From acts of community service to learning about local government, Girl Scouts spent the past few weeks keeping busy. Check out this month’s Mission Moment Recap.

Giving back in Dauphin County

Daisies and Brownies from Troop 10840 gave back to their community by participating in a Martin Luther King Day of Service. The Girl Scouts volunteered at Caitlin’s Smiles in Harrisburg. They created craft kits for children in hospitals, including compiling nail file decorating kits, assembling monster dice games, and decorating bags to put the activities in. They learned about what it means to volunteer and the importance of giving back to their community as they assembled more 100 craft kits throughout the evening.

A night out for a Wayne County troop

Cadette Girl Scout Troop 50143 completed a nighttime outing as part of their Night Owl badge. They visited the holiday light show at Woodloch Pines Resort, where they had fun celebrating the spirit of the season.

A helping hand in Union County

Maggie, an Ambassador Girl Scout Juliette in Service Unit 642 of Union County, recently built and constructed a new lift box for the Marine Corps League No. 308 Toys for Tots that serves Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties. Using a pulley system, the lift box makes it easier to move toys between floors. Maggie constructed the box with help from her father and also collected toys for families with her mother. In the 2022 Toys for Tots campaign, this chapter served 3,279 children. The 2023 campaign served 4,273, just short of 1,000 more. “It feels good knowing that this will help the efficiency of future campaigns,” Maggie said. “They won’t have to worry about the box falling apart with toys in it and replacing it in the middle of a campaign. And it looks good!”

Caring for cats in Dauphin County

Girl Scout Troop 11006 is a small group with just two Ambassadors and two Seniors, but the troop has a big impact on the community. They visited Steelton Cats, a local organization that spays/neuters feral cats. The girls then did a drive to collect plastic totes to create winter cat shelters for cat colonies. The troop spent a day cutting holes into the boxes, filling them with straw, and securely taping the entrances. They made 11 homes that went to Steelton Cats, Loving Care Cat Rescue, and two Harrisburg families caring for neighborhood cats. At least 22 and up to 36 feral cats will now have a warm shelter for the winter.

Lycoming County Girl Scout sells cookies in 50 states

When cookie season kicked off, Madison of Troop 62019 was excited to send her Digital Cookie link to family in different states. She then wondered how she could sell cookies to all 50 states. She decided to work toward reaching people all over the country and share her love of Girl Scouts and Girl Scout cookies. It started with a simple Facebook post that listed all of the states and expressed her goal. That post received more than 230 shares from friends and family, eventually reaching people all over the country who donated and purchased cookies. Habitat for Humanity of Sioux Falls, S.D., reached out to donate a box and there were even some shipped to the Salvation Army in both New Hampshire and Wyoming. With only two days left to sell in Digital Cookie, Madison reached her goal and crossed off the last state on her list. Way to go, Madison!

Promoting democracy in Dauphin County

PA State Representative Justin Fleming visited Girl Scout Troop 12300 to help them earn their Cadette Democracy badge. He even posted about the meeting on his Facebook page. The girls had fun meeting their local representative and learning more about how government works.

Setting—and meeting—goals in Lycoming County

Girls in the Academic Edge program recently explored the theme of “Goals.” They were challenged to work cooperatively to keep a balloon in the air after having been given goals to reach, such as keeping their feet still while keeping the balloon afloat. Then the girls worked in pairs to build a maze and program a robotic mouse to reach its goal – which was cheese, of course!

“I love Girl Scouts! My favorite fun activities are the balloon game and the robotic mice!” said participant Adalynn. While the girls were working, Teagan told a girl who had just joined the Academic Edge program, “I have learned to be caring to others and how to set goals.”

Keep up the great work, girls!

Dauphin County Girl Scouts share the love

Daisies, Brownies, and volunteers from Troop 10840 spent time making 75 valentines for seniors at an assisted living facility. They also had a Junior Girl Scout from Troop 10286 help the younger girls create their cards.

The girls were able to use their creativity to spread some love this Valentine’s Day as some girls wrote jokes in the cards, others made little games to play, and some made silly heart creations. The troop hopes that the cards will put a smile on the faces of the residents who receive them. What a great way to practice being “considerate and caring.”

Submit a Mission Moment today so we can showcase your Girl Scouts’ recent experiences and accomplishments next month! Visit our Mission Moment Recap webpage on the GSHPA Blog to see more Mission Moments from previous months.

*All Mission Moment information is submitted by volunteers/members. Should you have any questions regarding a submission, please email cmolitoris@gshpa.org.