Girl Scouts build, help, volunteer in community service

MADISON – In recent months, local Girl Scouts have planned and completed numerous projects. While working on these ventures, the girls learned new skills, learned to trust each other and improved the quality of life for their neighbors.

Over the last 12 months, Girls Scouts have worked on these diverse undertakings:

* Refurbished and built raised pet beds for Athens-Limestone Animal Shelter.

* Volunteered across Madison to support American Legion, Post 229 multiple times in placing flags and wreaths at veterans’ gravesites in city cemeteries.

* Participated in Rotary Club of Madison’s first annual Volksmarch by portraying Madison’s historical figures in a living history stroll.

* Built two Little Library sites for downtown Madison and for Asbury UMC.

* Donated summer supplies to pre-kindergarten at Village of Promise, a non-profit dedicated to breaking poverty. The supplies included sunscreen, sprinklers, water toys, microscopes, slides and hula hoops.

* Refurbished, painted and installed Buddy Benches and organized Kindness Clubs to confirm that benches were used and maintained properly at Rainbow, Madison and Legacy elementary schools.

* Conducted coat drive for Downtown Rescue Mission.

“These projects taught a variety of skills to the girls,” Ashley Creekmore said. Creekmore serves as Service Unit Manager and as Troop Leader of Troop 10341.

For the Little Library, Buddy Bench and dog bed projects, the Girl Scouts learned about woodworking and safety. “Time management was also a critical component to some of the longer lasting projects,” Creekmore said.

When approaching city officials, the girls experienced how to engage figures of authority and the public in discussions regarding their areas of interest. “Girls had to get permission and work with their school principals in order to setup the Kindness Clubs and ensure they could install a Buddy Bench at their school,” Creekmore said.  

“The troop that built the Little Libraries had to get permission from the Madison Station Historical Preservation Society and have their design pre-approved before they could install the library,” she said. “As a result, they were recognized by Madison City Council at one of their meetings.”

“Learning a part and being able to play that part in front of a group of people gives the girls confidence in themselves and makes them better speakers,” Creekmore said. “Confidence in themselves and their abilities, as well as compassion for and awareness of others and the community around them, are instilled in these girls as they accomplish projects like these.”

These skills and strengths will stay with the girls throughout their lives, she said.