Throughout the years of being a Girl Scout, every girl gets many opportunities to support local foundations and organizations. This fall, the first and second graders from local Girl Scout troops 3036 and 3037 are gathering together to paint pumpkins for the Little Hero Foundation’s Gold Pumpkins For The Cure initiative. The Little Hero Foundation is an organization committed to making an impact on pediatric cancer. Participants decorate pumpkins in gold to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. For every golden pumpkin decorated, the Little Hero Foundation promises to donate $1 to pediatric cancer research, up to $10,000.
The painted pumpkins will be displayed at the Academy of Dance Dynamics and Action Karate in Valrico during November. The pumpkins and heartfelt, handwritten letters from the young girls will serve a noble cause: supporting pediatric cancer research. The objective is to inspire local community members to contribute to the Little Hero Foundation, thereby making a difference in the lives of children battling cancer.
“When I grow up, I want to help people. Girl Scouts helps me with that,” said Natalie, a first grade Daisy in Troop 3036.
Several girls in these local troops have friends with pediatric cancer, and through this effort the girls can contribute to the cause in a meaningful way. The Girl Scout organization values making a difference in each troop’s community, and the girls involved feel pride in supporting organizations they feel close to.
The local troops have actively engaged in various community service initiatives over the past year, including participating in park cleanups, organizing supply drives for the Humane Society, distributing pollinator seed bombs, crafting cards for both veterans and nursing home residents and creating educational bookmarks to promote STEM learning among children.
“We also do lots of crafts and games to develop long-lasting memories and friendships, including pen pals with troops in other states,” said Kayla Zonnevylle, Girl Scout parent.
In the upcoming months, the girls have many activities planned. In addition to their cookie sales and camping adventures, they will also be adopting a family for the holiday season. The girls will dive into entrepreneurship and learn how to start a business, learn the workings of a fire station through an informative tour and learn to design computer programs. Remarkably, this schedule is only a glimpse of what lies ahead.
For more information about Gold Pumpkins for the Cure, please visit https://littleherofoundation.org/. For more information on Girl Scouts locally, visit www.gswcf.org.
