From SOMa Girl Scouts:
When people think of Girl Scouts, cookies and camping often come to mind first. To that add creativity, community service and camaraderie, as girls from 31 troops across South Orange and Maplewood completed the Annual Girl Scouts Teddy Bear giveaway project.
The project has become a SOMa tradition for well over a decade with all levels of Girl Scouts, Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors, decorating bears each December for those needing a little extra holiday cheer. Some 432 adorable stuffed animals, a record number, will now be delivered to four deserving organizations, Good Grief of Morristown, Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair, the YMCA of Newark and Vicinity and Valley Settlement House in West Orange, for distribution to children who access their services.
Creativity reigned as 253 bears were outfitted with tutus, tennis rackets, capes, hand painted T-shirts, hoodies and other clever designs. The film WICKED inspired Senior Troop 20248’s bear apparel. Junior Troop 20509 sewed their bears sleeping bags!
Thanks to a generous donation by a local family, 179 dogs were also attired in style this year, ready to make some children’s holiday season brighter.
“This is a very meaningful activity for even the youngest Girl Scouts. It inspires empathy for others,” said Eliza Kaplan of Maplewood, co-coordinator of The Teddy Bear project.
Co-coordinator Sandra Kopytek of Maplewood added, “There are Girl Scouts who are Columbia High School seniors, including those in the troop I lead, that have been involved yearly in this project for 10 years. They look forward to decorating bears every holiday season!”
For more information about Girl Scouts in South Orange and Maplewood or to join or volunteer, contact the service unit at [email protected].
Photos courtesy of SOMa Girl Scouts:
