CLARK, NJ — Girl Scout Daisy Troop 40710, of Hehnly Elementary School, made and donated wreaths to residents of Clark Nursing Home. The 12 kindergarten girls made 13 bow wreaths from paper plates and assorted bows. Each girl brought a bag of assorted bows to complete the project.
“The girls were inspired to create the wreaths by the considerate and caring petal called Zinni petal,” Troop Leader Genevieve Cece of Clark told LocalSource. “The wreaths were made by cutting a circle in the center of a paper plate and a ribbon was then stapled to the plate so it could hang over the door. Each girl brought a bag of assorted bows to decorate their wreaths and stuck the bows to the plate, covering the surface. Our motto is to give back to the people of the community with our projects, specifically Clark because we live in the town.”
The girls enjoyed making the wreaths and bringing people joy during the holiday season. The girls said they liked seeing the smiles on the faces of the recipients.
“The wreaths were fun to make and it was nice to make people smile,” Olivia Cece told LocalSource.
The girls also felt a sense of pride to earn their third petal badge for the project. The Zinni petal badge represents kindness and compassion.
“I was proud to earn the Zinni petal because when you earn the petal you know how to be caring and considerate like Zinni the Zinnia,” said Sophia Cece.
The project was selected because it was appropriate for the holiday season and it would be an opportunity to brighten someone’s day.
“We chose the project because we wanted to do something special for the holiday season that would demonstrate an act of being kind and considerate,” Genevieve Cece told LocalSource. “My co leader, Danielle Miller, and I came up with the idea. We thought the elders in the nursing home could benefit from being around the young girls and that they could brighten up their day with the wreaths. The girls were proud of themselves for completing a task and then receiving the petal. They are new to Girls Scouts and just getting an understanding of what it entails.”
The girls might be new to Girl Scouts, but they realize that not everyone is as fortunate as others, and they wanted to do something to show they care during the holiday season. It made them feel proud and joyful to be able to show kindness and compassion especially at this time of the year. The girls remarked that not everyone has decorations for the holiday season.
“We felt proud to make and donate the wreaths,” Ashley and Alexa Miller told LocalSource in an interview. “We knew that some people might not have decorations for the holidays, so we wanted to give them to people that might not have anything else. It makes us happy to know that other people are happy.”
Susan Masterson, director of Recreation at Clark Nursing Home, received the donations for the seniors.