Emma “Fairy” Hilton has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community service project that aimed to increase available animal foster homes in Guilford County.
In her senior year of high school, the Girl Scout Ambassador addressed the rise in animals living in shelters across the country with a local campaign, “Fostering Animal Friends,” to share the need for more animal foster homes.
“The numbers of animals in our local shelters is staggering and it was very eye opening to realize that over 7,000 animals are taken into shelters in our community every year,” said Fairy, a Girl Scout of 11 years. “Increasing available foster homes for animals will give them a better chance at being adopted. Throughout my time with Red Dog Farm, I saw that there were always more animals in need of homes than there were available foster homes.”
Hilton partnered with Red Dog Farm, a local animal rescue agency that helps place a variety of animals like dogs, cats and farm animals like goats and horses. The Girl Scout hand-crafted 17 dress-up items like hats and collars to use as photo props to boost Red Dog Farm’s promotions and generate more interest in fostering. She also shared fliers amongst high schools to recruit foster families as a means of earning community service hours and hosted a movie night where attendees met some of the rescue animals and learned about fostering opportunities.
Girls in high school can earn their Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. They address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change and lead a team of people to success. Each girl must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out her project that benefits the community and has a long-lasting impact.
Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need, and those from the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont council have created community gardens, addressed issues in foster care, combated bullying in schools and so much more.
Hilton said, “Animals are in need of homes in our local area but also in our state and country. Caring for animals is something that every community has a need for. My hope is to inspire other Girl Scouts to be involved in their local communities by helping shelters and other animal rescue organizations.”
Thousands of Girl Scouts across the country earn the Girl Scout Gold Award each year, which first began in 1916 as the Golden Eaglet. Earning the Gold Award opens doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college and amazing career opportunities. In 2024, 40 GSCP2P Girl Scouts earned their Gold Award.
To learn more about earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, visit https://www.girlscoutsp2p.org/en/members/for-girl-scouts/badges-journeys-awards/highest-awards/gold-award.html.
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