Daisy Girl Scouts Reach Out to Area Homeless Through Letters

This past fall, first-graders from Girl Scout Daisy Troop 98191 earned their Take Action badges by composing anonymous pen pal letters to local homeless people. Members of the troop wrapped their letters around bottles of hand lotion intended to provide some comfort to the recipients, who spend a large part of the winter outside where their skin is exposed to the elements.

The troop was guided in their project by Jane Devlin, founder of Wayside Well, a New Jersey non-profit, 501(c)(3) charity that reaches out to homeless people, primarily in Morristown and neighboring areas, offering them friendship and small acts of kindness to help ease their hardships.

Different from a traditional community service project, a Take Action project encourages Girl Scouts to develop a project that is sustainable to address an issue even after the project is over. The troop's Take Action project went beyond simply donating lotions at large to a homeless center. Instead, it worked with Ms. Devlin to establish a safe and meaningful connection with local homeless persons. The pen pal letters made a more personal and comforting connection between the girls and the homeless people--who often experience loneliness and marginalization in their everyday lives.

Ms. Devlin later thanked the troop for her visit by noting, "I was moved by the compassion of these youngest of Girl Scouts for those less fortunate--largely due, I am sure, to the values learned at home and in the community. Clearly, Girl Scouting builds confidence, character and strong women of tomorrow."