By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor
EAST WINDSOR — A local teenager wanted to give senior citizens living at Wheaton Pointe a better mealtime experience — both nutritionally and emotionally.
Kaylee Cesard, 16, of East Windsor, started a project at the affordable housing community that provides dinner and companionship to the seniors once a month.
“Different Girl Scout troops cook and serve residents healthy meals,” Kaylee said.
A Girl Scout since kindergarten, the junior at Hightstown High School decided to implement the once a month meal for the senior citizens as her Gold Award project.
“I hope that the senior citizens see that teenagers are willing to serve them and that they get a nice meal out of it,” Kaylee said of her project. “I hope they see the positive effects of the younger generation.”
The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Prior to earning the Gold Award, Kaylee received the Silver Award in Scouting for collecting gently used sporting equipment from friends and neighbors that she sold for reasonable prices at the Police Athletic League (PAL) fields for families in need.
No stranger to community service, throughout the years Kaylee also made gifts for children in the hospital and sewed pillowcases for kids with cancer. She also plans to have a career in helping people as an occupational therapist.
Girl Scouts contributed to her passion for community service and she thanked her Scout leaders, her mother Debbie, and Debbie Cohen, and her advisor Cathy Wrobleski, for their help and advice along the way.
Scouting has been great for Kaylee, her mother said. Her daughter met a group of friends she might not have met otherwise, had the ability to take on strong leadership roles, learned how to overcome obstacles and had multiple opportunities to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Kaylee said she would recommend Scouting to any girl.
“You meet a lot of great people who have the same interests and you get to be involved in the community and really get to be a part of something,” she said.
