Chatham Girl Scout Day of Service
On Saturday, March 7, 285 Chatham Girl Scout’s filled the Long Hill Chapel gym for their annual “Day of Service”. This year’s event focused on raising awareness and promoting advocacy for those who are experiencing homelessness.
The gym was buzzing with energy as the girls brought in their donations and posters showing the incredible work that they have accomplished toward their common goal. Girl Scouts from every level, Kindergarten through 12th grade, showed up and participated in the event. It was really motivating to see the older Girl Scouts side by side with the younger girls.
This year’s event was chaired by Ambassador Girl Scout Ceal Purschke. “The goal of the day was two- fold: 1 – Educate the girls about organizations in our own community that provide services for the homeless and, 2 – Demonstrate how the girl scouts can work together to support these organizations. The results were beyond my wildest expectations – 72% of all Chatham Girl Scout Troops participated with service projects, creative collections and drives as well as collaborations with local businesses. The girls came together on March 7 to share what they had done! It was amazing,” said Purschke.
As a group, the girls collected and assembled donations for several Morris area organizations including: 275 breakfast bags to Nourish NJ, 123 sustainable lunch bags plus 10 fleece blankets for Bridges Outreach, 199 Toiletry kits for Bridges Outreach, 137 warm weather kits for Homeless Solutions, 20 large reusable grocery bags plus 5 large boxes filled with diapers and toiletries for Family Promise, 100 toiletry kits for Covenant House, and 12 large bins filled with blankets and cleaning supplies for Homeless Solutions.
In addition, each donation contained a personal handwritten note of kindness or a handmade inspirational bracelet.
Another highlight of the event were the amazing guest speakers.
Maryrose Mullen, the Community Engagement Coordinator from Nourish NJ, talked to the group about how Nourish NJ helps people beyond the Morristown area. The girls learned that they provide free farmers markets to families through generous grants and donations from local grocery stores and farms.
Anaija, a teenager from Family Promise, spoke to the girls about what it was like to be part of the Family Promise program as a young girl of 8 years old. She was incredibly inspiring and told the girls to be sure to be nice to everyone, because you never know what the boy or girl sitting next to you is going through.
Blair Schleicher Bravo, the CEO of Morris Habitat for Humanity, engaged the girls in a lively question and answer session. The girls were completely engaged and asked great questions about the size of the homes, how they can help to be part of the build and how Habitat selects families.
The Chatham Girl Scouts are a wonderful group of strong women who are teaching girls to give back to their community. According to Betty Garger, CEO of GSNNJ, “Community service is a cornerstone of Girl Scouts, the organization I serve, and we encourage our youth to be the change they want to see in the world.”
About our partners:
Nourish NJ creates lasting solutions to the problems of hunger, homelessness and poverty. They offer food, housing, work readiness, medical, social and educational services 365 days a year in a warm, safe and caring environment, free of charge, no questions asked.
Bridges Outreach ends homelessness through volunteer-driven outreach and individual case management focusing on health, housing and independence. They form relationships with those experiencing homelessness while meeting their most urgent needs.
Covenant House New Jersey provides comprehensive residential care and related services to help New Jersey’s youth who have suffered from abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness, and human trafficking build a life for themselves that is good. They journey with young people from the streets, to Residential Crisis Centers, to transitional living homes, and on to independent living in the community to help them break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
Family Promise helps homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence.
They recognize that poverty is a complex problem that requires a multifaceted response.They respond by integrating educational outreach, smart programming, effective policies, and the hands-on work of thousands of volunteers. They provide food, shelter, and support services for homeless families. They provide advice and advocacy for at-risk families to prevent their becoming homeless. And they educate people about poverty and the means to combat it.
Morris Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization and an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International which is headquartered in Americus, Georgia. Habitat for Humanity provides technical assistance, but each affiliate operates independently raising its own funds, finding its own sites and selecting its own families. Each affiliate tithes to Habitat for Humanity to assist in building efforts worldwide.
Homeless Solutions Providing a Hand UP, Not a HandOUT offers shelter, services, and supportive housing to the homeless and working poor in Morris County, New Jersey.
