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Troop 52 MLK
Day of Service Donation Drive
Cadette
Troop 52 ran a donation drive of small used household
items like small kitchen appliances, dishes, pots &
pans, children's books, toys, decorative items etc. for
families in need. The drive was held at Forest Road Park
from 11:30am-1:30pm - the best time of the day! We had
droves of people from our communities and neighboring
towns like Westfield, Cranford, and Plainfield bring in
things from their basements and attics that they didn't
need. From crockery to microwaves, from bed linen to
TVs, from games and puzzles to kiddie chairs, the
collection was overwhelming. The girls and troop parents
sorted the items, loaded cars and the truck (generously
donated by Mattress Factory on South Avenue, Fanwood)
and delivered the collection to Furniture Assist (www.furnitureassist.com)
in Kenilworth. The organization distributes these items
on Sundays to individuals and families setting up a
home, such as those in financial need or battered
spouses setting up a new home. Pictured above is a
volunteer from Furniture Assist speaking to Troop 52
about their organization & what they do.
It
was a fulfilling day for the girls and troop families
not to forget the donors who felt a sense of relief at
de-cluttering their homes while helping others in need.
We want to thank the community for coming out to support
our call and special thank to the SP/F MLK Day of
Service organizers for helping us find meaning to this
day.
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Troop #40914
Participates in a Full Day of Service for Martin Luther
King Day
Girl
Scout Troop #40914 of the Fanwood Scotch Plains Service
Unit of the Girl Scouts of the Heart of NJ participated
in a full day of service during the first annual Martin
Luther King Day of Service in Scotch Plains and Fanwood.
Six Juniors, one Cadette, and three adult members of the
troop participated in an array of activities throughout
the day, donating their time and creativity to projects
that will benefit both young and old, our troops, cancer
patients and autistic children.
The
girls, along with co-leaders, Michelle Tropper and
Cheryl Thiemann started the day at the JCC of Central NJ
for the opening ceremony. The girls decorated a poster
about courage and shared their thoughts about what
embodies courage with the community. They went on to
Fanwood Presbyterian Church where they worked with
volunteers to create wheelchair bags for local nursing
homes and Childrens' Specialized Hospital. The girls
selected fabrics, picked and cut patterns for the bags,
and watched volunteers sew them together. After a brief
lunch the troop went on the to YMCA Annex at Union
Catholic High School and created valentines for our
troops fighting overseas. At the end of the day, a
couple of girls went to Emmanuel Cancer Foundation and
donated some boxed food to their pantry and watched a
video to learn about the charity. The Cadette member of
the troop participated in the Autism
Tours
with Brianna Mentor Training and received certification
as a peer mentor for autistic children. The girls also
made personal donations of cell phones, toothpaste and
their own pocket money to various charities represented
at the JCC, including earthquake victims in Haiti. The
girls ended the day with a traditional Girl Scout
friendship circle, where each girl shared what she
enjoyed most about the day. Most agreed that making the
wheelchair bags was their favorite activity, and the
reason was that they know that their work will put a
smile on someone else's face.
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Cards to Troops in
Afghanistan
Troop
417, 6th Graders from Park Middle School, adopted a
soldier, Lt. Joe Zdaniewicz, who is currently serving in
Afghanistan. In December. the girls made him Holiday and
Birthday cards (his birthday is 12/29) to thank him for
his service to our country. Since the cards would not
get there in time via snail mail, the troop leader took
pictures and sent everything by email. The troop has
received a wonderful thank you note from Lt. Zdaniewicz
and keeps them updated through periodic emails sent to
the troop leader.
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Girl Scouts
Celebrate Sisterhood Around the World
Sushi,
saris and kielbasa were on the agenda as about 100
fourth and fifth-grade Girl Scouts in Fanwood-Scotch
Plains gathered Feb. 19 to celebrate their “sisterhood”
with Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world.

Each of the twelve participating troops had
researched a country and prepared an exhibit including
that country’s traditional food, clothing, language and
landmarks. Girls then visited each other’s booths and
had a “passport” stamped as they learned about each
country. Countries represented included India, France,
Greece, Poland, Tahiti, Japan, Kenya, and others.
