Cadette CONNECT: Girl Scout Game Days with Westfield Senior Citizens

WESTFIELD, NJ — Girl Scouts from Westfield Troop 40916 had the privilege of spending another wonderful fun-filled afternoon with the residents of the Westfield Senior Citizens Housing 1 on May 17.

Regan Stevens, Maddy Cortes and Marissa DiChiaro, 8th graders from Edison Intermediate School, created and hosted the Spring Fling event as part of their Cadette Take Action project.

The trio began researching ways to help their community last summer. They quickly realized that assisting senior citizens was near and dear to each of their hearts.

Regan, Maddy and Marissa performed many hours of research and had several meetings with members of the community who work to improve the lives of senior citizens in Westfield. Their efforts led to a key conclusion.

One of the biggest problems facing senior citizens - especially since the pandemic - is loneliness. Loneliness can have a devastating effect on anyone, but senior citizens are especially vulnerable.

During the Covid 19 outbreak, so many people were completely isolated and had limited social interactions. The negative impacts were emotional, cognitive and physical.

The Cadettes decided to create fun ways to engage senior citizens. The goal is to give opportunities to socialize while bridging the gap between generations. What is more fun than playing games?

Regan, Maddy and Marissa’s Take Action project is called Cadette CONNECT. It’s a series of game days that encourages togetherness, friendship and laughter – and a good bit of competition!

CONNECT stands for Connecting On a regular basis in a Neighborly way to form New relationships during game play that is Exciting and makes memories that we Create Together.

The first event (April 19) was called Bingo for Candy. The three Girl Scouts ran BINGO games for candy prizes with 15 residents. Everyone had so much fun playing BINGO and sharing stories with each other.

The players cheered and encouraged each other – and even shared prizes. Each resident received a hand-made bracelet from the girls to remember this enjoyable afternoon until the next event.

The second event (May 17) was called Spring Fling. The weather was absolutely perfect for the outside game-themed event.

The trio played Shuffle Board, Knock Hockey, Corn Hole and Scrabble with about 20 residents while continuing to build relationships and make new friends. Regan, Maddy and Marissa admitted that they were not sure who had more fun – the girls or the residents!

The third event (June 9) is called Summer Celebration. The games featured will be a trivia contest and card games. As always, the most important goal is to bond with players, promote togetherness and fight loneliness. Of course, a little friendly competition is always encouraged.

Regan, Maddy and Marissa originally undertook this project to achieve their Girl Scout Silver Award. As time went on, they have seen first-hand the happiness and camaraderie that has come to Westfield Senior Citizens through playing games.

The project has now truly become a passion for each girl. To sustain Cadette CONNECT, the trio has organized a Game Drive to collect games for the Westfield Senior Housing 1 residents.

Having unlimited access to game play will encourage residents to make opportunities to gather and ultimately fight loneliness-together.

— Submitted by Amy Stevens