Exploring the past, helping the homeless, and celebrating achievements are just some of the ways Girl Scouts kept busy recently. Read on to see this month’s Mission Moments.
Bringing history to life in Dauphin County
Volunteers in Service Unit 175 hosted a Scouting Through the Ages event to teach girls about how things were done in past generations. Girls were able to partake in old-style games, try tin punching and cloth dying, create candles, and make yummy snacks like jam and biscuits from scratch with no electricity! Junior-aged girls and above were then allowed to spend the night camping under the stars. These girls told campfire stories and got to make a unique old-style breakfast after their night outdoors.
Going green in Lancaster County
Girls from Troop 70724, a multi-level troop from Lancaster County, made an impact at Camp Furnace Hills while working on their Bronze Award. They planted trees and flowers donated or provided at a discount by Lancaster Farmacy, Longview Nursery, TN Nursey and a troop family. Their interest in improving the trail was sparked during a discussion about deforestation while the troop was camping and working on their Agent of Change journey. The girls – Addyson, Caylee, Cheyenne, Chloe, Clara, Lyla, Sara, and Willow – along with leaders Brandy Laukhuff and Molly Swan, agreed that the camp could benefit from more native trees to provide additional animal habitats. The girls wanted to thank our council for approving the project, their leaders for the helping to plan and keep the project moving, Camp Furnace Hills administration for preparing the trail and taking care of the trees and flowers, their loved ones who helped with planting and providing the planting tools, and the companies and people who supplied trees and plants.
High achievers in Schuylkill County
Two Girl Scouts from former Troop 30984 earned highest honors at Pottsville Area School District. Samarra Reedy was named salutatorian and Faith Toothaker was named valedictorian of the Class of 2024. Hats off to these fine ladies on their service and scholarly achievements!
Celebrating with a Court of Awards in Dauphin County
Troop 11062 held their Court of Awards ceremony in June. The theme of the ceremony was “She Is,” and the troop used Hershey candy bars with the “SHE” colored in as their visual element. They honored the achievements and attributes of Girl Scouts with phrases like, “She is … The spirit of Girl Scouting that lives within all of us. It grows throughout the year, in our meetings, our activities, and in the friendship and fun we enjoy together.” Congratulations, girls, on another successful and fun year of Girl Scouts.
Using resources wisely in Wayne County
Troop 50143 recycled their cookie cartons into cat scratcher toys and donated them to their local shelter in Wayne County, Dessin Animal Shelter. The Cadette troop also created a “how to” video on the project to show how others can help the environment and your local shelters. Nice job girls!
Horsing around in Lycoming County
Troop 62029 visited SonRise Equestrian in Clarkstown to learn about horses, how to care for them, and even how to ride them! The multilevel troop got to visit with Flash and took a picture. They earned the Animal Habitat, Animal Observer, and Horseback Riding badges in the process.
Saying thank you in Dauphin County
Girl Scout Troop 11102 held an end-of-year Thank You Tea Celebration, where the girls worked on the Junior Social Butterfly badge requirements. The girls used their best table manners to serve their guardians snacks and refreshments all while communicating together to ensure everyone got a little of each selection. The girls expressed thanks to the people who care for them and made thank-you cards. At the end of the meal, the girls received all of their badges and patches from the year, presented in goodie bags decorated by their leaders to look like a Girl Scout vest to show the guardians proper placements on the uniform. Lastly, the leaders earned recognition from their Volunteer Support Coordinator for their dedication to Girl Scouts. Missy Kline received a bouquet of flowers to thank her for being a sister to every Girl Scout, as Missy was the one who wanted to recognize her co-leaders. Natalie Siegert received the Girl Empowerment Award for her efforts in promoting the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and Tanya Shaw received the Meaningful Mentors award for serving as a role model to both the girls and volunteers she works with. It truly takes a village to make Girl Scouts happen, as this fun event showed.
Having fun at family camp in Monroe County
Troops 52337 and 50829 celebrated the beginning of summer with family camp, spending a weekend together. Girls collected all their cookie boxes and diligently built their own boats for a cookie boat regatta. They also participated in learning how to build a fire, knife safety, a family canoe outing, and a resin workshop.
Sharing cookies in Lancaster County
Local first responders got a sweet treat when Troop 70070 delivered Girl Scout Cookies to five fire stations, two police stations and EMS in the Lancaster area. The donations were made possible by two local businesses that bought $2,500 worth of the treats to give to those who give back to our community.
Helping the homeless in Dauphin County
Troop 10043 of Middletown chose The Eclipse Project of Harrisburg as their charity to support this Girl Scout year. They worked hard all season with tasks to benefit Harrisburg’s homeless population. They set up a toiletry and socks donation drive with bins at the Hershey Library and the Swatara Township building to collect donations from the public. They budgeted and planned a shopping trip to spend some of their hard-earned cookie money to help fulfill the charity’s wish list. They also collected donations from other troops and friends and family, including collecting donations at their cookie booths so they could purchase more than 80 boxes of cookies for the homeless. Once the girls had all their donations together, the troop spent time at The Eclipse Project’s Linglestown location, where they took a tour and learned how the organization expanded from one woman handing out meals from the back of her Mitsubishi Eclipse into a full-blown operation that feeds as many homeless people as possible every Sunday. It was great for the girls to hear how one person can make such a difference. After the tour, the girls rolled up their sleeves and made dozens of sandwiches, packing boxes with the sandwiches and side dishes to help those in need. Way to make the world a better place Girl Scouts!
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.