Daisy Ridge Service Unit

Children's at Egleston
The Young Friends Program for ages 9-14 is a great way for their youngest volunteers to begin their service to Children's. Even though children this age cannot have direct contact with the patients, there are plenty of ways for them to brighten a sick or injured child's day. Tuesday after-school programs are available. Call 404-785-6371 to reserve a date for your troop.

The VolunTEEN program is perfect for high school students ages 15-17 looking for a rewarding way to spend part of their summer. The program offers hands-on volunteer work in the hospital environment, including both administrative work and direct patient and family interaction. Openings are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are mailed in February each year.  The deadline for applying to the VolunTEEN program is March 31. Call the Volunteer Services office for an application, 404-785-6152.

The Atlanta Hospitality House
Since 1981, the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality has been providing lodging, comfort and care for relatives of individuals who are in 21 area hospitals. Usually someone comes to Atlanta to take advantage of the world class medical care that our hospitals provide. Many times the relatives of that person can't afford to stay in a local hotel for an extended time. When that’s the case, hospital chaplains and social workers will make arrangements for that relative to come and stay with us. They have special needs for household groceries and supplies. More details >>

Project Open Hand
The mission of Project Open Hand is to provide freshly cooked meals and nutrition services to people with symptomatic HIV/AIDS, homebound seniors and individuals with other critical illnesses or disabilities.
Needs -

1. On site food preparation (weekdays 4:30 to 7 PM) and weekend shifts
2. For project to be done at meeting - decorate brown paper bags used as "snack bags" for clients. Great for younger girls. See the instructions to the right in the Projects box.

DeKalb Medical Center
Contact - Becky Aliffi, Volunteer Program Coordinator at 404-501-5919

1. Bake items (for example, muffins and cookies) to be distributed at hospital waiting areas. Here is a chance to cook and do service
2. Carolling for Christmas or other holidays. (Valentine's, Fourth of July, etc.)
3. Meal Tray cards, as described to the right.

Central Night Shelter
Your troop can come and serve a meal to the homeless men served by this shelter or simply drop off pre-made lunches for the men to take with them. Sue Briss is a leader who coordinates this and she tells me the men like to be visited by GS troops. Email Sue for more information.

Adopt-a-Grandparent for the Year
I have been looking for ways to have my troop involved with a project for a longer period of time. Sharon Abdel-Khalik told me that her troop "adopted" a senior citizen.

For four years they brought non-perishables as dues to their meetings. Three times a year they visited her and took the food. At Christmas they helped her get gifts for her grandchildren and at cookie time they gave her cookies for her grandchildren. I thought this was a wonderful idea.

Senior Connections would be happy to help match you up with one of the seniors they serve in DeKalb County. Contact her by phone at 770-216-2581 or email Dierdre Reynolds.

Used Uniform Exchange
Here's another way you -- and your troop families -- can provide service to other Girl Scouts. We have a number of new girls joining troops this year whose families could use some help in getting Girl Scout uniforms, so donate your used uniforms to your sister scouts! See our uniform exchange page for more information.

Eyeglass Collection
Our own Trudy Rudert can help you with this project. Your troop can collect old eyeglasses through your families, school, church, etc. You can donate them to the Lions Club. They collect eyeglasses, frames without lenses, lenses without frames and hearing aids. They are distributed through the Georgia Lions Lighthouse located on Clairmont near Emory.

The glasses we collect will be cleaned and read to establish their prescription. They are sent to Third World Countries where they are distributed to needy people. Citizens of GA who are needy can apply for free glasses through the Lions Club. If they meet the requirements which define that they are indeed needy, they will be fitted with new glasses, not the recycled ones we send abroad. Donated hearing aids are sent abroad and the Lions Clubs provide new hearing aids to citizens of GA who are in need.

Girl Scout leader Kembra Smith is also a member of the Lions Club. Email Trudy for more details.

Want to share something with other troop leaders? Want to see what has been shared? Check out the Daisy Ridge Blog!

Add this form to your green Service Unit notebook and complete a copy of it every time your troop does a community service. Instead of mailing it to Council, please give it to Claudine first. That makes you eligible to purchase the new "Let the Green be Seen" patch from the Service Unit. The patches are being ordered and will probably be here in a little over a month. (Claudine then will give your form to Council.)

Halloween not Christmas
Non-profit groups love visitors at Christmas but it would be nice to have visitors at other times of year. So, think about Halloween. Here are some possibilities:

• Visit an home for senior citizens in your Halloween costumes and sing "pumkin carols" (any fun song). If you need some homes to go to, e-mail Amy Durrell.
• Visit a child care facility that needs help and bring a Halloween craft to do with the kids. Bring a Halloween story. Again, e-mail Amy if you need ideas for places to go. There are many options.
• Make a Halloween craft or card to donate to meals on wheels or a home for senior citizens.

Decorate Tray Cards for Halloween!
Dekalb Medical Center would like to have decorations on their meal trays for Halloween. In order to do this, do the following:

1. Fold regular index cards in half.
2. Decorate one side with Halloween message. Use stamps, flat stickers, crayons, markers, etc.
   DO NOT use glitter and scented items (including scented stickers!)
3. Make sure you somehow indicate that this is from the Girl Scouts.
4. Bring back to the October meeting. This is essential; we have to get it to them by Halloween!

Decorate snack bags for Project Open Hand
Project Open Hand delivers two hot meals and a bag of snacks per day to home-bound terminally ill patients. Girls can decorate brown bags to cheer up their day. There are a few guidelines:

1. Do not tell them to get well, unfortunately they most likely will not.
2. Do not use glitter, stickers, or scented items.
3. Do not use religious themes.
4. Make sure you somehow indicate that this is from the Girl Scouts.
5. Mail or drop off your bags. They are located off 85, the Monroe exit off Buford Hwy) Contact Carl or Greg at 404-872-2707 if you'd like to stop by.

Tell us what your Daisy Ridge troop has been doing! Or share some good ideas for service projects. Send your information to Amy Durrell, the Contributing to Society Coordinator for Daisy Ridge Service Unit.

Ideas from other troops:

• Collected soda caps for Ronald McDonald House
• Used postage stamps collected to raise money for lepers in India
• Penny drives to donate to the cause of your troop's choice
• Atlanta Food Bank – parents came too 2 hour shift of sorting food. Also works toward the Hunger 101 patch.
• Animal shelters – donate old towels, blankets and pet toys for the animals.