Community Corner

Saline Girl Scouts Lead Campaign To Cheer Up Dexter Kids

The Junior Girl Scout Troop #1694 and Heritage elementary kids wrote 150 letters to Dexter elementary school students to cheer them up in wake of the March 15 tornado.

This week, over 150 letters, written by fourth grade children, were delivered to Dexter Elementary school children, letting them know Saline's fourth graders were thinking of them as the community cleans up the . 

The fourth grade Junior Girl Scout Troop #1694 wanted to help the Dexter community and with the help of Les Sharon, Principal of Heritage School and Teri Bunting, fourth grade Heritage teacher, the idea of "Cheer Up the Children" quickly became a reality. 

Using a portion of the money the troop earned from their recent cookie sales, the troop donated the stationary to every fourth grade Heritage class and Heritage students donated their time to write letters to young children affected by the recent .  

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The campaign started with a desire to help the Dexter community and in a matter of days spread to the entire Heritage 4th grade and three days later over 150 letters were collected. 

"This was truly a collaborative effort," said Kim Friedman, Troop Leader. "Without the support of both Mr. Sharon, Mrs. Bunting and the other fourth grade Heritage teachers and their students, this would never have become what it did. Our troop could have written letters, but it was because of them we generated so many letters and can hopefully cheer up a whole bunch of children."  

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Bunting, a Dexter resident, said "reading some of the letters, brought tears to my eyes." 

In the letters students were encouraged to let the young Dexter students know they were being thought of and that the Saline students were sorry for what had happened. Junior Troop #1694 member, Sydney Friedman said "we wanted to do something to help Dexter and what better thing could we do than to write a letter that helps little kids." 

Troop member Megan Bankowski said "our troop is all about community service and doing things for others." 

Both scouts are in Bunting's fourth grade class and took a considerable interest in this project.


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