Girls In Newark Area Get Gift Of Scouting Through $1.8M Donation

NEWARK, NJ — The Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) will leverage a “transformational,” $1.8 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to open a new building in Newark, among other uses, the organization announced Tuesday.

The money will also be used to help launch an “innovative collaboration with the Newark Board of Education,” the GSHNJ stated.

According to a news release from the group:

“This gift has been designated by GSHNJ to be used for its new mobile STEM classroom set to launch next month in partnership with global telecommunications provider Ericsson, and for its planned comprehensive Newark-based initiative that will include establishing a new state-of-the-art building in the state’s largest city and embarking on an innovative collaboration with the Newark Board of Education. The donation will also be used, in part, to improve aging camp structures and post-pandemic membership recruitment initiatives and will be invested in future initiatives that will benefit its ever expanding, diverse membership.”

GSHNJ serves about 12,000 girls ages 5 to 17 throughout Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, southern Warren and parts of Middlesex counties.

GSHNJ’s gift is part of an $84.5 million donation awarded to the national organization, GSUSA, and 29 local councils selected by Scott, who was formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. It is the largest donation from an individual in the national organization’s history.

“We are truly grateful to MacKenzie Scott for this generous, transformational gift that will be used to uplift so many girls in our local communities,” GSHNJ CEO Natasha Hemmings said.

“This unprecedented donation will support our council’s exceptional girls’ leadership development initiatives, with a particular focus on traditionally underserved communities, and will help us to address the many demands we face as we strive to meet the challenges of our growing organization,” Hemmings said.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.