I have been in Girl Scouts for twelve years and throughout those twelve years, volunteering has become a meaningful part of my life. I have volunteered countless hours in my life, but of all the volunteering I have done, my Girl Scout Gold Award Project is the one thing that has had the greatest impact on not only the community, but on me as well. Upon initiation of my project, I had hoped to bring mental health awareness into perspective for the community so that misconceptions and insensitivity towards those affected by mental illnesses could be addressed.
At the local health fair, which I ran with six other girls, I was pleased to see that people were learning what I had tried to make them see. Young children and their parents were recognizing the commonality of mental illnesses, and that people with mental illnesses can be successful. As I listened to participants, I felt a sense of pride as I noticed one thing they all had in common. They got the message, so I decided to take a step further.
I had contacted the World Federation for Mental Health and the National Institute of Mental Health for resources when I began my project. They both proved to be generous, caring companies. I received hundreds of resource pamphlets, pens, and other promotional items to be given away at the health fair. Unfortunately, an overwhelmingly large blizzard prevented a majority of supplies from reaching my possession in time. I had no idea what to do with the vast amount of material until I thought again about how impacted the participants of the health fair had been. Then it came to me, the perfect idea. I contacted the Lockport City Hall and Lockport Public Library to discuss my plan.
One month later I was still stocking City Hall with resource pamphlets. The Lockport Library graciously allowed me to put up a display in their display case, and to thank them I compiled a resource booklet of all the materials I received. The resource booklet remains in the library permanently where it serves to inform and address many topics related to mental illnesses.
I never expected the impact this project would have on me. The depth of caring, understanding, and gratitude I have seen only emphasize my drive to stand up for what I believe in more. Humanity has shown me what it truly is, and now I know that there is nothing humans cannot accomplish if we set our hearts and minds to it. I am so inspired everyday because of the things I have seen and learned making this project a reality. I put my heart and soul into my project for a reason, to fight stigma and bring awareness to mental health. But somewhere along the line I did more than just that. I found myself.