Girl Scouts bringing warmth and compassion to seniors

KEWAUNEE COUNTY – A local Girl Scout troop is bringing warmth and compassion to the lives of senior citizens in their community.

When Christina Connery and McKenzie Will of Junior Girl Scout Troop 4064 needed a project to earn their Bronze Award, McKenzie proposed the idea of visiting the elderly in assisted living facilities.

She was inspired by her own experiences visiting her grandmother.
Together with their troop leader, April LeGrave, the girls visited four nursing homes, talking with staff and residents to understand their needs and put together gift baskets to donate.

“We asked questions and kind of interviewed them on what they felt like they needed and what they were missing.” McKenzie said about what they hoped to learn from the residents.

What the troop learned was heartwarming — residents enjoyed chocolate, bingo, puzzles, birdwatching, gardening and reading prayer books.
But what truly struck the girls was the deep sense of loneliness that many residents felt, especially since COVID-19.

“We found out that a lot of times they don’t do a lot, right,” LeGrave shared, “When you ask them ‘what do you like to do?’ and some of them it’s puzzles or crafts, but most of them, they just read prayer books and you know, just wait to talk to somebody.”

LeGrave went on to describe the isolation some residents face.

Many don’t receive visitors, and some arrive at the facilities with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

The girls also noticed that some residents had no decorations or personal items in their rooms.

“They see a lot of it with patients who have Alzheimer’s,” LeGrave explained.

“Because they (the residents) don’t know (remember) the family. So then the family doesn’t think it’s important to stop by, but the families don’t often realize that they need to replace items.”

They discovered that it’s often basic toiletries and clothing that these nursing homes are in most need of.

“You don’t realize that some nursing homes need the paper products, but they don’t supply that. So the girls learned about things at the nursing homes that they just don’t supply. Shampoo, conditioner, deodorants, tooth brushes.” LeGrave stated. “And some of them (residents’ family members) don’t replenish their clothes.”

With this information in hand, the troop went to Sunshine House Resale Store.
The resale store is a part of Sunshine Resources, a nonprofit organization that serves disabled and special needs community members.
LeGrave noted that the resale store invited them in and allowed them to pick up anything they wanted to include in the baskets.

The group picked out a wide variety of items, including picture frames, games, movies, seasonal decorations, big number alarm clocks and a blanket.
The troop also made throw pillows to include in the baskets.

LeGrave also noted that the community is invited to simply visit the residents and spend time with them.

“They like to play games. Even if they (community members) don’t come and do a project or a craft or something, just going there and playing cards, or reading bingo,” she said.

“Just spending time with them.” McKenzie added.

Building on that, LeGrave shared that a staff member mentioned the idea of pairing local youth with residents to write stories about their lives and share them in a circle with other residents.

“They want to know that they lived, that they made a difference,” LeGrave said.
Ultimately, Christina, McKenzie and April hope their project raises awareness.
“So that other people can bring their own donations to nursing homes,” McKenzie said.

“We don’t want our project to be done as soon as we drop off the basket because that’s not going to help.” LeGrave added. “I don’t want people to think, ‘oh the girls were here and they’ve got enough for the nursing homes,’ because the need is continuing. We’ve barely put a dent into what the nursing homes actually need.”

The troop’s efforts are ongoing, and they encourage the community to get involved.

Donations can be made directly to nursing homes or given to LeGrave to include in the gift baskets by Sept. 17.

Those interested can contact April LeGrave at 920-676-6519 or aprillegrave@gmail.com.

In addition, LeGrave shared that a Girl Scout recruitment event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Current and potential Girl Scouts in the Kewaunee, Luxemburg-Casco and Algoma school districts are invited to join the fun, which will feature Olympic-inspired games and goodie bags.