The Girl Scout Gold Award is a leadership project that requires girls to identify an issue in their community and create a comprehensive solution that helps solve an aspect of that problem. Overall a minimum of 80 hours is required with 20 being leadership.

For my Gold Award, I knew that above all I wanted to utilize my photography in my project. My decision was made when I spotted a request for photographers at the Rowlett Animal Shelter posted by their partner non-profit organization, Friends of the Rowlett Animals (FRAs). Immediately, I emailed the president of the organization with my information and portfolio. A bouncing back and forth of emails followed (this project contains an eye watering amount of time spent emailing) that stated they would love to work with me and we arranged a meeting.

After the initial lag, training and boring paperwork that catapulted this project, I was finally able to go on my first shoot at the shelter. There were very limited resources at the shelter, but I made do with a small patch of grass and some props that I solicited as donations from a Girl Scout evening summer camp where I also volunteered. As it turned out, the organization already had another photographer that volunteered at the shelter. However, the President and VP loved my photos and wanted to find a way for me to continue partnering with them. They informed me that no one was willing to go out to the foster homes and photograph those pets, primarily kittens. Recently armed with a new driver’s license, I was eager to fill this need.

My first foster shoot was an absolute dream and one of the highlights of this project. I set up a vintage red wagon in the lady’s backyard and photographed her huge litter of kittens named after various candies. That same week, I traveled to two other homes on my own. Although the foster families of these kittens do their best to make a welcoming home, many of the animals don’t live in ideal conditions. However, my photography allowed the animal to fill the frame and focus on their loveable features that encompass their personality, increasing the likelihood of their adoption. My favorite picture of the whole project was taken in some of the most challenging conditions I faced, including a downpour of rain. Everytime I go to a different home I face different obstacles but helping the animals find a home makes it all worth it.

One of my other responsibilities for this project has been revamping and managing their social media. The organization didn’t use their Twitter so I began to live tweet events, post events and highlight pets on that platform. In addition, I put together their Instagram stories at events. This aspect of the project not only augmented the impact but also gave me experience in marketing tactics and public relations, which are career fields I’m interested in pursuing.

By far the most difficult part of this project was organizing the Howl-O-Ween event, a fall festival highlighting the organization that featured carnival games, balloon animals and a photobooth. I had a limited budget with money I raised from events my troop hosted. With the help of peer volunteers and Pinterest, I had to physically make the carnival games and create the photo backdrop. Since I had a lack of funds, I couldn’t afford candy and instead spent hours making other treats. The event was well put together with many volunteers and even a vendor. However, it was an incredibly cold day and the turnout was mediocre.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this project, it’s that flexibility is essential. The woman who initially supervised my project flaked and left the organization, but I found multiple other leaders in the organization that were committed to FRAs and helped me immensely. I started this project thinking that I was going to solely photograph dogs, yet I ended up with the kittens. I strengthened my leadership skills and learned things about myself, too. My mom also learned that she is mildly allergic to cats. The Gold Award is an incredible accomplishment that will make me stand out on college applications and hopefully help me get scholarship money. Most importantly, I have been able to make a difference in my community and helped animals find their fur-ever homes.

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