In giving to others, two Fort McPherson Girl Scouts were awarded their group's third highest award at Early Park in a ceremony April 29 on Fort McPherson.
Janlyn Diggs, 10, daughter of Janell Diggs and Lt. Col. Rick Diggs, former deputy chief of the program and manpower division for U.S. Army Forces Command G-8, and Sarah Hutchinson, 11, daughter of Lorene Hutchinson, Fort McPherson Protestant Women of the Chapel praise and worship leader, each received the Bronze Award for helping homeless people in Atlanta.
Both are members of Girl Scout Troop 19310. T
he Bronze Award is the third highest Girl Scout award, and the highest award a junior rank Girl Scout (Janlyn and Sarah's rank) can receive.
The two worked together to create kitchen kits for people moving from homeless shelters into homes, said Janlyn.
Kits included cups, plates, silverware, dish towels and other necessities needed to stock a kitchen, she added.
The girls gave five kits to a furniture bank in Atlanta that helps the homeless move out of shelters and into their own place.
Sarah initially got the idea to do a service project from the Walt Disney promotion "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day," in which volunteers who do a day of service to their communities receive a one-day ticket to a Disney Park.
The basis for what her project would entail came from studying current events for another Girl Scout badge.
Sarah's mother, Lorene, said in studying current events, the girls learned there are currently 7,800 homeless people in Fulton and Clayton counties, and that the number at times can climb as high as 20,000.
Additionally, the girls learned there were approximately 80 homeless children living on the streets, with another 300 living in shelters.
To help these people, the girls decided to to sell cookies to raise funds to purchase items and to canvass neighborhoods for monetary and other donations.
Overall, the girls said they put in about 15 hours a piece into the project. In performing the project, the girls said they also got a good education into the caring nature of people.
Sarah recalled how while shopping for items for the kits, a stranger approached her and asked why she was buying kitchen ware.
When Sarah told the stranger, the woman gave her $10 and her blessing. Janlyn said she was also touched by the kindness of others.
"There were a lot of kindhearted and dedicated people at the shelters," she said. "It was good to see people like that working at the furniture bank."
Janell said the project was a good chance for the two girls to bless others who were less fortunate.
"God has blessed our Families, and we want to spread that blessing to others," she said.
Their work is also inspiring others.
Fellow Fort McPherson Girl Scout junior, Shelby Parker, 10, daughter of retired Maj. Mardis Parker, said she was motivated by her two peers from Troop 19310 to perform some sort of community service.
Parker, an animal lover, said she is developing plans to organize a dog food collection for homeless pets in no kill shelters in the area.
Although the two girls earned a very high honor, they do not plan on stopping anytime soon.
Sarah, upon graduating the fifth grade this year, will move up to the cadet rank in Girl Scouts, allowing her to work for her Silver Award.
She said she plans to continue work with helping the homeless in the community through volunteer work.
Janlyn, a fourth grader, still has another year as a junior and is unable to start working toward her silver, but still hopes to serve others by motivating and continuing her participation in the Girl Scouts.
"We do a lot of fun stuff," she said, citing a recent trip to Savanah to the home of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts.
There, she said she got to see the first Girl Scout headquarters building, as well as learn about the history of the organization and its roots.
Janell said she was proud of the girls for living up to that spirit and legacy of the Girl Scouts in their work.
"Both of these girls have achieved the high ideals and goals expressed by Juliette Gordon Low," she said. "Janlyn and Sarah have served their country, community and God with their hard work and skills."
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