Silver Award Spotlight: Chemo Kits

Girl Scout Cadettes Lily and Amelie took initiative to help out in a really meaningful way by creating "Chemo Kits" for children in the hospital who are undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Chemotherapy is often painful or uncomfortable, and children go through it all the time. These Girl Scouts decided to help make their experience a little more comfortable and show their support in a way they knew how.

In order to start working on the Chemo Care Kits, Lily and Amelie researched prices on many items and created a budget. Once they knew what they wanted to include, and how they could do it, they reached out to Love Your Melon, a non-profit whose mission is solely to accommodate those with cancer, mainly those undergoing Chemo. They happily sent over beanies to include in each kit. The girls constructed two kits per category. These are the categories they worked within and what they included for each kit:

 

all received: Love Your Melon beanie, port pillow

in addition,

girls and boys aged 1-4: teddy bear, baby blanket, baby book, cozy socks

girls and boys aged 5-10: coloring book & crayons, cozy socks, lemon drops

boys aged 11+: water bottle, lemon drops, cozy socks, earbuds

girls aged 11+: Pura Vida bracelet, lemon drops, cozy socks, earbuds

 

Through this experience, they learned skills in budgeting, teamwork, leadership, careful sanitization (due to COVID and the kids being immunocompromised), and community networking. Because of these girls, these kids will have a much better experience during something that can be super scary. 

Thank you, Lily and Amelie!

Silver Award Spotlight: Build A Bridge

Girl Scout Cadette Gabrielle earned her Silver Award by doing a special project for a local troop. 

As we know, bridging is a beloved Girl Scout tradition that honors girls' achievements throughout the year and celebrates their "crossing the bridge" to the next Girl Scout level involving a special ceremony for the whole troop to enjoy.

Gabrielle wanted to do a project that would help make many girl’s bridging even more special by constructing the bridge needed for a local troop to use for its ceremonies going forward. 

Gabrielle contacted friends, family, local hardware stores, and a shadow box business to ask for donations of the supplies needed to construct the bridge for the troop to use to advance to the next level of Girl Scouts.

In addition to gaining new fellowship in the community, Gabrielle was able to learn more about construction, measurements, and safely handling power tools to accomplish a goal.

Way to go, Gabrielle!

Silver Award Spotlight: Little Lending Library

Girl Scout Cadette Kathryn earned her Silver Award by designing and building a Little Lending Library for the students at Rena B. Wright Primary School.  

She designed a really cool two story library that can hold up to 75 books.  Kathryn's dad helped her shop for all the supplies she would need and taught Kathryn safe use of the power tools she would need for her project. 

After building the Little Library, she painted it using the school’s colors- blue and white.  Family and friends were happy to donate gently used children's books and Kathryn collected enough for several months of stock.

Once the library was complete and posted in the ground she made a special presentation to the faculty and staff of Rena B. Wright about the benefits of reading to small children and the process for designing, building and painting the library.  

The Little Lending Library has been well used.  Even since schools have been closed due to Covid-19, Kathryn has continued to restock books each week. 

“I am happy that the books are being used and I have restocked the books several times. I am very proud of my Little Lending Library and I know it will be used for years to come!”

Community Service Projects keep our Girl Scouts connected to their communities

When Girl Scouts see a need in their community, they're quick to act and do what they can to help. Recently, many of our girls have worked hard to make a difference.

With winter weather and snow already falling across the Colonial Coast, Girl Scout Troop 191 helped to collect winter clothing items for Coats for Families to help aide families in need. To get the word out about their collection, the girls passed out more than 100 flyers detailing their campaign to gather coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

Soon after, they took to the streets and conducted walkabouts in search of donated winter wear. The troop also set up donation boxes inside local schools and businesses.

After a foot of snow fell across the area, one woman contacted Council to ensure her coats went to the Girl Scouts.

"I received a flyer on my door from a Girl Scout in your troop for a collection of coats," the woman wrote. "I was so impressed with this young girl as she ran from house to house in the freezing cold to leave the flyers."

