Girl Scouts of the USA isbrmore than 2.7 million members strong. It's 1.9 million girls and 800,000 adultsbrwho are on a mission to change the world. And oftentimes, that change starts rightbrat home. Just ask the nearly 30 girls in Troop #4005. This group, comprised ofbrmany students from Durham Intermediate, saw a need in the community and found abrway to help. They also have their sights set on the Bronze Award, thebrhighest award a Girl Scout Junior can achieve.
Their troop leader,brShannan Needleman, R.N., says the troop had no difficulty coming up with abrservice project to get them in the running for the award. “After touring our local animal shelter, the girls knew they wantedbrto do a service project related to animals,” she says. “They voiced an interestbrin finding a way for every dog to get adopted. They did not want the pets in thebranimal shelters very long.”
In an effort to remindbrthe community of the many shelter dogs in need of a good home, the girls developedbrthe idea to make brightly colored vests for dogs to wear.
To make all the vests,brthe troop partnered with JoAnn's in Grapevine. The store created a class,brincluding an instructor and use of the educational room and sewing machines,brfor a small fee per girl. The store also offered a discount on supplies so thebrproject wouldn't be such a large financial undertaking.
Needleman createdbrpatterns in three different sizes, a prototype vest and instructions. With helpbrfrom JoAnn's, she was able to offer three four-hour classes accommodating sevenbrgirls per class.
“We taught manybrgirls who had never sewn a stitch in their life. After four hours, they createdbra very professional-looking vest,” Needleman says. “It instilled a great dealbrof confidence in the girls. Many were scared to begin using the machines andbrwith gentle encouragement and a step-by-step process, the girls overcame theirbrfear. This was a valuable life lesson for them and probably my crowningbrachievement in relation to this project.”
At the end of thebrproject, the troop had 30 vests, which they plan to donate at the second annual Dogs and Cars event in Southlake on April 9.
“Since four animalbrshelters will be present at this event with adoptable dogs, we feel we can makebrthe biggest impact in our community by donating to all of these organizations,”brsays Needleman.
Their service projectbralso caught the attention of local news station, Fox 4. News anchor ClaricebrTinsley interviewed the girls for her “Hometown Heroes” segment.
“The girls were superbrexcited to hear Clarice wanted to feature them on her segment,”brNeedleman says. “They are now a part of her 21-year tradition, which is a neatbrlegacy to leave behind from your Girl Scout experience.”
Click here to see Fox 4’sbrstory.
1 of 5
2 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5