Fourteen members of Girl Scout Troop 176 shared some big plans for community service projects at their April 4 meeting, as part of the troop’s “Give Back Challenge.” With five-hundred dollars in project support funds on the line, the competition was tough but friendly.
Girls were directed to research needs in the local community and develop plans for helping meet those needs. Guest judges Sandy Smith and Louse Hawthorne from United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee Counties were asked to select the top five projects, based on which they thought would have the most community impact.
The five winners include troop members Penelope, Sophia, Maddalyn, Catelyn, and Sophia. Their plans include projects to benefit Ding Darling Refuge, Valerie’s House, and Furry Friends, as well as the establishment of a local lending library and a community garden. Each winner will be allotted $100 from the troop’s recent cookie sale profits to offset costs for their projects.
“I was so impressed with the presentations” said Sandy Smith, Community Development Manager for United Way. “So many of them had done research and really thought about what they wanted to improve in the community.”
Members of the troop range in age from first through third grades. “I could not be any more proud of these girls and their incredible ideas to support their community. I’m in awe of how they are thinking of others first and that each had a completely different idea than the next,” said Cara Pennetti, Lee14 Service Unit Manager and Troop Leader. “This is why we volunteer with Girl Scouts and enjoy our time with the girls.”
For more information about Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, visit www.gsgcf.org or call 800-232-4475.
About Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc.: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida is chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA and serves nearly 6,500 girls in ten counties including Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, and Collier. For more information about Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida visit www.gsgcf.org.