Thinking
Day is observed every year on February 22 by all Girl
Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide to celebrate the global
unity of our organization.
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Brownie 2-3 "Me and
My Guy" Dance
“Aloha
& welcome aboard” were what the 2nd & 3rd Grade Brownie
Girl Scouts of Scotch Plains/ Fanwood and their special
guys heard, as they followed the twinkling lights down
the docks of Union Catholic Regional High School, to
board the S.S G.S. Heart of New Jersey. 180 Brownies
along with their dates gathered on Sunday, February
28th, to dance the night away on deck of the faux cruise
ship for the Me & My Guy Dance Cruise to Hawaii!
Before
being directed down to the Ballroom on the Main Deck,
couples stopped to take their photos in front of
tropical scenery complete with beautiful bouquets for
the girls and boutonnières for the guys made by our own
talented Floral Subcommittee Chair - Christine Hausle.
Reflections Photography Studio in Scotch Plains has
captured many treasured moments over the years and this
one will be no different. It will make the perfect
souvenir from their trip that evening!
Guests
excited upon entering the ship’s Main Ballroom were
ready for the voyage to begin. Sparkling palm tress that
hung high above the dance floor were inviting, while the
ships rail overlooking beach scenery and cartoon cutouts
allowed for great photo ops and some good laughs.
Special thanks go to Event Planner Lauren Roth in
Westfield who allowed us to raid the basement of her
business for props. Because of the talent of our decor
team and unique items afforded to us by Lauren, we were
able to bring the magic alive.
Soon
the ship’s horn blew and the Captain of our sailing
vessel, DJ Ed Universo of Westfield’s “ROCK AND ROLL
ENTERTAINMENT”, made the much anticipated announcement
that we were about to set sail, having been delayed due
to a winter storm with rough waters and many icebergs on
Friday! Our creative Captain Universo did a wonderful
job ensuring smooth sailing by charming the crowd with
his song selection and encouraging healthy audience
participation, while making sure all requests were met.
Upon arrival in Hawaii, our wonderful volunteers, who
stepped up after the winter storm, welcomed guests with
floral leis after a bit of limbo action on the dance
floor. The limbo wasn’t the only action on deck…many
girls were showing off their “hula” hooping talents
while their guys looked on in amazement!
All the while, in true cruise ship fashion, the grass
lined buffet tables provided something delectable for
all. Thanks to Mama Lou’s for the delicious subs and
finger sandwiches, South Street Pizzeria, Union County
Vo. Tech. Bakery department for all of the wonderful
cookies and to Maximum Quality Foods in Linden for all
of our chicken nuggets and cocktail franks. Special
thanks to our own Refreshment Chairperson, Regina
O’Conner for her homemade pulled pork sandwiches and to
all of our troops for all of the wonderful donations.
Our ship definitely came home much lighter as there
wasn’t a crumb left!
To all of the team and volunteers… thank you for making
this evening possible and thank you for all you do to
support Girl Scouting in our community.
At the evenings end, all arrived safely back to Union
Catholic H.S. with no guy or girl left overboard! The
smiling faces of couples as they walked down the hall
together holding hands said it all; it was an evening to
remember!
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Fanwood-Scotch Plains Daisy Girl Scouts Enjoy Dance
Between
the February snowstorms, 160 Fanwood-Scotch Plains
(SU56) Daisy Girl Scouts and their fathers or
father-figures gathered for a “Me & My Guy” Dance at St.
Bartholomew’s School gymnasium. Food and favors were
enjoyed, photos were taken of each Daisy and her escort,
and a disc jockey kept the crowd dancing.The event was
planned by Cadette Girl Scout Kayla Kocha as a final
project for her Silver Award. Kayla organized other
members of Cadette troop 40618 to make corsages,
decorations, and refreshments for the event. The
Cadettes and dozens of other volunteers worked
tirelessly before and during the dance to make sure
everyone had a good time. Two more “Me & My Guy” dances
will be held during March for older Fanwood-Scotch
Plains Girl Scouts.
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