FITTING SALUTE TO 56 GOLDEN SCOUTS
Hannah Fox endured openheart surgery, numerous cardiac follow-ups, six ear surgeries and five bouts of intestinal blockage, and she sits through blood draws every month. Maybe that’s why she focuses on the lighter, and sweeter, sides of life.
Hannah, 22, who lives with Down syndrome, feels “stress” and boredom during hospital stays and knows families feel that, too. For her Girl Scouts Gold Award project, she hoped to “Brighten the Mood.”
With the help of her mom, Connie Feda, she published a video to Facebook that asked for joke and art submissions to create a book for people, especially children, enduring medical procedures. Knowing they’d need to print and ship the books, they also welcomed cash donations.
Although she lives in Robinson, in the Montour School District, Hannah attended Pathfinder School in Bethel Park, which serves students with special needs until age 21. Making that 40minute drive each day, she and Mrs. Feda volleyed jokes the whole way, deciding which should make the cut. Hannah wrote them down on a notepad, then told them to her dad, Ken, to get final comedic approval.
COVID-19 derailed many Gold Award projects, but for Hannah, the extra time at home was a “huge win.”
“Hannah can do so many things. She just doesn’t do them quickly, but she does them efficiently and correctly,” Mrs. Feda said. “That’s why the pandemic was great for us: There was no time constraint.”
With time to spare, Hannah learned Corel Draw to create original art and manipulated some of the submitted drawings to suit certain jokes.
The next step was choosing a printing company. Seeking a good price and willingness to print a lot of 1,000 books, they chose Printingforlesscost.com. With business savvy learned from her mom, Hannah sent an email to explain her project and ask for a discount in exchange for crediting the companyin the book.
Hannah received that discount plus an additional 1,500 copies for free because the business’s co-founders belong to the sisterhood of Girl Scouts Gold Award recipients.
Because of their generosity and a steady flow of cash donations, Hannah’s joke books can be found at UPMC Children’s Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, and hospitals in Northern Ireland, Australia and Portugal and more.
But Hannah knows more than one way to brighten the mood. With a mom who owned a Baskin Robbins ice cream store, a Girl Scout troop (led by Mrs. Feda) that consistently placed in the PPG Place Gingerbread House Display & Competition, and a childhood wish to open a candy store, Hannah evolved into a recordholding baker.
On Aug. 11, 2019, Hannah, her mother and sister and other members of the Pittsburgh Wedding Cookie Facebook group put the folksy Pittsburgh tradition on the world stage by baking 88,000 cookies, collectively — 188 dozen from Hannah’s crew — and securing a Guinness World Record.
Soon, Hannah’s special skill will become her profession.
In a venture led by Mrs. Feda and Hannah’s brother, Addison, the family plans to open a custom ice cream sandwich shop — they’re still looking for the perfect location — where ice cream will be smashed between two homemade cookies of Hannah’s creation. With an assist from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, 70% of the staff will be individuals with special needs.
“No two cakes will look exactly the same, but they’re all made with love,” Mrs. Feda said. “We think there are a lot of people who will accept cosmetically different cakes for the sake of supporting love and those living with disabilities.”
Patrons at the shop, to be called Cookie Cookie Ice Cream, might become the best test subjects for the next batch of jokes. Invigorated by the success of her Gold Award project, Hannah is working on a second illustrated joke book, and she’s quick to share her new favorite gag.
“What do you call an exploding monkey? A baboom!”
Interested in contributing art or jokes to Hannah’s new book? Email them here: troop50732@gmail.com.