Girl Scouts write letters to Keystone Villa residents
Daniel Boone Girl Scouts have been writing letters to residents at Keystone Villa Douglassville since the residents cannot have visitors during the coronavirus outbreak.
“We were looking for ways that the girls could continue participating in Girl Scouts while Gov. Wolf placed a stay-at-home order,” said Cory Derer, service unit manager of Daniel Boone Girl Scouts. “This was an excellent opportunity for our girls to serve the community from the safety of their homes. Daniel Boone Girl Scouts operate on the school’s schedule, so with school being closed for the rest of the school year, all Girl Scout actives unfortunately were canceled as well. Seeing the sisterhood of how these girls came together in a time of need is what Girl Scouts is all about.”
Wendy Yambor, Girl Scout Leader Troop 11022 of the Daniel Boone Service Unit, put this activity together for all of the Girl Scouts in the Service Unit. So far there are seven troops in grades kindergarten through high school participating in this project.
“I saw other posts on Facebook encouraging people to send pictures to nursing homes and thought this was a perfect project for our Girl Scouts,” said Yambor. “Keystone Villa is always so kind to the Girl Scouts, allowing us to have meetings in their activities room and supporting us. They were a natural organization to reach out to. It’s my hope that the girls felt they were empowered to make a difference during this pandemic.”
Yambor added, “We have an amazing service unit with some really special girls. I knew they would rise to the challenge and help others in any way they could.”
Incredibly proud of the girls in the service unit, Yambor said, “They didn’t just sit back and be victims in the current world situation. They took action and helped make the day a little better for others in their community.”
Yambor noted that the Girl Scout motto is “Be prepared.” In the 1947 Girl Scout Handbook, the motto was explained as, “A Girl Scout is ready to help out wherever she is needed. Willingness to serve is not enough; you must know how to do the job well, even in an emergency.”
“I think our girls nailed it!” she said.
Kathy Undercuffler at Keystome Villa said the residents are really enjoying the pictures and cards.
They hope to schedule a visit at Keystone Villa once the stay-at-home order is lifted.
Troop #1797 Cadette Olivia Darrohn, 13, of Douglassville, and her sister Alexis Darrohn, 8, a Brownie in Troop #1709 have been among the Girl Scouts participating in the letter writing project. Olivia said that she is a little sad because everything is virtual now, and she can’t see her friends. Girl Scouts is all about making new friends and interacting with them, so this new way of doing things is very challenging.
“It was nice to work on this project with my sister Lexi,” said Olivia. “Because of our age difference, we don’t get to do a lot of Girl Scout activities together. I liked doing the arts and crafts with her.”
When asked about the project, she said, “I wanted the residents of the Villa to know that someone is always there for them.”
“I like making people happy, and I get to do this with my sister!” said Alexis.
Their mother, Stacey Darrohn, Troop Leader, said, “Having my girls being able to work together on a project and having my oldest lead and help her younger sister, this is why we participate in Girl Scouts. They learn how to lead, set examples for each other, demonstrate empathy, and caring for others, traits you want your children to have.”
Madisyn Gassert, 9, of Birdsboro, a member of Junior Troop 11142, said, “I thought it would be a nice thing to do to lift their spirits since they can’t have visitors right now. It felt good to be able to put a smile on someone’s face even though I couldn’t see it.”
Troop 1156 Cadette Hannah Martin, 11, of Exeter, wrote in her card, “Hi, my name is Hannah from Girl Scout Troop 1156. I hope that you are doing well. I feel bad for you because you can’t have any visitors, so I think that this will cheer you up a little bit. I hope you stay well.”
Reflecting on the project, Hannah said, “I hope people receiving my letters are very happy that someone thought about them and took the time out of their day to make them happy. Thinking about this project, it makes me happy to know that it will make someone else happy!”