By Stacey Taylor
Rockville Centre resident Emma Lincks’ efforts to rescue animals have earned her Girl Scouting’s prestigious Gold Award.
She was one in all 55 scouts all through Nassau County this 12 months to earn the Girl Scouts’ highest honor, a milestone that solely about 5 p.c of scouts attain.
Lincks stated she was immensely pleased with her achievement, describing it as a testomony to all of the laborious work that she and a workforce of scout volunteers put into it.
“It feels amazing,” Lincks, who’s now a sophomore at Wake Forest University, stated. “I know there are not a lot of people that receive the award. I know how prestigious it is, and it feels good because I worked very hard for many years.”
A member of Rockville Centre’s Girl Scout Troop 829, Lincks has targeted on animal abandonment, and created an Animal Rescue Club. The inspiration for her challenge was her love of animals. Growing up, she stated, she acquired her canine from a pet retailer, however it wasn’t till she determined to start out volunteering at an animal rescue in 2017 that she started to find out about puppy mills — canine breeding operations wherein the well being and dwelling circumstances of the animals are decrease priorities than making a revenue — and kill shelters. While there, she helped rescue three malnourished dogs, one in all which was blind and really sick.
“I took home three dogs, and one of them was from a puppy mill,” Lincks recalled. “That was the first time I ever heard of one, so I wanted to educate my community on it, because none of my friends knew what a puppy mill was.”
She stated that her mates would ask her questions like, “Where did you buy her?” She would at all times clarify, “She’s from a puppy mill.” Because of the circumstances wherein the canine was raised, she suffered from a lot of small issues. Besides being blind, she had heartburn.
Lincks turned decided to begin analysis animal rescues and to teach others about them, in addition to the significance of spaying and neutering pets, the deplorable circumstances in puppy mills and the cruelty many animals endure.
She began the Animal Rescue Club by assembling a bunch of highschool college students who volunteered to attend group occasions. Club members helped make blankets for rescued pets, hosted assortment drives and talked with others who have been concerned in animal rescue efforts.
As a part of her Gold Award challenge, Lincks made displays, distributed academic brochures and created an Instagram web page to assist unfold consciousness of puppy mills. She discovered a option to mix her ardour for animal rescue together with her dedication to the Girl Scouts, and realized that by committing to one thing she felt captivated with, she may make a distinction in the neighborhood.
“Each of the Girl Scouts who earned their Gold Award this year showed fortitude, diligence and enthusiasm in creating and executing a plan to act on a societal issue,” Randell Bynum, chief govt of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, stated in an announcement. “We are very proud and impressed by every of them for reaching their targets and leaving a legacy with their communities. Their dedication is obvious and their laborious work has touched numerous lives.
“This year, we had Girl Scouts addressing real-life issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional wellness, gender equality in sports, and more,” Bynum added. “We commend each of them for their important work.”
Criteria for the Gold Award challenge embody having a imaginative and prescient for change, and a minimal of 80 hours of labor in planning and finishing the challenge, with assist from fellow troop members and others from the group.
“Being in a troop with a lot of girls made me feel empowered,” Lincks stated. “They all came to help me every step of the way.”
Her fondest Girl Scout reminiscence was of the nice and cozy welcome she acquired from Troop 829 chief Opal Ruiz and her scouts. “The troop that I was originally in kind of died out because of Covid,” Lincks defined. “It just wasn’t as active, so I was able to join a new troop, and everyone was very welcoming, and they were just very supportive.”
She stated that Ruiz was at all times prepared to assist her together with her challenge in any means she may. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Lincks couldn’t earn a bronze or silver award, however due to Ruiz’s assist, she certified to start out the Gold Award course of.
“I think we all wanted to get our Gold Award, so having that support system was very nice to have, especially at the end of Covid,” Lincks stated.
She stated she values her time within the Girl Scouts and encourages others to become involved in scouting, the place they will study the resourcefulness, tenacity and decision-making abilities that may give them an edge each personally and professionally.
“It’s a time to make a difference and help with the community,” Lincks stated. “It’s kind of rewarding and fun. (You will) definitely get to make a difference doing small weekly projects or big projects.”
She has continued her volunteer work with Wake Forest’s personal animal rescue membership, Woof Forest.
