MONROE – The members of Girl Scout Troop 83824 want to spread smiles, not germs, in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
And with that, troop members have been meeting virtually on a weekly basis and created a Quarantine Kindness Bingo game, which they opened up for anyone who wants to participate.
The troop, led by Heather Corona and Tiffany DelValle, includes 12 sixth graders Marisa Ortiz, Skylar Snyder, Olivia DelValle, Christina Pedulla, Josephina Corona, Brooke Craparotta, Kayden Cipolla, Emily Cugini, Avika Sancheti, Sumer Snyder, Eveilette Arellano and Julia Artz. Eleven girls attend Monroe Township Middle School and one girl from Spotswood attends Immaculate Conception School. Many members are seventh-year Girl Scouts.
“We don’t just help out in good times, we also help out during hard and difficult times,” Josephina Corona said during a virtual interview with the Sentinel on April 22.
They came up with 25 acts of kindness to create the game that can be accessed online. Olivia DelValle said the project gives them a way to connect with the community and show their appreciation for healthcare workers.
The bingo board spaces include simple fun tasks that maintain social distancing, from making a card or treat for a first responder or healthcare worker, sending flower seeds to someone in the mail to plant, chalking a happy picture on a neighbor’s driveway, emailing a thank you to a teacher, making ice cream in a bag, trying a new cooking recipe, helping a friend with an online assignment, and painting a rock with a kind message on it.
Troop member Brooke Craparotta kickstarted the bingo board with sending thank you cards to frontline heroes at Princeton House Behavioral Health in Princeton.
Many of the girls are well on their way to finishing the board game. Josephina said she chalked the walk with a picture of a rainbow and has donated 40 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Julia Artz, whose mom Teresa is director of the Magnet Program and Nursing Quality at Saint Peter’s, shared she sent a letter to her grandmother with a keychain and bracelet in Kentucky. She has recruited her grandmother and cousins to participate.
Julia said their donations and cards are a way to give back to the frontline heroes who have risked their lives during the pandemic. She noted some have been away from their families.
The troop is asking for a $5 donation per participant so they may provide the Girl Scout Acts of Kindness patch to everyone who participates. All proceeds will be used to donate meals to healthcare workers at Saint Peter’s University. The troop set up a payment platform with detailed instructions on CeddarUp at https://troop-83824-quarantine-kindness-bingo.cheddarup.com/ and they created a video explaining the project at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0CS-htOP20&feature=youtu.be