Girl Scout Juniors Mya, Savannah, Safia, Lexi, Anabelle and Caitlyn helped
collect more than 300 coats, hats, gloves and scarves for families in need.

Thanks to the troop's hard work, more than 300 winter items were collected. The items were delivered to Albano Cleaners so they could be ready to wear when given away at distribution centers. 

Next year, the troop hopes to get their entire service unit involved. They also want to set up additional collection drives and will volunteer to distribute the donated coats to families. 

Girl Scouts from Troop 118 recently participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Portsmouth. As part of Wreaths Across America, Troop Leader Caitlin Brunetta, with the help of her co-leader, raised nearly $400 to purchase wreaths to place on the graves of veterans.

After the wreaths were purchased, Girl Scouts took turns laying wreaths upon dozens of veteran gravesites, each observing a moment of silence while Caitlin, an active duty service member, saluted the veteran. 

"It was beautiful to see such young Daisys reverently place each wreath," Caitlin said. 

Girl Scout Daisies Zoe, Arianna, Alana Elizabeth, Meghan, Logan and Ella
helped place wreaths on veteran gravesites for Wreaths Across America.

What has your troop done lately to help your community? If you have a story to share with us, you can tell us all about it online at http://bit.ly/2v3MmDs

Day of Caring 2017

A team of staff from Chubb Insurance spent the morning at A Place for Girls, the regional Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast program center, on Friday, September 8 for Day of Caring. This annual event, hosted by the United Way of South Hampton Roads, connects local volunteers to nonprofit organizations to a fun-filled day of hard work.

On the agenda for the day, the volunteers added a fresh coat of paint to the picnic shelters in The Outback, a nearly nine-acre nature area behind A Place for Girls. They also helped with landscaping around the property—weeding garden beds, trimming hedges and clearing paths along the nature trail in The Outback.

Helena Lecke-White, chair of the branch outreach committee for Chubb Insurance, organized the volunteer experience for herself and her coworkers. During Day of Caring, she helped with both the landscaping and the painting projects.

“Many of our staff members are already volunteers in the community, and Day of Caring is just one more way for us to give back,” Lecke-White said. “We have been taking part in Day of Caring for at least 15 years, and we enjoy getting to work with and learn about different organizations in the community.”

Athena Cash of Chubb Insurance was especially excited to be working with Girl Scouts for Day of Caring because she was a Girl Scout while growing up in Newport News. One of her fondest memories was learning how to roller-skate as a Girl Scout.

“I remember how much fun my sister and I had as Girl Scouts,” Cash said. “We loved earning badges to add them to our uniforms.”

Day of Caring was established in 1991 to promote the spirit of volunteerism, increase awareness of local human service organizations and demonstrate how people working together for the common good can accomplish great things. This year volunteers from almost 60 companies are tackled more than 100 service projects in South Hampton Roads for Day of Caring.

Hurricane Harvey Relief

UPDATED 9/11/17:

Girl Scouts of the USA, with the support of the National Board, has lifted fundraising restrictions to enable girls to raise money for Girl Scouting recovery efforts at the four councils impacted by Hurricane Harvey: Girl Scouts of San Jacinto, Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas, Girl Scouts of Central Texas and Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf.

Fundraising efforts will be undertaken with the sole intention of providing membership scholarships to impacted girls. Such scholarships are typically defined as dues, uniforms, credentials (e.g. insignia worn on uniforms) and Girl Scout materials.

To contribute to this effort, donate online or text HurricaneHarvey to 41444. You can give to the fund for all four councils, which GSUSA will distribute based on need, or you can choose a specific council.

The impacted councils remain so grateful for the outpouring of support. However, they are still assessing their specific needs to get back up and running at this time. For this reason, councils are not currently in a position to process and organize material donations.

And, while we are working to support our members and their families whom Hurricane Harvey has negatively impacted, GSUSA is also monitoring the needs of those affected by Hurricane Irma, and possibly Hurricane Jose. Updates will be posted as they are received. 

