Gold Award

Katrina Larsen  • Saratoga

Katrina wanted to address the issue of food insecurity in communities across the nation, so she created an Adopt-a-Box website. Community members can use the website to connect to sites to donate food items. Families can also use the website to find food blessing boxes to receive food donations they need.

Parker Duerr • Altamont

Parker knew there was a lack of fresh produce and there is a great deal of food insecurity for people and families, especially in smaller towns. Their solution to this was to create a library of seeds for people to use to plant new seeds and different types of food in their gardens. The seed library can be found at the Altamont Public Library and will continue into the future.

Hannah Szymanski • Gansevoort

Hannah wanted to address the issue of the declining bat population due to unsafe environments for bats to hibernate and raise their young. She worked with a bat expert from the DEC, (Department of Environmental Conservation) to build and install 10 boxes at Camp Saratoga. These bat boxes provide a safe home for the bats to roost and raise young.

 

Inara Ilse • East Schodack

Inara wanted to educate people about micro and macro plastics and their impact on the world, along with their dangers. She wrote a children's book about these plastics, where they come from, and how to limit single-use plastics usage every day. Her book was published on Amazon had there are two copies at local libraries for the community to read.

 

Isabella "Wren" Gambelunghe • Delmar

Wren's project addressed the issue of the lack of living essentials among women living in homeless shelters. She collected supplies and assembled 200 Code Blue Bags containing winter hats, gloves, toiletries, and hand warmers that were delivered to local shelters. While collecting donated items she spread awareness about Code Blue Bags and how others can help.

Samantha Morlitz • Latham

Samantha wanted to help everyone feel welcome in Girl Scouts, so she created a website full of resources for caregivers and troop leaders to help everyone of all abilities to participate in Girl Scouting. The information includes tips for working with Autism, hearing impairment, ADHD, and vision loss, along with how to make the resources available for all Girl Scouts.

Katie Shimick • Loudonville

Katie understood the need for more green spaces in the densely populated areas of Albany. Knowing a simple clean-up would not solve the issue she created a 501c3 organization with a Board of Directors who will oversee the creation of multiple green spaces in Albany. The first green space location was dedicated in November 2024.

Viviene Rogers • Ballston Spa

Viviene wanted people to understand and experience nature. She refurbished he local Indian Kill hiking trail to make using it easier. She created maps of the trail and activities for families to do while hiking. These are found online so visitors can download and print before arriving.

Sofia Laurer • Saratoga Springs

Inspired by her grandmother, "Nonna", who used the church to acclimate to the United States after immigrating, Sofia built an outdoor kneeling bench. This kneeling bench is used by community members who may not know how to cope with events in their lives or different feelings. A QR code on the bench shows community members different prayers to use to cope with different emotions.

 

Sarah Elhassan • Mechanicville

Sarah understood there could be social isolation and a lack of mental engagement for senior citizens. To address this problem, she designed and built a puzzle swap box that was installed outside the Mechanicville Senior Citizen Center. Seniors visiting the center can take puzzles out of the swap box and work together to put them together and then return them for others to use.

Rachael Strickland • Averill Park

Sky High Community Center provides low-cost childcare to their community. The issue Rachael added was that the brand-new daycare needed a playground for children ages 2 - 5. Rachael informed and educated the community on the importance of outside playgrounds and socialization through a website she created. She was able to build a slide, swings, and a climbing structure.

Dorothea DeMarle • Burnt Hills

Dorothea addressed the issue of garlic mustard as an invasive species in New York State which is devastating local ecosystems. She wanted to make more people aware of the plant and what they can do to stop the spread of garlic mustard. She created a book to educate others about garlic mustard which is available online.

Erin Fariello • Clifton Park

Erin wanted to address the lack of representation for veterans in Clifton Park. She created a system for families to purchase a banner for their veterans to be displayed around town for others to view their service. Currently there are 40 banners throughout the town.

Margaret DeMarle • Burnt Hills

Margaret wrote a children's book about white nose syndrome in bats. This syndrome is caused by a fungus and has killed over 90% of three different bat species. This book explains the syndrome and how people can protect bats from it. Her book is available on Amazon and creates a national and global link to this issue.

