Published: May 07, 2008 11:23 am         

Girl Scouts donate recyling bins

ELKHART — Girl Scouts don’t just wear green, they live green. On April 22, Indiana Lakeland Junior Girl Scout Troop 127 donated 45 recycling bins to Concord East Side Elementary school in honor of Earth Day.

Tabitha Johnson and Jackie Foy, Girl Scout leaders for the Junior troop, try to find activities that help girls learn to set goals, develop action plans to reach those goals, work together as a team and cultivate a sense of community. Participating in the annual Girl Scout cookie sale provides the Girl Scouts an avenue to learn these life skills.

The 13 Junior Girl Scouts have been together since they first registered as Daisy Girl Scouts five years ago. During this time, they have consistently decided to use a portion of their profits earned from participation in the Girl Scout cookie sale to give something back to their community.

They have donated items and time to shelters, food banks and other organizations that benefit their community. This year, the troop collectively sold more than 2,300 boxes of cookies and elected to support their own elementary school.

Johnson approached Sabrina Fritz, principal of Concord East Side Elementary School, to inquire how they could be of service to the school.

Fritz indicated that the school could really use some recycling bins to replace the cardboard boxes Eastside had been using to promote recycling. The Junior Girl Scouts were excited that they were able to do something that not only helped out their school, but also their planet. The girls personally delivered the bins to each classroom on Earth Day.

In addition to the recycling bins, these Girl Scouts have also decided that they will purchase $250 dollars worth of playground equipment for their school.

Celebrating their accomplishments, the Girl Scouts spent a day at Splash Universe Water Park in Shipshewana.

“Indiana Lakeland Girl Scout Council would like to commend these young women for their community service efforts and their commitment to ‘making the world a better place,’" according to a release from the Girl Scouts.

To learn more about Girl Scouting see www.indianalakeland.org or call toll free at 866-223-7740. Indiana Lakeland Girl Scout Council serves Elkhart, Kosciusko, Noble and Whitley counties.