From Voice of the Valley

Maple Valley’s Girl Scout Brownie Troop 44392 is passionate about animals and their care.Their last two service projects reflect their love of animals. One of their projects involved making fleece tied blankets for Maple Valley based South County Cats (SCC). South County Cats is a non-profit, all-volunteer spay/neuter assistance organization dedicated to reducing overpopulation, homelessness and euthanasia rates of cats in the community. Part of their program places kittens from feral cats into foster homes so they can be socialized and adopted into good homes. The troop feels it is important for foster kittens to leave their foster homes with a cozy blanket that smells like their brothers and sisters and gives comfort as they transition to their new home. SCC was very thankful for the homemade blankets and according to SCC director, Sally Halela, “We are impressed with Troop 44392’s passion for animal welfare and we always appreciate the help from local scout troops.”

The second project for the troop was a pet food and toy drive for the Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) in Kent. RASKC provides for the well being of the homeless cats and dogs until they can find safe, loving, & healthy adoptive homes. The scouts were able to tour the RASKC facility and learn about the various levels of care the animals receive. They also learned about volunteering when they are older and were excited about the possibility.

This cookie season, their service projects continue and the girls have chosen to sponsor two children, a girl and a boy, that live in Sierra Leone, Africa through The Bridge of Hope based in Maple Valley. Their sponsorships will allow the children to go to school for a year, get a hot meal each day, clean water, and access to healthcare. They get to be pen pals throughout as well! Locally they are supporting homeless children in shelters in the Puget Sound Region by giving their donated cookies to an agency based in Renton called Birthday Dreams. Girl Scouts is truly teaching them the rewards of serving others and how much fun it is when you work together to make the world a better place!

Image: Back row: Kylie, Sophia, Bella, Presley, Ava, Alisha Front row: Berkley, Olivia, Ashlyn, Taylor Not shown: Scarlett, Kaiya