Girl Scouts partner with seniors at Galleria Build-A-Bear
Residents of The Solana West County senior living community and Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri
(GSEM) may seem like an unlikely match, but these two groups learned from each other while working to bring joy to children.
Seven Girl Scouts even built new friendships while they created bears during a service project at the St. Louis Galleria Build-A-Bear with five residents of The Solana West County senior living community in Ballwin.
Chief Workshop Manager Cindy Scanlon led everyone through a Build-A-Bear ritual that involved giving each bear a heart infused with love, good wishes and intelligence from the girls and adults.
Next, she asked the group to line up at the “Stuff Me” station. One-by-one, Scanlon stuffed each bear, with the help of a large stuffing box with a vacuum pedal control. She asked each person in line what they named their bears and if they wanted them soft and cuddly or big and strong. Soft and cuddly became everyone’s answer. Each guest stepped on the pedal and watched the bears take shape.
“I liked hearing all the different names that were picked out for the bears like 'Mr. Bear,' 'Coconut,' 'Peanut,' 'Robin,' and one of the ladies picked out 'Gaga' (for Lady Gaga),” said Jana Schierbecker, a Junior in Troop 1217.
After being stuffed and sewed up each bear went to the “Fluff Me” station, where the guests brushed and vacuumed their new bears to ensure maximum cuddliness.
“My partner was Dorothy; she loves her grandkids and her kids,” said Jade Pierce, a Junior in Troop 159. “She had two names for her bear, Snow and Robin, and she chose Robin because it is her daughter’s name. My adult partner was very sweet.”
“My partner, Mary Lou, had never been to Build-A-Bear before, but I’d been a bunch of times so I could help her out,” said Ali Cleary, a Junior in Troop 1217. “I liked making the bears with the older ladies because it made them happy.”
The next step was to dress the bears. The group chose from a variety of shirts and the girls helped the adults put the clothes on the bears.
“I liked dressing the bears with Pat, because I like how happy she was when she got to put little cute clothes on it,” said Mary Cleary about her adult partner. Mary is a Cadette in Troop 1570.
The residents equally praised the Girl Scouts and the activity. They all also stated that they loved working with the Girl Scouts because they’re great girls.
“I loved it; I’m glad that I went,” said Mary Lou, one of the Solana residents.
After choosing the bears’ clothes and dressing them, the group posed for photographs. Some of the girls explained what they learned from the project.
“Nadine told me she had dementia; I learned about that in my robotics league,” said Jada Cleary, a Brownie in Troop 481. “She couldn’t hear me very well, but she picked me right away and it made me happy.”
“I learned that it is easier for them when we help them, like with bending over and getting the clothes on the bear,” said Emily Tobin, a Daisy in Troop 2410, about her partner, Louise. “I learned that working together we got things done. She was nice and said she likes me. I like her, too.”
“I learned that even though it was more difficult for them but they could still get out in the world and that they liked hanging around younger kids,” said Jana. “I liked hearing stories of their childhood, such as memories of when they were Girl Scouts.”
At the end of the service project, Donna Martin, GSEM CEO, handed CEO Badges to each girl and resident. Before they departed, Scanlon made sure each bear came with a customized birth certificate and a Cub Condo™ carrying case, which is designed as a handy travel carrier and new home. The bears will be donated to patients at St. Louis Children’s Hospital or to a local police department.
Find out what's happening in Kirkwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Build-A-Bear Workshop’s® mission is to bring the Teddy Bear to life. An American icon, the Teddy Bear brings to mind warm thoughts about childhood, friendship, trust and comfort and love. More than 115 million furry friends have been created at Build-A-Bear Workshops.