Original post:

We have all been stunned by the impact of Hurricane Harvey and the threat of Hurricane Irma. When disasters occur, Girl Scouts young and old want to help. Realizing that the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey will be felt for a very long time, we can look to offer our support once we are fully informed of the needs by our sister councils.

At this time, the San Jacinto Council (Houston and surrounding areas) and the Greater South Texas Council (which includes Corpus Christi, Victoria, Rockport) are assessing their members’ needs and will be letting Girl Scouts of the USA know how we can help as a Movement. In the meantime, if volunteers and girls would like to take some type of action today, the Texas councils have created the Texas Hurricane Relief Patch for this purpose. The patch was designed to encourage girls to participate in relief efforts and increase awareness and understanding of natural disasters and how to be prepared.

In addition, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council has directed their troops in need of supplies and encouragement to post on their Facebook page. Troops who would like to help can connect directly with those in need on the page. The Council will be setting up a financial assistance fund for those who would like to help affected troops replenish their Girl Scout supplies. Refer to the GSSJC Facebook page for updates.

Girl Scouts of the USA also has program resources with tips and examples for engaging girls who want to help— Girl Scouts and Disaster Recovery. There is also a helpful guide available about How to Talk to Your Kids About Natural Disasters.

We appreciate your desire to help your sister Girl Scouts during difficult times, and we will keep you informed as we learn more. Members of GSCCC have a long history of helping others, especially following natural disasters. Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, GSCCC members came together to assemble children’s toiletry kits for storm victims. If you are aware of any local Girl Scouts taking action for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, share the story with us.

Operation School Supplies

GSCCC is excited to be supporting WAVY-TV 10's Operation School Supplies project again this year! For more than 20 years, WAVY-TV 10 has collected school supplies that they donate to local school districts so that students in need can start the year with the tools they need to be successful.

Girl Scouts can support this year's school supply collection drive by dropping donations off at A Place for Girls, located at 912 Cedar Road in Chesapeake, or by visiting one of these live Operation School Supplies events:

Friday, August 4
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Farm Fresh
2110 N. Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach

Friday, August 11
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Farm Fresh
2190 Coliseum Drive, Hampton

Friday, August 18
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Farm Fresh
309 S. Battlefield Boulevard, Chesapeake

Friday, August 25
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Farm Fresh
230 E. Little Creek Road, Norfolk

At each live event, Girl Scouts will take part in helping to collect and sort donated items. Tune into The Hampton Roads Show at 11 a.m. and WAVY News 10 Midday each Friday listed above to get a live update on how the collection is going and to see Girl Scouts taking action.

Last year, WAVY-TV 10 collected more than 50,000 items that made their way to hundreds of classrooms across the region. This year, the goal is to beat last year's total. Students in 12 school districts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina will receive the donations this year.

Troop 1120 Food Drive

Girl Scout Cadette Troop 1120 held their eighth annual food drive on April 22 to benefit the Parish Thrift Food Pantry in Poquoson. The troop chose a theme— The Great Food Raise— for this year’s event. The troop members challenged on another to collect at least 25 pounds of food prior to April 22. On the day of the food drive, the girls brought all of the food that they had collected and then went door-to-door in the community to collect non-perishable food items.

After collecting donations, the girls returned to the Parish Thrift Food Pantry, where they sorted the food. They then organized it on the shelves at the food pantry so that it would be ready to serve people in need.

During this year’s food drive, the troop members collected more than 560 pounds of food, an increase of nearly 60 pounds from last year’s collection.

Community service has been a cornerstone of Girl Scouting since the organization was founded 105 years ago. Girl Scout Troop 1120’s food drive is just one of the many ways that Girl Scouts are making a positive impact on their community.

Yorktown Girl Scouts Give Back to Camp Burke’s Mill Pond

Members of Girl Scout Troop 1381 from Yorktown recently spent the weekend at Camp Burke’s Mill Pond in Gloucester making an improvement to the camp. The girls put their sewing skills to the test as they made new sets of curtains for all of the windows in Treakle Cabin, the main cabin used by visitors to the camp. The troop members have camped at Burke’s Mill Pond for the past five years, and wanted to make the curtains as a way to give back to a place they have enjoyed so many times. Although much of their time at the camp was spent working on the curtains, the girls also had the chance to enjoy some traditional camp activities and time in the great outdoors.

