THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 5, 1996 TAG: 9604040145
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
BROWNIE AND JUNIOR Girl Scouts in Glenwood helped out the Easter Bunny this year by creating 100 Easter baskets to give to the needy.
And they did it with part of their hard-earned Girl Scout cookie money made by knocking on hundreds of doors in all kinds of weather.
The 10 girls in Lea McInally's Brownie Troop 292, and the 10 girls in Cheri Stoops's Junior Troop 613 spent more than $200 for chocolate, candy, crayons, coloring books and cloth eggs and bunnies last month to make and then fill the 100 decorated baskets they made from gallon milk containers.
Thanks to them, 100 clients of the Resource Mothers program at Family Services of Tidewater will have Easter baskets to give their children on Sunday.
``The girls wanted to do something with their cookie money to help someone else,'' said McInally, surveying the rows of plastic Easter baskets lined up on her pool table and dining room table. Wendy's donated free Frosty coupons for the baskets. ``They had a really good time - they got so excited. It only took one meeting to make the baskets and another to fill them.''
The baskets sat in McInally's home in all their glory until they were proudly presented to workers and some clients of Resource Mothers who stopped by to pick them up. They will be delivered to the individual families this week. Seven-year-old Amanda McInally gave the first basket to 11-month-old Teonna Hardy, an inquisitive baby who happened to be along that day and who squealed with delight at the sight of the goodies.
``I did this because I like to help people who don't have anything,'' said pony-tailed Amanda with a shy smile.
The girls in the Brownie troop sold 1,300 boxes of cookies this year and made $513.40 (each box nets the troop 40 cents). They spent $138 on the baskets. It cost that much, said McInally, because the troop is brand new and had no materials. Stoops's well-established troop spent $70 on its baskets. The girls were so enthusiastic about the project that they wanted to bring their own ``stuff'' to help fill the baskets, she said.
``They all stayed an hour past the meeting time that night,'' McInally said with a laugh. ``This was not a badge project or anything. They just wanted to do it on their own.''
Resource Mothers was chosen at random to receive the baskets. McInally simply opened the phone book, looked for family services and called Family Services of Tidewater. The organization told her that the clients of Resource Mothers would be most appreciative of the baskets. Resource Mothers is a prenatal and postnatal program whose workers take clients to doctors' appointments, well baby checks, childbirth and parenting classes, etc.
Maryellen T. Browne, Resource Mothers coordinator, could barely believe her eyes when she stepped into McInally's living room.
``Oh, aren't they gorgeous?'' she exclaimed. ``You all did a great job.
``You know, we get donations from a lot of places but we never had someone creating 100 Easter baskets for us,'' added Browne. ``This is real nice for Easter.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Victoria Kesling, 11, of Junior Girl Scout Troop 613, and Amanda
McInally, 7, of Brownie Troop 292, present Teonna Hardy, 11 months,
with one of the 100 Easter baskets their troops made for Resource
Mothers, a prenatal and postnatal program whose workers take clients
to doctors' appointments, well baby checks, childbirth and parenting
classes, etc.
by CNB