then we put marshmallow on top and we put them in the oven for a little bit. And it is amazing.
[00:13:31] Sheryl: That is a first for this show. And I’m definitely going to have to try that. Well, thank you for joining us today.
[00:13:39] Savannah: You’re welcome.
[00:13:41] Sheryl: Make sure to click follow or subscribe.
[00:13:43] So you always know when new episodes are released, power your passion and conquer your challenges.
[00:13:51] Walter: Thank you for listening. 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.