Sydney, Harper, Zaria, Grace, Isabella, Aubrey and Hayden

In addition to their outdoor adventures, the members of Troop 1381 are active earning badges and giving back to the community. They have most recently completed the requirements to earn the Photography and Dinner Party badges. They also baked cookies that they delivered to first responders at a local fire station. The girls also enjoy activities. This year, they have been ice skating, rock climbing and even tried glassblowing. Before summer comes, the girls are planning to try a yoga class together and make appreciation gifts for Girl Scout leaders in the Yorktown area.

The troop members used proceeds from their cookie sale to purchase supplies to make the curtains. Fellow York County Girl Scouts, Troops 1084, 1097, 1306, 1443 and 4053, also donated help Troop 1381 offset the cost of making the curtains.

Scouting for Food

When Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in 1912, she ensured that community service was an important part of the experience for girls. Just like Girl Scouts today, the first Girl Scouts were eager to offer a helping hand to those in need, and they worked together to improve their corner of the world.

This fall, Girl Scouts are asked to participate in Scouting for Food, a collection drive to help stock the shelves at local food banks. What better way to honor our founder than by kicking off this project on her birthday, October 31?

Girl Scouts throughout the region are asked to collect food in a variety of ways. From setting up collection boxes at schools and churches from going door-to-door with a parent asking neighbors to contribute, there are many ways that girls can collect food. Girl Scouts are being asked to bring their donations to drop-off locations on the Southside or Peninsula for the Mayflower Marathon Food Drive on Saturday, November 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For Girl Scouts in North Carolina, we ask that you give your donations to the Foodbank of the Albemarle or one of their participating pantries.

Girl Scouts are encouraged to take part in activities listed in the GSCCC Food Drive patch program during Scouting for Food. Food drive patches can be purchased in the GSCCC shops for $.50. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

Help People at All Times

Community service has been a cornerstone of the Girl Scout experience since the organization was founded more than 100 years ago. This fall, GSCCC has plenty of opportunities for girls to make a difference in the lives of others, in addition to troop service projects.

Public Service Survival Kits 

Girls of all ages are invited to help put together kits made to honor police and fire public service personnel. During the event, local emergency responders will be on hand to speak about their careers. After the event, girls can take the kits they make to hand deliver them to police officers and firefighters in their communities. This event will be hosted on November 13 at two locations—A Place for Girls in Chesapeake and Hidenwood Presbyterian Church in Newport News. Get more information and register here.

Scouting for Food

Kick off this food collection drive on October 31 in honor of Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday! Our founder loved helping others and made sure that community service was a part of our movement. Throughout the region, Girl Scouts can collect food in a variety of ways, and then, bring donations to the Mayflower Marathon Food Drive on November 19. Get more information here.

Portsmouth Girl Scouts Help Humane Society

Terra, a Portsmouth Girl Scout, has had a busy summer making a difference in her community. With the help from fellow members of Troop 5125, Terra led a beautification project to benefit the Portsmouth Humane Society. The biggest part of her project was building two picnic tables that she placed at the shelter. They will be used by potential adoptive families to get to know dogs outdoors, as well as by Portsmouth Humane Society volunteers and staff to rest while training and exercising dogs. Terra also helped to fix doors to dog kennels that were in need of repair.

James McLaughlin, administration and special events manager at the Portsmouth Humane Society, shared the shelter takes in more than 2,000 lost, stray and surrendered animals each year. As they help these animals find a new home, it is helpful to have community members, such as Terra and her fellow Girl Scouts, support the Portsmouth Humane Society.

Gold Award Project Update

Last summer, Elizabeth City Girl Scouts Emily and Jessica completed their Gold Award projects at the SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina. Emily built five walking trails, including signs to mark the trails and a staircase and bridge to help make parts of the trails easier to walk on. Jessica built benches and trash bag holders to encourage people to pick up after the dogs. Both of the girls intended for their projects to create a safer and more inviting space for people to get to know the dogs available for adoption, as well as a place for staff and volunteers to exercise the dogs at the shelter.

