Local Girl Scouts Honored for Service

Fanwood's Council honored local girl scouts last night by proclaiming March 7 to 14 as Girl Scout Week in the borough.

Mayor Colleen Mahr got a good thank you gift in return — local Brownie scouts in attendance gave her two boxes of their famous cookies, Thin Mints and Shortbread.

"This is great because the girl who normally comes around in my neighborhood didn't come this year," Mahr said, thanking the girls.

"The girl scouts are really a shining example of a place girls can go to be girls and still learn all the important lessons of life," the mayor also said, noting that she herself is a former scout.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood has an impressive 934 girl scouts and 90 troops, noted Service Unit Manager Julie Murphy. Those troops are led by 280 local adults.

"Those 934 Girl Scouts are going to be the leaders of tomorrow," Murphy said. "And the 280 adults who work here are really touching the future and helping shape those girls."

Displaying their numerous patches and awards, three scouts at the council meeting Tuesday night proudly led the council and audience in the pledge of allegiance.

The Girl Scouts got their start on March 12, 1912, and since then have served over 50 million girls and women. Murphy noted that the younger SP-F troops serve the community with activities like planting flowers and writing letters to soldiers. Older scouts volunteer at soup kitchens and animal shelters, and those seeking silver and gold awards start their own ambitious projects.

One local Girl Scout, Alexandra Vasconez, is currently collecting coat donations to earn her silver award. To find out how to help her, go here.

Of course, the group's biggest fundraiser, the sale of the popular Girl Scouts cookies, is going on now. To find out where they're being sold, go here.