Girl Scouts Find Ways To Brighten Seniors' Lives Despite Pandemic

SOUTHOLD, NY — Girl Scouts aiming to earn their Silver Award gave back in a big way recently to seniors who found themselves without visitors during the many long months of the pandemic.

According to Jeannette Judge, Girl Scout leader for Troop 3040 in Southold, the Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can achieve; each Scout must log 50 hours of work on the project.

"It gives you the chance to show that you are a leader who is organized, determined, and dedicated to improving your community," she said.

Troop 3040 is comprised of five girls, Samantha Maskiell, Julia Judge, Caroline Fannon, Olivia Zehil, and Rylee Owens, all of whom attend seventh grade at Southold Junior High School and have been involved with Scouting since the first grade.

The girls decided to brighten the lives of residents living in San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Greenport.

For their project, the girls decided to make a talent video, purchase activities for San Simeon residents to participate in, decorate pots and pot plants for each room, and make lap blankets, Judge said.

Her Scouts rose to the challenge and worked diligently to earn their Silver Award, Judge said.

"The girls used their talents and skills, along with time management and budgeting, to get this project completed. It’s important to remember that Girl Scouts is not a mandatory activity like school — it is a choice. All the parents of our troop have helped get our girls to this stage of Scouting and we are very proud to share this achievement."

Judge added: "I feel that it’s important as a leader and a parent to instill in our children to give back and respect our community. San Simeon did a great job keeping the older members of our community safe during this pandemic; unfortunately, this meant keeping people out of the facility."

During normal years, the Girl Scouts of the North Fork would go to the facility during the year to deliver poinsettias and carol. "But this last year, we were not able to enter," Judge said.

That's why, she said, the DVD of the girls performing, as well as the items the girls made to decorate residents' rooms with a personal touch, meant so much during the difficult days when they couldn't see the seniors.

Many stepped forward to help the girls achieve their goal: The troop raised funds by selling Girl Scout cookies this year, and the Southold American Legion Women’s Auxiliary bought 150 boxes of cookies for military troops, because they heard the girls were working on their Silver Award project for San Simeon, Judge said.

"The Auxiliary thought it was a great project because some of their current members are at San Simeon," Judge said.

Kelly Maskiell from Whitmores Landscaping in East Hampton donated the pots that were decorated by the girls for the residents' rooms. Eric Kehl, an audio/visual specialist for the Southold Union Free School District, also helped with the DVDs created to showcase the girls' talents, Judge said.

Libby Fannon, co-leader of Troop 3040, expressed her pride: "I have enjoyed working with this group of Girl Scouts over the years, as well as helping to guide them and watching them grow toward completing their Silver Award."