Items being collected
Here are some of the items Girl Scout Troop 42350 is collecting for military personnel. Items may be dropped off before June 1 in the Madison Elementary School office, Madison Twp. Administration Building, North Madison Fire Station, Mohawk Pizza or with any member of Troop 42350.
Baby wipes
Shampoo
Soaps
Lotion
Foot care products
SPF-15 or high sunscreen
Eye drops
Black socks
Stationery and envelopes
Sanitary products for women
Dental products
AA or AAA batteries
White tube socks
Brown T-shirts
Music CDs
Movie DVDs
Beef jerky
Hard candy
Gum
Cheese crackers
Cookies
Powdered presweetened drink mixes
MADISON TWP. — Five years ago, as Brownies in Girl Scout Troop 42350, they collected Beanie Babies and plush animals and sent them to troops to give to young children.
The girls are growing up — and so is their community service.
Now fifth-graders at Madison Elementary School, the eight members in the troop are earning their Bronze Award, the highest in the junior program, by gathering items and sending them to military personnel, said Amy Schenck, a troop co-leader.
Once the items are collected, Schenck said the girls will give them to the Blue Star Mothers — those who have sons and daughters in the military — and watch as the gifts are wrapped and shipped.
“We want them to see the entire process,” said Schenck, fiscal officer with Madison Twp. and deputy clerk of Middletown council.
Students in the elementary school also are having a contest to see which homeroom can collect the most items. The winning class will be treated to an ice cream party at the school’s Field Day.
Schenck said she and co-leader Tracey Wheeler stress the importance of community service — especially toward the military — to their troop.
Part of the Girl Scout motto says: “Serve God and my county.”
Plus, the assistant principal at the elementary school is Jason Jackson, a 1998 Madison graduate who served in Iraq for 14 months with the U.S. Army National Guard.
After the girls earn their Bronze Award, they will be eligible to become Cadets as they enter the sixth grade. The girls started in the Daisy program in kindergarten.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.
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