Congratulations to the members of Girl Scout Troop 271 from Glenwood. The fifth graders, who all attend Bushy Park Elementary School, have earned the Bronze Award, which is the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve at the Junior level.
The members of the troop are Melissa Amoss, Audrey Bower, Jaiya Dua, Rumsha Khan, Lily Oakes, Alyssa Preece, Julia Ricker, Christine Rioux, Emily Robinson, Madison Smyth, Shannon Smyth and Reese Talbott, and their leader is Heather Smyth.
In the last year the girls have worked with People Who Need People (PWNP) to help the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center in Columbia and Sarah's Hope in Baltimore.
The girls held a fundraiser at the Bushy Park Spring Fling in May. They shared what they had learned about homelessness in the area and sold crafts that they had made themselves over the previous months. Through sales and donations, they raised close to $300. Then the whole troop went shopping and purchased items that Grassroots desperately needed, like pillows, lotions, food items, toiletries and baby products. They also donated 40 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for the children at the shelter to enjoy.
In addition, the girls donated $290 in gift cards to PWNP to be given to Grassroots and Sarah's Hope as needed, for purchasing new back-to-school shoes, clothing and supplies for the children in the shelters.
Leader Heather Smyth says, "The girls had a great time with this project and I am hopeful that all that they have done will stick with them for many years so that they continue to give back."
PWNP is a local nonprofit organization established in 2006 to serve the needs of homeless women and children by working with established charities in Maryland. More information about the great work they do is available at http://www.pwnp.org/
If you are a young person with ties to the farming community who wants to teach people about agriculture, you should consider attending the information and orientation session on Wednesday, July 8, to learn more about the Miss Howard County Farm Bureau Contest. Cash awards and gifts will be presented to all participants and the winner will receive an agricultural scholarship.
The Miss Howard County Farm Bureau Contest is open to 16 to 19 year olds who are knowledgeable about farming, raising livestock, gardening and other farm-related activities, and are willing to share that knowledge with members of the community.
All participants must be members of the Howard County Farm Bureau and be prepared to participate in the contest at the Maryland State Fair. More information will be available at the meeting on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the 4-H Club building at the fairgrounds. You can also contact Merhlyn Barnes at Merhlynbarnes@aol.com.
The 2014 Miss Howard County Farm Bureau, Kaitlin Johnson, will be at the meeting to answer questions, and talk about what she has done in the year since she was chosen for the position.
The Little Miss Howard County Farm Bureau and Future Howard County Farmer Contest are for girls and boys who are ages 8 to 11 as of the beginning of August. An information and orientation meeting for contestants will be held on Wednesday, July 8, at 5:30 p.m. in the 4-H Building at the fairgrounds. You can contact Mary Jean Coles at cmjcoles4@aol.com with questions. The Howard County Farm Bureau Contests will take place on Sunday, Aug. 9, at the beginning of the Howard County Fair.