The Girl Scouts started work at the Spencer-Penn Centre on March 22 to ready planters for a community garden. Several area troops showed up, with girls of all ages involved in the project. The group has recently been trying to gain traction to bolster its membership numbers and has been involved in several activities that have helped the community throughout the years.
The girls gathered to stain and paint raised garden beds for the new community garden in Spencer-Penn’s library parking lot. Several girls gathered around each planter to stain and then paint their designs to make the garden more colorful. The palettes were made from recycled cookie palettes.
“We like recycling, reusing, and repurposing, they’re not real fancy boxes, but the only cost to them is the screws,” said Donna Hubert, a Martinsville Henry County Troop Leader and the area’s cookie manager.
Hubert made 15 raised garden planters. Plants will be brought into the community garden by 4-H Club members, who have grown several plants from seeds. The community garden will be open for the public to take the food they need, and some of the yield will be sold at the Farmers’ Market – if there is an abundance of fruit and vegetables.
The Girl Scouts aim to empower young women to step into leadership roles and learn the value of teamwork, Hubert said.
“We emphasize using our resources wisely and being a friend to our sister Girl Scouts,” said Hubert while talking about the organization’s goal. In the past, the group included 37 troops with more than 300 members in Martinsville Henry County, but in recent years, registration has dwindled.
Currently, there are nine troops with 45 to 50 girls enrolled. The girls are sorted by age, starting with ‘Daisys’ at the kindergarten and first-grade levels, and ending as Girl Scout Ambassadors at grades 11 through 12.
“The older scouts help their sister Girl Scouts, especially to help the little ones. Every Girl Scout you meet, they’re your sister Girl Scout,” said Paige Canada, service unit leader for Martinsville/Henry County Girl Scouts.
“They really enjoy helping others. A lot of them have volunteered at the SPCA, taken up supplies to give to the food pantry, and they really learn the importance of helping our community and smaller kids,” said Canada.
Both troop leaders agreed that they have noticed that the girls in their troops become more outgoing after staying in the program for an extended length of time. “It gives them confidence, a lot of confidence,” said Canada.
Families interested in enrollment may call the Roanoke Girl Scout Office at (540) 777-5100 for more information, or email info@gsvsc.org. To sign up and view troops, visit the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline website to make an account and look at troops that might be a good fit in their area.
Enrollment can begin once a child reaches kindergarten, and is open for children up to grade 12. Interested adults can sign up to be troop leaders. If no troops match the family’s needs, there is also an option to begin creating a new troop.
