Newsome High School incoming senior Josie Stromgren was recently awarded the highest award within the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the Gold Award, for her hard work and dedication on a project important to her. Stromgren has been a part of the Girl Scouts for the last 13 years and is currently part of Troop 33541. She has also received the Bronze and Silver Awards from the Girl Scouts in previous years.
Stromgren worked closely with an organization called Lawrence A. Martucci Benefit Corp. (L.A.M.B.) to raise money for essential needs for families who are caring for children with cancer. L.A.M.B. is a Florida nonprofit that strives to support research into pediatric cancer, prevent childhood cancer and help families of children with cancer.
Stromgren started the Adopt a L.A.M.B. Family project, working in conjunction with L.A.M.B., in April 2023 and completed it in March 2024. Stromgren was able to raise over $1,500 for various needs of families and organized a toy drive which collected $450 worth of donated toys for Christmas for pediatric cancer patients. L.A.M.B. has agreed to continue the Adopt a L.A.M.B. Family program by financially assisting families who have children undergoing cancer treatments. The Fossil Valley Girl Scouts troop will continue the Christmas stockings for pediatric cancer patients as part of its community service project schedule.
Stromgren said of working on this Gold Award project, “Pediatric cancer research, unfortunately, receives much less funding compared to other types of adult cancer research. In addition, cancer leads to emotional and financial stress on families whose children are undergoing treatment. This is why I decided to create the Adopt a L.A.M.B. Family program to purchase essential household items for pediatric cancer families. I raised enough funds to purchase a dining room table set for one family and a washing machine for another. I also created and distributed an educational pamphlet to spread the word about my project, pediatric cancer and L.A.M.B. to a greater audience. Thanks to Girl Scouts and L.A.M.B., my project will be carried forward, allowing even more pediatric cancer families to be helped in the future.”
For more information on L.A.M.B., visit its website at www.lawrenceamartucci.com.
