We owe many thanks to Girl Scout Troop 1637, led by Keri Murray, for the generous donation of three hand-painted bookcases filled with books! We love our connection to our community, and feel blessed when we are chosen to receive these types of gifts that benefit our patients and their families.
The Troop chose the bookcase/book donation for their Silver Award project. The Girl Scout Silver Award represents a girl’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others. The first four requirements of the Girl Scout Silver Award help girls build skills, explore careers, gain leadership skills, and make a commitment to self-improvement. The Girl Scout Silver Award Project begins when the initial requirements are completed, either individually or with a group.
Keri Murray tells us: “The Troop chose to focus their initial journey on life’s relationships and how they grow and change. They dealt heavily in the area of nurturing our children when they are young and why that is important. Additionally, they spent a lot of time talking about bullying. The girls then began brainstorming about ideas for their project. They kept coming back to ways they could reach children at many different stages of development. Finally, at one of our meetings the girls were discussing how some of them have made trips to Riverview’s Emergency Center and noticed there not many children/teen books available in the waiting areas. They started thinking about what kind of books they could gather and how donating those books may reach hundreds of kids every year…and the project started! We thank you for allowing us to do this for the hospital.”
In addition to painting the bookcases, the Troop collected 180 books! Most are simple, classic, fun stories, while also included are books that talk about bullying and how to be a good friend. Each Girl Scout put in more than 55 community service hours on this project from October 2010 to April 2011 (the minimum requirement is 50 community service hours). Additionally, the project cost the Troop $530 to complete. The Troop was able to offset the cost through a significant donation from a sister Troop (Manuka Troop 550) while filling in the rest by selling Girl Scout Cookies. The bookcases are adorned with a plaque denoting they were donated to us by Girl Scout Troop 1637 as a Silver Award project also thanking Manuka Girl Scout Troop 550 for their help.
The Troop hopes to sustain the project over the years by checking back annually to see if any repairs to the bookcases need to be made. They also plan to replace books that may have disappeared or worn out.
Thank you, thank you, Troop 1637! The bookcases and books will be kept in the Emergency Center waiting area and other areas throughout the hospital.
Girl Scout Troop 1637 members include: Ashley Britton, Jordan Carr, Tessa Fischer, Shelby Mayfield, Kaila Smith, Lauren Murray, Madi Murray, and Kathrynn Parker.
Did you know? Today, there are 3.2 million Girl Scouts—2.3 million girl members and 880,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers. Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries. Learn more about Girl Scouts here.