The Moorestown Girl Scouts have been in Moorestown for more than 80 years. Right now, they are just shy of 400 registered Girl Scouts, and they are looking to go over that mark.
From their 80 years of existence, the Moorestown Girl Scouts have accomplished a lot in the community as well as for themselves.
Recently, the Moorestown Girl Scouts were honored with the STAR award for their Service Unit Team doing great things in South and Central Jersey. However, the leaders said it isn’t all them, but really the girls and their hard work, willingness to learn and experience new things.
“What really makes the Moorestown Girl Scouts so special are the girls. It’s all about teaching the girls life skills, teaching them to be adventurous and learning different skills,” Courtney Sullivan, a leader and Girl Scouts service team member, said.
From the Girl Scouts, young ladies learn lifelong skills such as camping outdoors, using different technologies, learning to cook, acting and public speaking.
“It’s all about teaching the girls to empower themselves, be aware of the world around you and be well-rounded, good people,” Sullivan said.
The Girl Scouts do some small and fun activities outside of Moorestown such as camping at places such as Camp Kettle Run, sleep-ins at locations such as the Franklin Institute, attending performances such as “Annie” in Philadelphia, touring cities such as New York City and Savannah, Ga., the birthplace of Girl Scouting, and going to theme parks such as Hershey Park.
To go even further, they’ve also gone out of the United States. Girls from Moorestown went to England and Switzerland last summer. Some of the girls participated in an exchange program and camp in England where they stayed at the Girl Guide/Girl Scout World Centre in England called Pax Lodge while touring the streets of London. Girls from England will be coming to South Jersey in exchange.
Also, a troop from Moorestown visited the Girl Guide/Girl Scout World Centre, Our Chalet, in Adelboden, Switzerland, and all earned the Chalet Challenge, which required many physically challenging activities as well as learning about the history of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Being the Moorestown Girl Scouts, they do a lot for the local community as well, such as donating Girl Scout cookies to Operation Yellow Ribbon, working to support Live Civilly by doing a community garden cleanup, and collecting and donating food to support a local food bank.
They also participated in a Cupcake War where different Girl Scouts and Brownies decorated their own cupcakes in a fun competition with a Disney theme. The Girl Scouts held their annual Pasta Dinner last month where they hope to use the money toward a scholarship fund to help members travel to other countries and states. And last but not least, they sold more than 400,000 cookies this year.
The girls aren’t the only ones doing great things; the adult leaders are doing well, too. The Girl Scout Council of Central and Southern New Jersey recognized the Moorestown Service Unit Team for having a well functioning and good service team. The team is made up of five to 10 adults who support the Moorestown Girl Scouts and is run by Maryellen Demille, Moorestown service unit manager. For this, they were presented with the STAR award, which is a pin of achievement, earlier in the month.
“It was great to earn the award. We put a lot of work into all of our activities, and for them to be recognized, that we work hard, is very nice. We really appreciate it,” Sullivan said.
Although the Moorestown Girl Scouts usually take a break during the summer, they are still doing some major events. For Memorial Day, some of the members of the Girl Scouts will participate in the local Memorial Day event where they will walk and present a flower representing those who were lost in war. They also will be having their Bridging Ceremony on June 10, where girls who are finishing Brownies, Juniors and Girl Scouts will move to the next level.
The Moorestown Girl Scouts are always looking for more girls and adults to join their organization.
“We’re always looking for girls and volunteers, always. And if we want a lot of girls, we need the leaders. We get excited for new leaders and girls who want to join,” Sullivan said.
The Moorestown Girl Scouts can be contacted through their website at www.moorestowngirlscouts.weebly.com; their Facebook page called Moorestown Girl Scouts; by attending one of their events, which are posted on both websites; or stop by The Happy Hippo where Demille works and visitors will be pointed in the right direction.
“It is fun. The girls make good friends and do different activities. Some of my girls’ best friends are from the Girl Scouts, and they learn a lot of skills. It is a good way to grow up, make lifelong friends and learn lifelong skills at the same time,” Sullivan said.
