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Photograph by George Sakkestad
Katie Atwell (left) and Jordan Fillmore have fun creating the journals the Girl Scout troops later gave to youngsters at the Children's Shelter and at Valley Medical Center.
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Girl Scout project helps children Journals give kids opportunity to express feelings
By Michelle Alaimo
Girl Scout troops in Saratoga got a chance to do something that many children don't get to do--help other children.
Nearly 300 Girl Scouts from 23 Saratoga troops came together on Feb. 26 to make journals for the Santa Clara County Children's Shelter and for the pediatric patients at Valley Medical Center.
The event was part of the troops' annual community service project. Troop 183 Girl Scout leader and event organizer Sue Crimi said the goal was to find something useful and creative that 300 girls could do by themselves.
She said last year she had contacted the pediatric wing at the hospital and the shelter and both told her of a need for journals. So this year when it came time to organize the project, Crimi knew exactly what she wanted the troops to do.
"I like the idea of kids helping kids," Crimi said.
Donna Ruiz, administrative assistant for the Santa Clara County Children's Shelter said the children really appreciate what the Girl Scouts made for them. "We don't have a lot of people make journals for us, however people do buy them for us," Ruiz said.
She adds that using a journal is important for the children in the shelter because it serves as a creative outlet for them.
The troops were also very creative in making the journals consisting of donated supplies from local stores including Safeway and Kinkos. Each Girl Scout also paid $3 to help cover costs.
The girls each developed their own journal cover design using Fun Foam that was attached to a report cover filled with paper. Once completed, each journal was placed in a plastic bag with two pencils and a box of crayons and tied shut with a ribbon.
Troop 305 Junior Girl Scouts member Katie Kilbourn said she was proud of the journals the troops had made. "It makes me feel really good that I did something for other kids," Katie, a fourth-grader at Sacred Heart School said.
She added that each troop member wrote their name, grade and school they attend inside the journal so that the recipients know who made it for them.
Katie said she hopes the child who receives her journal enjoys the flower and butterfly design she made on the cover and uses the journal to write her private thoughts in.
Ruiz said she has no doubt the journals will be appreciated. "The journals will be put to use and the kids will enjoy them," Ruiz said. She adds that many of the children write daily in a diary and that the shelter is always in need of journals for them to use.
The Girl Scouts participating in the community project received a participation patch for their efforts.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