In May, the SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina moved to a new location with more indoor and outdoor space to accommodate the animals, staff and volunteers. Knowing that their projects were no longer in use, this summer, Emily and Jessica contacted the shelter and volunteered to move the items they had built for their Gold Award projects to the new location. The shelter accepted the offer, eager to add some seating, as well as elements for the dogs, in their new outdoor space.

Emily and Jessica returned to the former SPCA building and dug up all of the items they had built for their project. They brought everything home to make some updates and adjustments. They then visited the new SPCA site to install the benches. Emily turned her bridge into a ramp for dogs to play on in the field. Her staircase for the trail at the previous site was also added to the new area as a play element for dogs.

With their project moved to the new site, the pieces that Emily and Jessica built are continuing to serve the animals, staff, volunteers and potential adoptive families at the SPCA. Once again, there is a safe and inviting outdoor space for animals and humans to play and relax.

Emily and Jessica recently finished their senior year of high school. Come October, the start of the next Girl Scout year, they will officially be Girl Scout alumnae and will continue to participate in the organization as adult members.

Troop 003 Uses Cookie Money to Help Chesapeake Humane Society

On Sunday, June 26, Brownies from Girl Scout Troop 003 spent the afternoon at the Chesapeake Humane Society learning about the good that this organization does and enjoying some kitty cuddling time as well.

One of Troop 003's animal-themed cookie booths

Earlier this year, while planning for their yearly cookie sale, the girls decided that a portion of their proceeds should be used to help animals in need. So during their cookie sale, they themed their booths with animal pictures, used kitty litter containers to help construct their signs and even had a donation box for the animal shelter. Hungry cookie customers generously helped the girls raise funds for future troop activities and also for this final act of their last Brownie year: a generous donation of $500 to the Chesapeake Humane Society.

During their visit to the shelter, the girls learned all about the cats and kittens currently residing there and also about the foster program for the dogs awaiting adoption. They toured the facility and saw the operating suite where the spay/neuter program takes place, as well as the homey atmosphere provided for the felines at the shelter. The girls enjoyed spending time playing with some of the cats and helping the kittens expend their never ending energy. In the end, it was difficult for the girls to say goodbye, but they were proud of the part they did to give their new furry friends some help. And all of the girls hope to come back and volunteer at the shelter as soon as they are old enough!

Troop 003 at the Chesapeake Humane Society

Girl Scouts Donate Cookies to USS Eisenhower

When the members of Girl Scout Troop 1211 got together to plan this year’s cookie program, they made a couple of goals. They talked about how many boxes of cookies they wanted to sell, and they brainstormed community service projects and activities they could fund using their cookie money. They also decided that they would donate some cookies to the men and women serving on the USS Eisenhower through Gift of Caring, a national community service project through which Girl Scouts ask customers to buy extra cookies to donate to their chosen cause. The last decision was an easy one for the troop members. A majority of the girls in the troop have a family member who serves in the military, including Hannah, whose father is an officer on the USS Eisenhower.

Dani. Rebecca, Megan, Nicole and Hannah

On Tuesday, March 15, the troop members packed up the nearly 100 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies that they had sold through Gift of Caring and headed to Naval Station Norfolk, where they boarded the USS Eisenhower and distributed cookies to the sailors. The girls had worked diligently all cookie season asking customers to donate cookies, and they were proud to see their hard work pay off as their cookies brought smiles to the faces of everyone who received them.

“The sailors were very happy to receive the cookies,” Marisol Chontos, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 1211, said. “The girls enjoy delivering the Gift of Caring cookies that they sell, and they will definitely not forget this experience.”

After giving out the cookies, Hannah's father brought the girls on a tour of the Eisenhower. For the girls, the tour was an eye-opening experience, as they got a glimpse of what it is like to live on a ship. The Eisenhower will soon be deploying for at least six months, and after visiting the ship, the girls were even more satisfied that they were able to perform a nice gesture for the sailors.

