HomeCommunity NewsGirl Scouts Make Eggs for Visually-Impaired Children to Have Easter Egg Hunt

Girl Scouts Make Eggs for Visually-Impaired Children to Have Easter Egg Hunt

Eggs-citing Project: Troop 6301 Girl Scouts, from left, Kailie Aberin, Clara Chen, Katherine Gutierrez, Lexi Smith, Lauren Rooke, Megan Linden, Athena Stamus and Megan Diaz create Easter eggs for visually-impaired children.  Photo Courtesy of Troop 6301
Eggs-citing Project: Troop 6301 Girl Scouts, from left, Kailie Aberin, Clara Chen, Katherine Gutierrez, Lexi Smith, Lauren Rooke, Megan Linden, Athena Stamus and Megan Diaz create Easter eggs for visually-impaired children.
Photo Courtesy of Troop 6301

Girl Scout Troop 6301 is making sure visually impaired children can experience the joys of an Easter egg hunt.

For its Bronze Award Project, the fifth-grade girls from both Valentine Elementary School and Westridge School created 50 beeping Easter eggs and decided to host an Easter Egg Hunt in partnership with Junior Blind of America in Los Angeles.

The troop consists of Kailie Aberin, Clara Chen, Megan Diaz, Katherine Gutierrez, Megan Linden, Lauren Rooke, Lexi Smith and Athena Stamus.

The Junior Blind of America in Los Angeles will co-host the event, incorporating it into its annual picnic. The 1st Annual Southern California Beeper Egg Hunt will take place on March 12 at Grant Rea Park in Montebello.

The cost to construct each egg was approximately $14; however, the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators provided the necessary parts and instructions to build 50 eggs. Angie Swaim from the Winston-Salem Police Department in North Carolina provided a sample egg and consulting.

Neither the young Girl Scouts, nor the troop’s leaders Malia Aberin and Emily Linden, had the electronics or construction experience to build these eggs. Luckily, troop parents Steve Linden and Hector Gutierrez taught them how to create the circuitry and solder the plastic eggs. Another parent from the Girl Scout community, Thomas Tighe, loaned the group his drill press and taught them how to drill the eggs.

“I thought it was really fun,” Girl Scout Megan Linden said. “We got to do soldering to make sound holes and crimping of the wires. I enjoyed working together with my troop.”

Girl Scout Lauren Rooke said creating the plastic eggs was a lot of hard work, but everyone agreed that it was certainly worth it.

“We think it’s great that we are giving back,” she said.

The Junior Blind of America Special Events Manager Debbie McBeth provided the Girl Scouts with cultural sensitivity training regarding the visually impaired. They also received lessons in event planning as they checked out the egg hunt site and helped determine event details.

“We’re going to have games, a photo booth and a barbecue,” Megan Linden said. “I hope they enjoy it.”

“Everyone is excited,” Lauren Rooke said. “We’re working on banners right now for it.”

Girl Scouts Troop 6301’s hard work will continue for years to come. Junior Blind of America in Los Angeles plans to use the eggs year after year at its annual event.

The girls are committed to making this a special day for the children and families served by the Junior Blind and they are so excited about helping to provide an opportunity for all children, regardless of their visual ability, to participate fully in one of the childhood joys of Easter – egg hunts, according troop leaders. They said what began as a service project will hopefully have a lasting impact that extends beyond any Bronze Award. These Valentine Elementary School and Westridge School Girl Scouts are learning lifelong character-building skills about the importance of empathetic community service and taking the promise of helping others to heart.

Troop 6301 is looking for an Easter Bunny costume to borrow for the event. It also needs more funding to meet budgetary needs.

Anyone wishing to help who has an Easter Bunny costume or would like to make a tax-deductible donation should contact the troop at girlscouts.troop.6301@gmail.com

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