The Girl Scouts of Cranford hosted nearly 200 Girl Scouts of all ages at the organizations 5th Annual Pinewood Derby Day. Cadette Troop 40444 of Hillside Avenue School organized the races that took place on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at the Cranford United Methodist Church. Girls of all ages put their hand-crafted cars to the test, competing for one of the top prizes. The four finalists are as follows:
- 4th place: Addison McCarthy
- 3rd place: Charlotte Ferruggia
- 2nd place: Lila Schau
- 1st place: Charlotte Dipaolo
Other award categories included most humorous, most detailed, most bling, best engineered car, best wedge car, best use of glitter, most original, best movie and TV themed car, and best in show.
Erin Esteves and Stephanie Patterson, the Cadette Troop 40444 leaders, spearheaded the Girl Scout Pinewood Derby five years ago to help encourage STEM learning for the girls within our community. STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
“Our 5th Girl Scout Pinewood Derby was a smashing success! We are so grateful to the girl scouts of Cranford for their participation and enthusiasm for this event,” stated Esteves.
Cadette troop 40444 also collected canned goods throughout the event to be donated to Cranford Family Cares, a non-profit organization that provides temporary assistance to individuals and families in Cranford. Funding is provided for food, shelter, education, and medical assistance when needed.
In addition, the troop took the opportunity to promote their upcoming community service project during the Derby. The young scouts are partnering with A Birthday Wish, a not-for-profit organization located in Westfield, New Jersey that gives children in foster care a birthday gift and card selected specifically for them. The troop is collecting birthday gifts as well as wrapping materials and will host a “wrap” party in late February. For additional information, please contact cranfordgsderby@gmail.com.
The Girl Scouts of Cranford boasts over 1,139 Girl Scout Members in 67 troops and Juliette’s making it one of the largest non-profit organizations in town. The Cranford Service Unit is a part of the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) Council which is part of the Girl Scouts of the USA. If your family is interested in learning more about local Girl Scouts or to find out more information on the Girls Scouts of Cranford, please visit http://www.cranfordgirlscouts.com.
(above, l-r) Winners: Charlotte Dipaolo (1st Place), Charlotte Ferruggia (3rd Place), Lila Schau (2nd Place), Addison McCarthy (4th Place).
Cadette Troop 40444 gathers for a photo with the winner trophies before the start of the races.