Natalka Petroff • Clifton Park

Natalka wanted to help Ukrainian refugees new to the capital district. At her local Ukrainian School she created basic care bags containing toiletries, and created a system for people to donate clothing and dance shoes so those new to the area could come and take what they need. She then spent time in the school classrooms talking with students about different ways they could help refugees. 

Emily Strife • Clifton Park

Due to rising mosquito populations and declining bee populations, Emily built and installed bat houses and bee hotels along local hiking trails. By educating her community, she demonstrated helping your local ecosystem does not have to be hard and everyone can make a difference. 

Emma Salzer • Delmar

When kids are unable to attend Sunday School- parents struggle to keep them entertained during church services. These bilingual busy bags are full of interactive and informative activities for kids to work on during services. These bags come in both English and Spanish. 

Kyla Levin • Delmar

Kyla wanted to share her love of meditation and encourage others to get outside and meditate. She created a trail that brings visitors to a bridge she built. Over the bridge is a clear area for meditation and a worry well at Lawson’s Lake.  Here, visitors can toss stones into the well to let go of their worries and build good mental health skills while enjoying the outdoors. 

Elizabeth Andrus • Ballston Lake

After the end of pandemic- funding school meals for all students, Elizabeth wanted to help students in her district and around the state keep access to free school lunches. She partnered with Shenendehowa Director of Food Services to attend lobby days at the NYS Capital to speak with legislators about this issue. With over 500 views of her Instagram infographics about school lunches and lunch debt she truly brought more awareness and attention to this important issue. 

 

Cayden Williams • Corinth

Cayden wanted to increase her community's comfort and stability when it comes to clothing security and decreasing the amount of clothing and fabric entering landfills each year. She created an annual event called Closet Swap, a chance for community members to take free clothes instead of purchasing new fast fashion and help prevent these clothes from being thrown away. At the first event, 2,000 pounds of clothes were donated and saved from landfills, 1,212 pounds were taken home by 150 community members.  

Maya Derico • East Greenbush

Maya wanted to create a way to recognize and honor the military veterans living in East Greenbush. She created a program that allows veterans and their family members to request banners to be hung around the town. By the fall of 2023 Maya was able to hang 30 banners around the town. These banners are at no cost to the veterans they are honoring. 

Kaitlin Sprouse • Howes Caves

Kaitlin built 10 insulated cat shelters and dispersed them around her community. Each cat shelter acts as a warm space for stray cats in poor weather and the winter. These shelters also act as a way for the property owners to safely catch stray animals to bring to spay and neuter clinics. This helps cut down on the stray cat population and educates the community on the value of Trap Vaccinate Return programs. 

 

Halligan Hussar • Delmar

Halligan researched and created recipes full of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. She then created a cooking club at South End Childrens Cafe. She taught these recipes to the children at the cafe to educate them on the importance of healthy eating and basic kitchen skills. She loved how willing and excited all the children were to participate each week and try the new snacks. 

Jordan Frank • Niskayuna

Jordans project worked to increase public awareness of the connection between a lack of books and literacy skills. Jordan hosted a book drive in her community. Over 3,000 books were collected and organized into bookshelves for the Schenectady City Mission Family Life Center. The new library is free to use for the families staying at the Schenectady City Mission. 

Gwendolyn Jamison • Averill Park

To improve the efficiency and usability of the greenhouse at Averill Park High School, Gwendolyn built 7 garden beds and planted flowers and herbs. After teaching her fellow students how to use the new garden beds, the greenhouse is now used by the horticultural classes and garden club. 

Emma M. Hanlon • Averill Park

Emma brought awareness to the issue of creating walkable communities. She created surveys about how comfortable people feel walking in her community. She also created an Instagram page and hosted an event to educate people about the importance of walking. Her work led to the Department of Transportation installing two pedestrian crossing signs in unsafe areas. 

Kathryn Campbell • Greenwich

To provide a safe haven for snowmobilers, hikers, and landowners -Kathryn installed a shed to act as a warming hut in poor weather conditions. This warming hut acts as a place for snowmobilers to stop and warm up, escape poor weather, socialize, make lunch, get first aid, and use tools for minor repairs. 

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