A heart for helping animals
Gold Award Girl Scout Cailee Stiles makes donation box for Greater Derry Humane Society
February 18, 2026
DERRY, NH – Many Girl Scouts have a soft spot for animals and animal shelters can use all the help they can get. Girl Scout Cailee Stiles wanted to provide that help and created a pet donation box to help the Greater Derry Humane Society and involved the Pinkerton Academy Student Council to help with its upkeep. She also created a website for her Project Paw Print to explain her effort to help animals and promote the need for donations, which can be seen at https://sites.google.com/pinkertonacademy.org/project-paw-print/home. For her work, Cailee has earned the highest honor possible for a Girl Scout in grades 9-12, the Girl Scout Gold Award.
Cailee, 15, of Derry, is in 10th grade at Pinkerton Academy and a member of Girl Scout Troop 12130. She was spurred to help knowing that many animals arrive in shelters with little to no personal belongings, which makes their transition stressful; plus, shelters rely heavily on donations, which are inconsistently provided and unpredictable.
“I made a donation box and put it outside a high-traffic pet store, so that way if people are shopping for their own pets, or maybe are looking into getting a pet, they can see the box and buy something extra to put in it. And I made a website as well to help expand that outreach out of my town, and hopefully out of the state, on a more global level. It includes information about good things to donate, why donating is important, and why adopting is important as well.”
Sarah Gardner of the Animal Hospital of Barrington said “Cailee is kind and generous by nature and has always been passionate about animals. She wants to make a difference in the world, and when she sees a need, she sets her sights on finding a solution and puts a plan into motion. Identifying a need in her community inspired her to take action and create meaningful change through her Girl Scout Gold Award project. With the completion of her project, pets in the local shelter will now have comfort items to help enhance their well-being while they wait for their forever homes.”
Cailee earned her Gold Award at a younger age than usual, saying she just felt motivated to get it done.
“I feel like getting it done younger,” she said,” can help show other people that you don't have to wait until your senior year to do it. You can do it at any point, and it still makes as much of a difference.”
She learned a lot from the experience, including the skills to build the wooden box, create the website, and manage a team of supporters to get the work done.
Cailee said she has noticed that while people want to help, they don’t know how or feel uncomfortable making online donations.
She grew up in Belgium and England before moving to New Hampshire about six years ago and began in Girl Scouts as part of Girl Scouts of the USA Overseas on a military base. She said she enjoyed her time in Europe and got to see people’s many walks of life. The hard part was making friends and having to move and leave them behind.
“I think it's helped me learn to value the time you have with people, and to focus on the present rather than worrying about the future,” she said.
Cailee has participated in the Girl Scout Cookie program over the years, and her troop is saving the proceeds to go on a cruise to Bermuda this summer. She also enjoyed camping with Girl Scouts.
At school, Cailee is part of Authors Club, a suicide prevention group, student council, stage crew, and clarinet choir.
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Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1912, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
Cailee Stiles has answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change, and her Gold Award is a testament to her remarkable dedication to improving her community and the world.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
- A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl’s involvement ends.
- The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
- Since 1916, more than 1 million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
- Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the military.
- University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college application is influential in the admissions decision-making process.
- Seven young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award in the 2024-2025 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
- The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable.
We Are Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.
