“Our troop sold 1,405 boxes of cookies,” says Girl Scout Sydney Shumaker, 10. “It feels good to donate our profits because we’re helping people in need of a place to stay.”
After school on Wednesday, May 18, members of Girl Scout Troop 60028 presented a check of $1,000 to the JW House. The facility offers overnight and day use services for families of patients receiving treatment in hospitals nearby. The donation came from profits of the troop’s cookie sales this year. There are 10 girls in the troop, most of whom are fifth grade students at Ponderosa Elementary School. The school is located in Sunnyvale but is part of the Santa Clara Unified School District.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling to imagine these young ladies selling more than 1,000 boxes of cookies to benefit the JW House,” says Meredith Smith, JW House’s director of development and marketing. “This money will pay the fees of 20 overnight stays for families who have loved ones in a local hospital.”
“I asked all the Girl Scouts what they wanted to do with the money, and a few of them brought up the idea of giving the $1,000 profits to the JW House,” says Michele Shumaker, leader of Girl Scout Troop 60028. “I think it’s important for them to give back in some way and this is a perfect opportunity for them to give to families in need who are going through an unfortunate time. This way they can see that people need help and they can do things to make other people’s lives better.”
“I feel lucky to give to a good cause like the JW House,” says Girl Scout Emilie Hrnjadovic, 10. “My grandpa once stayed at a hospital for a long time. My family couldn’t stay with him because we had nowhere to sleep overnight. So we didn’t get to see him very often.”
Smith led the Girl Scouts on a tour of the JW House. They saw the kitchen with “The Desserted Island,” filled daily with homemade and donated desserts for the families staying at the JW House to enjoy. Outside the girls read some tiles naming families and community supporters who wanted to leave their legacy at the JW House.
Reflecting on her favorite part of the tour, Hrnjadovic remembers a quilt in the hallway leading to the rooms. She explains that the cloud on the quilt reflects bad days while the sun is an optimistic reminder of brighter days ahead. She describes the design of grass as going up and down like ocean waves.
“The grass on the quilt expresses that some days are good, some days are bad but don’t give up,” Smith says.