Last year, Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina donated more than 20,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to members of the military through Gift of Caring. On April 9, Girl Scouts will be taking over the plaza outside of Scope in Norfolk to load approximately 19,000 boxes of cookies into a truck to donate to Soldiers’ Angels, an organization that provides aid and comfort to men and women in the military, their families and the growing veteran population.

Pajamas for Children

Dressed in their favorite pajamas, more than 100 Girl Scouts gathered at A Place for Girls, the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast regional program center in Chesapeake, on February 19 for a pajama party with a cause. In addition to fun and games at the party, each Girl Scout brought a pair of pajamas to donate to Pajama Jams, an organization that distributes pajamas to local children in need.

Rachel Reagan, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 573, brought six girls from her troop to the event.

“My co-leader and I try really hard to get the girls involved and teach them to be kind and respectful,” Reagan said. “I think that community service really helps them learn that lesson. We always show them that they should be grateful for what they have and to help others when they can.”

Girl Scout Troop 573

This year, in addition to the pajama party event, members of Troop 573 have helped clean the beach at First Landing State Park and lay wreaths the graves of veterans during the holiday season.

For the Girl Scouts, an important part of the evening was hearing from Erika Tucker, founder of Pajama Jams. Tucker, who lives in Virginia Beach, told the Girl Scouts that each year, she gives her three children matching pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. Then, in 2008, the tradition changed for the Tucker family. Tucker’s son, eight years old at the time, and her daughter, who was six, were disappointed to receive pajamas. They wanted to open a toy or game, not sleepwear.

Girl Scout Troop 629 with Erika Tucker

“In what I considered a teachable moment for my kids, I began to lecture them on how many children would give anything to receive just a pair of pajamas for Christmas,” Tucker said. “But, it was not enough for me to state it. I decided to show them with deeds.”

Thus, Pajama Jams was born. For Tucker and her children, it became a mission to give back to others. The organization, with the help of Girl Scout troops and other community groups, have donated more than 6,000 pairs of pajamas to children in need. The pajamas collected by the Girl Scouts at the event will reach the children in need through various organizations in Hampton Roads, including ForKids and The Samaritan House.

After learning about Pajama Jams, Girl Scouts at the party played bingo, decorated their own pair of non-slip socks and made a bedtime snack before the end of the night.

2016 Buck Harris Award

The award was presented to Alauna by Jordan Thomas,
a previous Buck Harris Award honoree.

Virginia Beach Girl Scout Senior Alauna was recognized with the Buck Harris Award on Saturday, February 6 during the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Annual Awards Luncheon at the Chesapeake Conference Center. The Buck Harris Award was established to honor the memory of Buck Harris, a former executive director of the Virginia Tidewater Girl Scout Council to recognize a Girl Scout who shares Buck’s love of the outdoors, has developed strong values and serves the community. Alauna was nominated for the award by her fellow members of Troop 475.

Alauna, who is a ninth grader at Frank W. Cox High School, has been a Girl Scout for nine years and has earned numerous badges and awards as a Girl Scout, including the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards, two of the highest awards a girl can earn in Girl Scouts. To earn her Silver Award, Alauna created a garden at the Judeo Christian Outreach Center (JCOC) to grow produce to feed local people in need. Alauna taught the residents at the JCOC how to care for the plants and harvest the food so that they can continue to consume fresh vegetables season after season. Alauna has also shared her passion and talent for gardening by setting up a display at a local farmer’s market and distributing recipes that use fresh ingredients, as well as samples of her homemade pepper jelly.

