Alexandra Herr, Kaitlyn Dinndorf and Amanda McVey have changed world for the better
BEDFORD, NH – Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains has nominated three of its Gold Award Girl Scouts to earn the ultimate recognition – to be honored as National Gold Award Girl Scouts. When a Girl Scout earns her Gold Award, she has taken on a passion project, one that she spends upwards of 80 hours on and that produces meaningful and lasting change on a local, national, and/or global level.
Alexandra Herr of Campton, NH; Kaitlyn Dinndorf of Bedford, NH; and Amanda McVey of Newton, NH, have each poured themselves into their communities and their projects, earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, the mark of the truly remarkable. The council serving girls in New Hampshire and Vermont is proud to nominate these young women for this national honor.
Alexandra Herr’s project is called 13 Before 13, which addressed the issue of getting children, particularly girls, outdoors. An avid hiker since age 5, Herr created a list of hikes children 12 and younger can handle, earning stickers and a patch as they work through the list. As part of her effort, she created a website and has done many speaking engagements to explain her goal and encourage young people to appreciate nature and enjoy the outdoors.
Kaitlyn Dinndorf addressed both homelessness and recycling with her project, Recycled Rest. Converting plastic grocery bags into plastic yarn, or “plarn,” she coordinated many community groups to help crochet 61 mats that were donated to homeless people for protection from the cold ground. She removed over 42,000 bags from the waste stream, and the project continues with those she trained to make the mats.
Amanda McVey saw the need for mentorship in her community, and created the Sidekicks mentoring curriculum, which any organization can use to start mentoring programs of their own. She worked with a middle school as well as a teen program to get the mentoring program started and tested out, and now the curriculum is available for free online to anyone who wishes to use it.
The highest distinction in Girl Scouting is that of the Gold Award. Annually, just 10 Gold Award Girl Scouts are specially honored as National Gold Award Girl Scouts for completing projects that demonstrate extraordinary leadership and sustainable impact, and that address an issue of national and/or global significance. Each of the 111 Girl Scout councils across the United States may nominate three young women for the pinnacle of Girl Scout leadership recognition. The decision is expected sometime around July.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is available to all Girl Scouts in grades 9-12, and requires individuals to address an issue they feel strongly about and find ways to bring about lasting change for the better. Gold Award Girl Scouts demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
About Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains: Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is recognized throughout New Hampshire and Vermont as a leading expert on girls. Our Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results. It is based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that helps girls take the lead—in their own lives and in the world. Through our exciting and challenging programs, Girl Scouts not only participate but also take the lead in a range of activities—from kayaking, archery, and camping, to coding, robotics, financial literacy training, and beyond! Serving more than 10,000 girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
