Members of Southold Girl Scout Troop 3040 bring joy to San Simeon

For the girls in Southold Girl Scout Troop 3040, helping others just comes naturally. They feel strongly it’s part of their duty as scouts, with an emphasis on giving back and respecting the communities they live in.

So on Thursday, members of the Troop came to San Simeon Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation with their projects that were part of the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout cadette (grades 6-8) can achieve.

“This award gives you the chance to show that you are a leader who is organized, determined and dedicated to improving your community,” said Jeannette Judge, the Troop leader who accompanies the scouts to San Simeon.

The scouts purchased items such as markers and crayons for the residents; they made a video showcasing the scouts’ talents; they grew plants in pots and decorated them so that each room in the facility would have something green. They brought everything into the facility, first stopping curbside for photos of their projects.

The five members of the Troop who came for the event were: Samantha Maskiell, Julia Judge, Caroline Fannon, Olivia Zehil, and Rylee Owens, all of whom are in seventh grade.

After taking everything into the lobby, Jeannette Judge summed up why it was an important day for the scouts.

“I feel that it’s important as a leader and a parent to instill in our children the desire to give back and respect our community,” she said. “San Simeon did a great job keeping the older members of our community safe during this pandemic. Unfortunately this meant keeping people out of the facility.

“The Girl Scouts of the North Fork would go to this facility during the year to deliver poinsettias and to carol,” she added. “This last year we were not able to enter, which is why the DVD of the girls’ talents along with items the girls made and purchased.”