Huge-Hearted Girl Scout Builds 2-Story Feral Cat House

PECONIC, NY — Faith Ann Shipman of Cutchogue may be just 13 years old, but she's already embarked upon a lifetime of giving back to her community.

On Thursday, Faith presented her Girl Scout Silver Award Project, a two-story feral cat house, to the North Fork Animal Welfare League in Peconic.

The project was a labor of love for the teen, who worked approximately 78 hours on all aspects of the plan, from research, design, construction, and organizing the other Scouts to help.

The Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadet can achieve; a minimum of 50 hours of work is needed to complete the project.

Surrounded by her fellow Girl Scouts, Faith Ann, a member of Girl Scout Troop 1474, addressed the crowd outside in the bright July sunshine who'd come to cheer on her remarkable accomplishment.

"I love all animals and knew from the very beginning that I wanted to work with the North Fork Animal Welfare League," she said.

The NFAWL, she said, holds special meaning, as it's the place her family adopted their dog, Gibbs.

"I spoke to them about the needs of the animals and they directed me towards my cat house project," she said. "Feral cats are in need of a safe and comfortable home away from the bad weather and predators. I researched and worked with many people to design a home that many feral cats can enjoy."

The cat house, she said, has two openings with two separate living spaces for local cats.

Faith Ann thanked the team who helped her bring her project to fruition. "I could not have done this project alone," she said.

She thanked Gillian Pultz, executive director of the NFAWL; her grandfather, Bob Schwarz, a retired engineer, who went over various cat house plans with her; and Robert Latoraco of All American Trade Enterprising who taught her how to use both hand and power tools.

"His guidance on the construction of the cat house you see today was invaluable," she said.

Faith Ann also thanked her Girl Scout leaders, Lynn Stevens and Nicole Brewer, "who believed in me and helped me reach the highest award possible."

And finally, she thanked her mother Beth Shipman, and Alicia Hamilton, for their support and encouragement.

Beth and Bill Shipman, Faith's parents, beamed with joy as they watched their daughter's hard work come to fruition. "Bill and I are overwhelmed with pride in Faith Ann. She has always been very giving and conscientious of others' feelings and situations. Her choice of project for the Silver Award is no exception. It is another way in which she is giving back to the community that she loves. We watched her pour her heart into this project and could not be more proud of her," Beth Shipman said.

The Shipmans said they were also grateful to Stevens, for volunteering to guide Faith Ann through the process of the Girl Scout Silver Award. "Without her, this would not have been possible," she said.

Brewer, who has been the girls' leader since kindergarten, said it's an honor to help the girls, and to watch them "grow into such fine young ladies with huge hearts."

Seven girls in the troop are working on their Silver Award Projects this year, she said, with three finishing them this summer.

"So many teenagers get a bad rap," she said. "But these girls are balancing school, sports, after-school activities — and this is how they spend their summer vacations, giving back." Of Faith, she said she's always loved animals. "Her heart is enormous," she said.

Stevens said the entire project was an educational experience, including tutorials on tools, painting, stenciling, and shingling. Also involved was coming up with a sustainable idea, presenting it to the Girl Scouts Council, and writing reports about her work, Stevens said.

"There was a lot of learning involved," Stevens said. "She can build her own house now!"

With so much accomplished before Faith and her fellow Girl Scouts have even entered high school, Brewer, who co-leads the group with Tammie Hildesheim, said, "I can't wait to see what they do next. The world is wide open for them."

And it's a legacy of living that started young: Beth Shipman said it was moving that her Facebook memories revealed Thursday as the anniversary of the day her caring daughter kicked off a lemonade stand to help a community member in need. In honor of that day, lemonade was served at the Girl Scout event.

Patch photos by Lisa Finn.