Girl Scouts from North Hills earning top award with camp for challenged adults
Share this post:
Three Girl Scouts from the North Hills knew that earning the highest honor a Cadette can receive — the Silver Award — would take lots of work.
But the trio of 13-year-old girls learned that the right service project needed to earn the award can help make the work a lot of fun.
North Allegheny eighth graders Jordan Mason, Emily Marangoni and Emily Quinlan are doing a service project this week that involves putting on a three-day camp for adults with intellectual disabilities.
“We’re really excited,” said Marangoni. “Not just because we’re getting a Silver Award. But because we know we helped the community and made a big difference.”
The girls, who live in Franklin Park, helped campers from Carnegie-based PA Connecting Communities make miniature Zen gardens, birdhouses, sensory bottles and other items to take home. They also served them lunch and lead them in a variety of activities including crafts, bingo and sports.
As part of the project, the Scouts made five adaptive activity or “sensory boxes” containing items such as stress balls, weighted lap pads and “squishies” that clients of the social service organization can use to help calm themselves.
“It took a lot of time to make the sensory boxes, but I think it was a good idea and I really think it will help them,” Mason said.
Arlene Bair, one of the founders of PA Connecting Communities, praised the effort the girls put into the camp.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our folks to have an experience with these Girl Scouts,” Bair said. “The opportunity to do community participation and be involved with local young people is really quite an honor.
“It’s an honor for those girls to experience our individuals and it’s very much an honor for our people to experience the love and attention of these young women,” Bair said.
Carlese Sadler, who participated in the program on Sept. 2, said she was happy to get out of the house after being cooped up because of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
“I’m glad I came, these girls are wonderful, ” she said. “I’m having a good time today.”
Quinlan said she got into Scouting while in kindergarten because her sister was involved.
“It really has become a big part of my life,” she said.
Her mother, Erin Quinlan, who leads Troop#52519, said she has enjoyed working with the girls, especially on their Silver Award project.
“It’s been a wonderful journey watching them grow and develop over the years,” she said. “One thing I enjoy about the Silver Award is that it gives the girls a true understanding of how they can impact the community and make the world around them a better place.”