Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Leader Hillary Blevins, with photos by Leader Andrea Ramirez.
Five members of Morrison, IL, Girl Scout Troop 1504 earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest award for girls in grades 4 and 5. To earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award, girls develop their leadership, teamwork, and community problem-solving skills, through a series of awards and community service projects. Their efforts concluded 20 hours of planning and service per individual. The final Take Action project, which “must be sustainable and impact the root cause of the issue,” was completed on Saturday, March 31, 2018.
Bronze Award Girl Scouts, shown left-to-right, are Yvette S., Annabelle B., Bayleigh W., Maya W., and Peyton L. They chose to assist families caring for premature babies in the Genesis Health System NICU in Davenport, IA.
The girls researched and selected easy, healthy recipes to make a cookbook.
They learned sewing skills to make colorful straps to hold a pack of diapers and wipes. Families of preemies will be able to keep these items and use them during and after their child’s hospital stay. The girls also sewed “developmental hearts,” which parents wear close to their skin for a time, before leaving their baby in the NICU. The lingering smell of the parent calms the infant and stimulates growth. Peyton, Annabelle, Yvette, Bayleigh, and Maya watch troop Leader Hillary Blevins demonstrate sewing techniques.
A collection of children’s books was also donated. Reading aloud to babies has been shown to increase the child-parent bond, reduce parent anxiety, and reduce language delays in premature babies. The NICU will reuse the developmental hearts and books, benefiting future tiny patients and their families.
After delivery of their donations on Saturday, March 31, the Bronze Award recipients, left-to-right, Bayleigh, Peyton, Maya, Annabelle, and Yvette celebrated with a pizza party and cake at Happy Joe’s, 109 W. Main Street, Morrison.
Due to their community service during this project and throughout the year, these girls also earned the Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award for Youth. The Girl Scouts will receive both prestigious awards at the troop’s year-end award ceremony in May.