Friday, October 28, 2011
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Members of Junior Girl Scout Troop 261, Shelby Byrne, Marina Campos, Sophia Campos, Marisa Head, Sophie Hodge, Madison Impton, Nicole Joseph, Jessica Megown, Julia Petrallo, Emily Skovran, Lane Taylor and Britney Young, received their Bronze Award at a candle lighting ceremony on the Green in Canfield Aug. 18. The troop is led by Denise Joseph, Michelle Head and Pattie Campos.
By ABBY SLANKER
Members of Junior Girl Scout Troop 261 received their Bronze Award at a candle lighting ceremony on the Green in Canfield on Aug. 18.
Gerard Kelly, service area director, was present, along with parents, siblings and junior troop leaders Denise Joseph, Michelle Head and Pattie Campos. The ceremony was held at the gazebo on the Canfield Green and was chosen by the troop because it is in the heart of Canfield.
The Bronze Award is the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn and helps the girls improve the community around them while building leadership skills. The award was presented to each of the girls after successfully completing all requirements. The culminating activity was the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley’s annual Buddy Walk Aug. 13.
The girls had to complete two badges relating to their Bronze topic, the Sign of the Sun, and two Girl Scout leadership badges. Once these prerequisites were met, the final stage was a 15-hour service project.
For the service requirement, the girls chose to volunteer for the Buddy Walk because Down syndrome is a part of the lives of two of the troop’s members. Sophia and Marina Campos’ brother, Nicky, has Down syndrome, and as Nicky had been present at some meetings, the girls formed a relationship with him which caused them to want to know more about him and others like him.
The community project had many aspects to it. First, the girls researched and discussed Down syndrome and how it occurs. „ÄÄThe Campos girls shared their
experiences with their brother, and the joys and frustrations they bring.
Under the advice of Down Syndrome Association of the Valley co-founder, Michele Jones, the girls decided to make and donate greeting cards using fingerprints from some children and adolescents with Down syndrome. These cards were then sold by Down Syndrome Association of the Valley to help raise funds for the organization’s many activities.
The girls planned, designed and made the cards, using the fingerprints of some helpers. Afterward, the cards were sorted and wrapped and brought to Down Syndrome Association of the Valley.
At the Buddy Walk, the troop members handed out balloons and tattoos, and helped with cookie delivery, games and clean-up. They also walked as part of Nicky’s team, Camp Campos.
The recipients of the Bronze Award were Shelby Byrne, Marina Campos, Sophia Campos, Marisa Head, Sophie Hodge, Madison Impton, Nicole Joseph, Jessica Megown, Julia Petrallo, Emily Skovran, Lane Taylor and Britney Young.