Mallory, Ellie, Mackenzie and Abby are the girls in our troop that completed this Girl Scout Silver Award project. The 4 Cadette’s are all animal lovers. Between the 4 of them and their families there are 7 cats, 2 dogs and a rabbit. So it was no wonder they choose to do a project that involved helping animals in need. For their project the girls built new homes for injured squirrels and groundhogs that live at our local animal rescue center Tree House Wild Life Center in Dow IL.
The girls first visited the center to discover a need. They then sat down to write up their project for approval. Working together they planned out the duties and responsibilities of each girl involved. Then it was time to do comparison-shopping and research to decide the best wood and products for the job. The girls found a wood sealer that was animal safe as their furry friends were sure to chew on their new homes.
After deciding on materials and purchasing all they would need. The girls embarked on a journey to build the houses. They also learned to use many power tools along the way, including a table saw, jig saw, drill, sander and air nail gun, with the assistance of one great Girl Scout dad. There were many steps of measuring and re-measuring before cutting all the wood into the needed shapes and sizes.
The girls also set up a drive at their school to collect much needed supplies for the center as part of their project. They collected blankets, newspaper, cleaning supplies and food. Many hours went into the planning as well as the building. The Cadettes met weekly to complete the project on evenings and weekends to get it completed on time.
When the project was completed the girls had built 4 squirrel houses and 2 groundhog houses. They were then able to go back to the center and install the homes. The girls were able to enter the enclosure and attach the squirrel house to the top of the enclosures. Then they placed the large houses in the groundhog enclosures and filled them with pine needles as the groundhogs like to nest inside of their houses.
Of course, the girls were so proud of the project and the many visits they made to the center to see all the animals that are helped each day there. These Girl Scouts are from 2 different schools but have become the best of friends during the 5 years they have been together.
Mallory and Ellie will be attending the All That Glitters Ceremony in April to receive their certificate and Silver Award pin. The girls are all talking about the many steps and their ideas for their Gold Award projects. They all have the hope that they will be able to complete they Gold so that they will earn the Trifecta Award.
The girls developed many skills while completing this project. They were required to work as a team to make decisions about many things including the size and shape of the houses, the schedule they would follow to complete it and how to stay within the budget they had set up.
The Girl Scouts who completed this project are currently 8th graders and freshman at local schools in our area.
My name is Trisha and I am the leader of Troop 797. I was a Girl Scout from 1st through 8th grade. During many of my 12 years as a leader/ co-leader I was a volunteer for 2 troops. Currently, I am the Service Unit Manager and Treasurer of SU 105. I have had these girls since Daisy level and have retained 3 of the 4 this year. The 3 remaining scouts want to receive their Gold Award and 2 will receive the Trifecta Award once completed.
