Oak Ridge Girl Scouts helping seniors, children and others

Betsy Abernathy
·3 min read

Every time a Girl Scout recites the Girl Scout Promise, she swears she will make the world a better place.

Oak Ridge Girl Scouts have been doing just that.

Service to others is a hallmark of Girl Scouting, and local Girl Scouts from kindergarten through 12th grade have been finding ways to contribute to their communities and beyond. Ambassador Troop 69 has been holding weekly Phone Help sessions at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. The high school seniors meet with Senior Center members every Wednesday, by appointment, to help them with questions or problems they have with their smartphones.

Brownie Troop 21127 has been working with the Woodland Parent Teacher Organization to provide and refill toiletry items for the staff restrooms. Cadette Troop 21158 is participating in the Crazy Crayon program and have sorted 30 pounds of used crayons and candle wax so they can be recycled and reused. Mixed-age Troop 20951 is making rolling donation bins for the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter. Members of mixed-age Troop 20401 have an annual tradition of making and sending holiday cards to members of the military serving abroad as well as first responders.

Oak Ridge Girl Scout Ashli Allison helps resident Mary McKeethan with some smartphone questions at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.
Oak Ridge Girl Scout Ashli Allison helps resident Mary McKeethan with some smartphone questions at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Local troops have extended a warm welcome to three girls from Ukraine who, with their family members, have found shelter in Oak Ridge. The Ukrainian girls have joined two different Girl Scout troops and are participating in Girl Scout activities with their American sister Scouts.

Encouraging children in Ukraine and other countries

With help from these girls, Troop 21158 represented Ukraine at the recent Girl Scouts International Festival. The International Festival is an annual event which recognizes the world-wide Girl Scouting and Girl Guiding movement. Troops choose a country from the 152 nations where Girl Scouts are active and, at the festival, share what they have learned. This year, with the help of the Ukrainian girls and their mothers, Troop 21158 learned and performed “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna” (“Oh the Red Viburnum,”) a stirring song which is a symbol of Ukrainian independence.

In a related activity, girls attending the International Fest wrote and illustrated more than 50 encouraging cards which will be sent to children in Ukraine through the national Crates for Ukraine project.

Other countries represented this year were Australia, Kenya, the Bahamas, South Korea, Mexico, and Switzerland. There were food and craft samples from every country.

Ukrainian members of Oak Ridge Cadette Troop 21158 taught a traditional dance from their country at the recent Girl Scout International Fest.
Ukrainian members of Oak Ridge Cadette Troop 21158 taught a traditional dance from their country at the recent Girl Scout International Fest.

Cookie sale almost over

The annual Girl Scout cookie sale is almost over, and Oak Ridge girls have been working hard to sell cookies to support their troop’s activities as well as Girl Scout Council activities here in East Tennessee. Last fall, Troop 20951 used some of their cookie funds for a special overnight learning opportunity at Zoo Knoxville. Troop 21158 is planning to use their cookie proceeds to attend Girl Fest 2023, a 5-day high adventure experience in West Virginia which will be attended by 500 Girl Scouts from around the nation. The girls are looking forward to rafting, kayaking, ziplining, mud runs, and more.

Ukrainian members of Oak Ridge Cadette Troop 21158 helped their troop sing a Ukrainian independence song at the recent Girl Scout International Festival.
Ukrainian members of Oak Ridge Cadette Troop 21158 helped their troop sing a Ukrainian independence song at the recent Girl Scout International Festival.

Gift of Caring

Part of the cookie sale every year is the Gift of Caring program, which enables cookie customers to buy cookies to be donated to a local recipient chosen by troop members. In the past, cookies have been brought to Oak Ridge firefighters and police officers, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, among many other organizations.

This year Troop 21127 will donate their Gift of Caring cookies to Woodland Elementary, where they have their troop meetings, and Troop 21158 will donate theirs to the faculty and staff of Jefferson Middle School for the same reason. The St. Mary’s food pantry is the designated recipient of Troop 20401’s Gift of Caring cookies.

To make an appointment for phone help from a high school Girl Scout, call the Oak Ridge Senior Center at (865) 425-3999. Girls interested in joining Girl Scouts, the largest leadership organization for girls in the world, may visit www.girlscoutcsa.org or text JOIN to 59618.

Oak Ridge Brownie Troop 21127 represented the country of Australia at the recent Girl Scout International Festival.
Oak Ridge Brownie Troop 21127 represented the country of Australia at the recent Girl Scout International Festival.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Oak Ridge Girl Scouts helping seniors, children and others