Girl
Scouts show their heart
Henry Van
Dyke once said, “There is a loftier ambition than merely
to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift
mankind a little higher” This holiday, Girl Scouts of
San Jacinto Council did their part to give to those less fortunate.
It was an opportunity for them to give thanks for their many
blessings by giving back.
Gifts with Heart partnered with Children at Risk, an organization
which assesses children’s quality of life, and invited
Girl Scouts to make holiday gifts for the Houston area children
who might not have had any Christmas at all if it weren’t
for the devotion of the many participants.
“I wanted to come up with a way to make
the holidays special for everyone. However, money can be sparse
during this time of year, so the idea was to make gifts ‘from
the heart,’ so to speak,” recalls Susan Mullins,
a designer with an extensive production background and Design
1-2-3 President. Lowe’s, Lowe’s vendors such as
Jet and Wilton, Fox 26 News, local businesses, and even Houston
Mayor Bill White combined resources with the Girl Scouts’
helping hands to make toys for underprivileged children.
Rosalind Rolls, the Marketing Specialist for
the program said, “Susan and I realized that we wanted
to create a fun environment that would allow people to connect
to one another in a meaningful way and benefit Houston as a
whole. Susan is an incredibly talented and experienced designer
who had a wonderful idea while my background is more deeply
rooted in strategy and project management. The two of us were
able to bring together our expertise to develop the program.”
“It was heartwarming to see ten year-old
girls sanding hundreds of boards, and troops from all over the
city joining together to paint on the loading dock at Lowe’s
because of rainy weather,” said Mullins. What began as
simple squares of wood became brightly colored math games, chalkboards
or bulletin boards. The girls attending the ‘make-and-donate’
clinics were also able to work towards their Junior Girl Scout
badges, like Toymaker, Making Hobbies, and Games For Life.” |
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Lowe’s generously
donated tools, supplies and a place to make the toys.
The goal was to make 1,200 gifts. “Once everyone
jumped in to share their most precious gift, their time,
we were able to make over 2,000 toys in four weeks,”
said Mullins.
GSSJC’s Take Note Council Choir
also did their part, igniting the spirit of Christmas
by singing and leading a sing-a-long at the first Gifts
with Heart gift-exchange. The highlight for all came when
it was finally time to present the gifts to the children.
Through the Gifts with Heart program, the Girl Scouts
helped with the presentation of gifts to the children
– so they experienced the joy of giving.
Fortunately, Gifts with Heart will continue.
The program was so successful that the Mayor of Houston
declared December 19 Gifts with Heart Day. Troop leader
Stephanie Martinez said, “The girls enjoyed the
project so much, they can’t wait until next year
to do it again.”
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Letters
Send your letter to GSSJC, The
Golden Link,
3110 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77098.
Letters may be edited for space.
Open letter to girls and leaders
of GSSJC:
Thanks to all
the Girl Scouts so beary much for collecting all
the teddy bears and toys for the Seventh Annual
Bear Project for Teddy’s Train.
The Girl Scouts collected nearly
300 bears and with our other donations, we delivered
close to 400. This year’s recipients were
more diversified than in the past. We gave about
100 to Polly Ryon Hospital in Richmond (five of
my siblings were born there), 40 to West Houston
Medical Center, 125 to Golden Age Manor on Long
Point, 75 to two group homes for abused children,
50 to Star of Hope, and 10 to children in low
income neighborhoods. I just stopped and opened
my trunk and let them pick out something.
Teddy’s Train is growing
because of the Girl Scouts. I am proud to have
been a Girl Scout for many years in the past.
We could not accomplish so much without your assistance.
I wish everyone could see the joy in both seniors
and children when they receive an unexpected Bear
Hug from a Special Teddy.
Thank you once again and look
forward to working with you again later this year.
THANKS and Bear Hugs,
Barbara Blair, Director
Teddy’s Train, a 501 c(3) non profit foundation
bearfacts@ev1.net
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