Lauren Kennedy worked to restore the volunteer program at her local animal shelter and improve the shelter’s adoption information on social media. She worked with the shelter to reopen the volunteer program that had been shuttered by the pandemic and helped the organization better manage social media by creating up-to-date animal adoption availability. Lauren trained shelter staff how to use the new system and planned a large and successful Girl Scout volunteer day in support of the organization. She earned a prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award in 2024 for her Pet Pals Give Back project.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are rock stars, role models, and real-life heroes who address issues they’re passionate about by using everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to solve an issue. They plan and implement projects that produce lasting change in the community and beyond. It is the Girl Scouts’ highest honor.

“I have volunteered at the animal shelter my whole life,” Lauren shares. “I was directly impacted when the volunteer program disappeared.” She noticed that potential adopters were increasingly using social media to find adoptable animals since access to the shelter was limited, but that the available information on pets was outdated.

Her two-path approach to revive the volunteer program and streamline social media posts for adoptable animals helped her grow as a Girl Scout and a leader and helped improve the adoption rate at the shelter.

Lauren, who is from Lenoir City, is diligent, kind and creative, and she had ample opportunities to use those traits for this project. She learned some big lessons and honed important skills along the way. She also developed as a leader, sharing, “It took a lot of organization and energy to lead a large group of volunteers and teach them about the project.” Also, she learned perseverance – including after disappointment. When her first project was derailed due to the pandemic, she had to start planning a new idea from scratch.

As a lifelong lover of the shelter, Girl Scouts and volunteerism, it’s no surprise that her favorite part of the project was engaging younger Girl Scouts and seeing them get involved at the shelter and be excited about volunteering and giving back. That experience was heartwarming to Lauren and such a boost to the shelter.  

Some of her favorite memories as a Girl Scout are from camp, where she especially enjoyed hiking the trails and boating on the lake. She still enjoys hiking and loves spending time with friends and family and traveling. She’s now in her first year at The University of Tennessee.

Congratulations, Lauren! Visit girlscoutcsa.org to learn more.