Submitted by Bonnet Riddles
Western Colorado
Montrose
As a troop we had just finished up our Agent of Change Journey and were starting to brainstorm a Take Action project when COVID-19 hit. All of our initial ideas were no longer plausible with the new safety and health guidelines. We were back to the drawing board and this time, that drawing board was a virtual one.
We wanted to help senior citizens in our area. The girls pointed out that our high-risk senior population is extremely isolated and they wanted to do something special to encourage them. The idea of making and donating bird feeders to a local retirement home was born! This project was led and orchestrated by Girl Scout Kendyl L. She bridged to Cadette this year, but with the extension on award projects, she really wanted to earn her Bronze Award before the deadline.
Kendyl and her team started by contacting retirement homes. A hurdle that we did not expect was being able to find a location willing to accept the bird feeders. Most places did not even allow us to finish speaking before giving “no” as an answer. Eventually, we did find a place that loved the idea.
The bird feeders were built and painted at our recent bridging ceremony. Each family, (at their socially distanced tables), worked as a team in assembling and creating a bird feeder for the project, 10 beautifully crafted and painted feeders in total were created.
Kendyl’s team reached out to local businesses and were able to get birdseed donated for the project. The bird feeders were filled and placed along sidewalks and outside of resident windows at Montage Creek Living Facility in Montrose. The completion of this project gives me great joy as a troop leader.
The delight that the elderly residents can enjoy from watching the antics and activities of different birds is priceless. I am so proud of both Kendyl and also of my troop for supporting her in reaching her goal.
We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.