Alauna is currently working with a troop of younger Girl Scouts to plan their annual camping trip, and she is creating a scavenger hunt for all Girl Scouts to use at Camp Darden, a Girl Scout property near Franklin, Va. Alauna has also taken on numerous leadership roles in her own troop, planning holiday performances for nursing home residents and leading a night hike on a camping trip. She has also served food to the homeless packed boxes to donate to Operation Christmas Child, collected DVDs for veterans and volunteered at Club Sandwich, an afterschool program for at-risk youth. As a Girl Scout, Alauna has become a role model for her peers and has shown her dedication to making the world a better place through the time and talents that she shares to help people in her community. ​

2015 Wreath Laying Ceremony

On Saturday, December 12, thousands of people gathered at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk to lay evergreen wreaths at each gravestone. This year, more than 400 Girl Scouts were among the volunteers who helped lay more than 7,000 wreaths. The event, which the Horton Wreath Society has been organizing since 2006, is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the sacrifices made by military personnel and their families, pay respect to veterans and educate future generations about those who sacrificed to protect their freedoms.

On Saturday, following the ceremonial placement of the first row of wreaths and the opportunity for family members to place wreaths on the graves of their loved ones, Girl Scouts took one wreath at a time, visited a grave, offered their respect and placed a wreath against the headstone. Girl Scouts and their leaders took the time to read the headstones, learn about the deceased’s service to the country and understand the meaning of the ranks and symbols on the headstone.

Once all the wreaths were placed, a formal closing ceremony with taps and bagpipes took place at the back of the cemetery.

The week prior to the ceremony in Suffolk, 100 Girl Scouts attended an educational event hosted by the Horton Wreath Society to learn about the history of the cemetery, how to lay the wreaths and why it is important to honor veterans. Girl Scouts also baked cookies that were handed out to volunteers during the ceremony on December 12.

For more information about serving the community as a member of Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.

Navy Volunteers Lend a Helping Hand at A Place for Girls

This summer, volunteers from Afloat Training Group, Norfolk have been making improvements to A Place for Girls, our regional program center and headquarters, located in Chesapeake. These improvements are essential to helping us maintain a safe environment for girls who attend summer camp and participate in outdoor activities at A Place for Girls, as well as for community groups that rent the facilities.

In June, the 22 volunteers painted two picnic shelters located in The Outback, a nearly nine-acre nature area behind A Place for Girls, and applied a fresh coat of paint to a storage shed. They also cleaned out the gutters at The Lodge, a program annex building. In July, the volunteers made repairs to and pressure washed the boardwalk in The Outback and painted the handrails at The Lodge.

For LSCS Nikita Collins, who was part of the volunteer team in June, being in the natural setting of The Outback brought back some of her own memories from her days as a Girl Scout.

“I was a Girl Scout while growing up in Chicago and have some great memories from going camping,” Collins said.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast relies on volunteers all year long to not only serve as mentors and guides for nearly 14,000 girls across the region, but also to help maintain camp properties and program facilities. For more information about volunteering with Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.

Making a Difference at Summer Camp

The winter holidays may be months away, but Girl Scouts are already preparing to make a difference during the season of giving. On July 9, girls at Camp Imagimazing Summer Fun, a Girl Scout day camp in Chesapeake, welcomed Heather Tebbenhoff, volunteer and donation drive coordinator with the Salvation Army, to camp.

When Tebbenhoff arrived at camp, she asked the girls what they know about the Salvation Army. Girls talked about the family stores and the holiday kettles, which Tebbenhoff said are the two most commonly recognized functions of the organization. She then talked to the girls about the mission and services of the Salvation Army and gave them the opportunity to ask questions and share some of their own community service stories.

Tebbenhoff also talked about the Salvation Army’s stocking program and Angel Tree program. She shared that last year, the Salvation Army Hampton Roads Command gave out 6,000 gifts through the Angel Tree program.

“We do a lot for people in the community, and the holidays are the time when we are the busiest,” Tebbenhoff said. “We make a difference by helping people change their lives.”

After talking to the girls, Tebbenhoff led them in a community service project to make snowflake holiday cards that will be placed in the stockings distributed by the Salvation Army to families this holiday season. Girls enjoyed using their creativity to design and cut snowflakes and decorate greeting cards.

Heather Tebbenhoff with Girl Scouts Liberty, Aspen and Hannah

Camp Imagimazing Summer Fun runs through August 21 at A Place for Girls, the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast regional program center and headquarters in Chesapeake. Camp is open to all girls whether or not they are currently registered members of the organization. For more information about summer camp or about joining Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.