Pelham Girl Scouts Service Unit kicked off the school year with the launch of three new kindergarten Daisy Troops and one new second grade Brownie Troop. With a focus on community, personal growth and service of others, our active Service Unit has many outstanding volunteer leaders and participating Pelham girl scouts spanning from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Sunday, September 6th, Pelham Troop leaders prepared for their scouting year with hands-on First Aid, CPR & AED training. Nine Troop Leaders and volunteers spent their Sunday afternoon attaining their [re] certification, learning life-saving skills with Pelham Firefighter Frank Bellantoni, who shared his expertise and facilitated practical, in-depth exercises. We are incredibly fortunate and grateful to have the Pelham Fire Department as a local resource and support for Pelham Girl Scouts. We look forward to their participation in our Pelham Girl Scouts Community Day on Saturday, March 7th, where the Pelham Fire Department will provide safety stations and activities at their new headquarters.
Saturday, September 13th, the Pelham Girl Scouts held their annual Membership Drive, featuring a full day of educational workshops open to the entire Pelham community. Organized by Dave Sparano and Toni-Lynn Catalanotto, Family BINGO was a colossal hit, well-received and attended by over 60 Pelham neighbors — both young and old, as well as girls and boys. New toys and craft kits from our community Buy Nothing Group were used as prizes. On Saturday morning, PGS collaborated with Grassroots Grocery in the Bronx, NY, a nonprofit powered by a network of neighbors helping neighbors, to rescue 12,000 lbs of fresh produce received from Hunts Point Market and repack it for individual distribution to families facing food insecurity. Girl Scouts, families, and friends bagged string beans, organized and loaded crates of produce, then delivered them to locations in the area.
Also on September 13th, Brownie level Girl Scouts and friends from our community participated in an engaging STEAM enrichment workshop, sparking creativity, strengthening problem-solving skills, and building their own robots with instructors from Brooklyn Robot Foundry. Tyson Newton Stephens from the local non-profit Project Community gave an inspiring and informative talk on alcohol and substance abuse prevention for our older Girl Scouts. Coming full circle, Senior Girl Scouts from Troop 1561 took the lead mentoring to our youngest Girl Scouts with Daisy Camping Skills 101, teaching them basic camping skills for their next adventure and Cadette Girl Scouts from Troop 2617 shared their Silver Award Projects: “Age is Just a Number: Senior Pet Adoption” presented by Daniella Dodaro and “Stay Active for Mind and Body” presented by Lauren Davidoff and Mila Friedman. 9th Grade Pelham Girl Scouts from Troop 2286 presented their Silver Award Projects, “How To Plan A Mission Trip,” a Silver Award Project by Lily Darouian, and McKenna O’Hara, and “Bringing Awareness to Underserved Communities,” a Silver Award Project by Alice Villagomez, Annie Shannon, and Ahnika Southworth.
Friday, September 26th, Pelham Service Unit celebrated their love for the outdoors with their annual Service Unit Overnight Camping and “Day Tripping” at Rock Hill Camp in Mahopac, NY lead by Pelham Service Unit Camping Liaisons Tara Weishaupl and Kathy Ellis. The pair organized a fun-filled, action-packed weekend of skill building and outdoor appreciation. Girl Scouts of all ages participated in activities like low ropes, fire building, nature hikes and in activities led by Pelham Senior Girl Scouts Troop 02834 based on their Silver Award Projects.
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Pelham Girl Scouts. The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.
