Ronald Breuer of Cutchogue watched three of his granddaughters in Girl Scout Troop 864 dip their feet in blue paint on a recent Saturday and slowly pace down a path from the Cutchogue East Elementary School jungle gym to the new blacktop, leaving colored footprints behind. READ
The Boy Scouts of America’s board of directors voted unanimously last month to allow girls to join the Cub Scouts and to offer a program that will let older girls achieve the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
“A book can make you feel better.”
That simple statement, spoken by sixth-grader Sidney Brewer, is the principle that guided a dozen local Girl Scouts in their latest endeavor. For their Bronze Award project, they wanted to give the gift of reading to their community. READ
Fred Carter of Cutchogue holds up a handmade card he received from a group of local Girl Scouts. The cards have been sent to local vets on Veterans Day for the past six years.
Fred Carter said he was already having a great Veterans Day when he checked his mailbox last Tuesday.
The 85-year-old Cutchogue resident had spent the morning visiting his wife at a nursing home in Westhampton. After a patriotic ceremony was held at the facility, the couple watched videos of old Bob Hope USO shows.
When the Korean War veteran returned home that afternoon, he was touched by something he received in the mail. It was a handmade card from a group of local Girl Scouts thanking him for his service. (more…)
COURTESY PHOTO | Girl Scouts L to R front row: Victoria Hilton, Amanda Aurichio and Paige Confort (all students at Greenport High School) with Troop Leader Ruthanne Corazzini. L to R back row: LITPS Chair Robert Goldfarb, CPA and LITPS Head of Operations: Ross Kass, CPA
Greenport’s girl scouts got a taste of the business world recently as they volunteered for the seventh straight year with the National Conference of CPA Practitioners over in Woodbury recently.
The group, about 10 girls, helped the organization at its Long Island Tax Preparers Symposium keep track of attendance, collected evaluations, handed out literature needed for the conference, and completed other tasks while about 700 professionals from the area attended while attaining continuing professional education credits.
While CPAs and girl scouts might not seem like two peas that would fit in the same pod, pack leader Ruthann Corazinni said that the girls are able to gain a little bit of real-world experience from the trip.
“Living out here, they don’t typically see big business seminars,” said Ms. Corrazinni, who has been leading the troops for close to 13 years. “So getting to see and talk to people in the financial industry is a good chance to get a lot of business exposure.”
KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Cleanup oganizer Tonya Kaiser-Witczak holds the bag while scouts deposit trash.
Girl Scout Troop 1971 Service Unit 60 organized its first “Earth Day Celebration, Rock the Beach” to clean up Orient Beach State Park so that visitors can enjoy it as the warmer weather rolls in.
Troop leader Tonya Kaiser-Witczak said although other cleanups had been conducted in the past, she believes this plan is unique because of the area’s size. The event lasted six hours and it included several educational components, and an awards ceremony to recognize different accomplishments, such as most garbage picked up, she said.
COURTESY PHOTO | Members of Girl Scout Troop 1971 Service Unit 60 created signs this week to promote ‘Rock the Beach,’ its first Earth Day celebration.
The trash at Orient Beach State Park is about to get picked up, but the beautification project isn’t being spearheaded by government employees.
Girl Scout Troop 1971 Service Unit 60 is organizing its first “Earth Day Celebration, Rock the Beach” to clean up the park so that visitors can enjoy it as the warmer weather rolls in.
Troop leader Tonya Kaiser-Witczak said although other cleanups have been conducted in the past, she believes this plan is unique because of the area’s size. The event, scheduled for Saturday, April 27, from 10:30 to 4:30, will include several educational components, and an awards ceremony will recognize different accomplishments, such as most garbage picked up, she said.
“This is going to be an educational day for local Girl Scouts,” Ms. Kaiser-Witczak said. “If we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it to the best of our ability.”
Local organizations — including Group for the East End, Peconic Land Trust, Atlantis Marine World, Cornell University Cooperative Extension and the New York State Parks Department — have agreed to participate and will conduct workshops that day. A yoga class with Mary Hassel and a workout with JABS owner Jill Schroeder are also slated for the day’s festivities.
Ms. Kaiser-Witczak said the event’s inspiration came from one of the Brownies’ reading a Suffolk Times story this past winter about how vinyl music records had washed up on the shore.
“The girls’ reactions were a combination of sadness and motivation to somehow help find a way to remedy [the trash] problem,” she said. “All interested troops and community members can join together to clean up one of our beautiful Long Island beaches while learning more about our environment.”
As local volunteers focus on dealing with the refuse problem, state workers are finishing several repair projects at the park.
Earlier this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office issued a press release announcing that each state park will open by Memorial Day weekend. Orient Beach State Park has been closed due to damage from superstorm Sandy.
Officials said the two-mile long Park Entrance Drive and Gardiners Bay shoreline suffered “serious erosion,” and four sections of asphalt roadway totaling about 2,120 feet were damaged. In addition, the buried utilities along Entrance Drive were exposed, all park buildings were flooded, and the storm surge damaged a lifeguard shack. The picnic tables at the beachfront and more than 30 trees along Entrance Drive and in the picnic area were also either damaged or destroyed.
State officials say several repair projects have been completed so far. All utilities have been reburied along the Entrance Drive shoulder, telephone lines have been repaired, the water treatment facility has been restored and is operating, and the chlorinator water system has been installed above the flood zone. Two large “rip rap” slopes have also been installed along sections of previously eroded roadway to protect the new road, and about 4,500 yards of a sand/gravel mixture have been used to restore an 880-inch berm to protect the building complex.
The Department of Transportation plans to pave the roadways in the next couple of weeks.
While the state continues its work, Ms. Kaiser-Witczak said she’s in the process of securing sponsorships and product donations for her troop’s volunteer cleanup effort.
She said donations of garbage bags and gloves are needed, and monetary donations will help secure other supplies, like T-shirts and patches.
Ms. Kaiser-Witczak said she’s pleased with the initial response to the volunteer effort and hopes it turns into a yearly event. About 47 girls have signed up, and some of their parents and siblings have agreed to join in, she said.
“They need to learn about how they can help at younger age,” she said. “It’s their world after we’re gone.”
For more information, contact Ms. Kaiser-Witczak at (516) 322-9147.
GIANNA VOLPE PHOTO | Claire Stevens interviews JABS owner Jill Schroeder during the Girl Scouts’ visit to women-run businesses on Love Lane.
After The Suffolk Times ran a story on how women business owners dominate Love Lane and adjacent Pike Street in Mattituck, Girl Scout troop 1575 was inspired to learn more about the roles women play in our society.
Led by troop leader Lynn Stevens, the girls, ages 9 and 10, interviewed four of the female entrepreneurs during a visit Thursday afternoon.
Holding microphones high, the girls asked JABS owner, Jill Schroeder what got her into the fitness business and what Love Lane Kitchen owner Carolyn Iannone’s favorite menu item is. Cecily Jaffe of Cecily’s Love lane Gallery was asked how she decides which frame to choose for a picture and the question put to hair stylist Sandy Lazar of Haircutters was how she keeps a baby from crying while trimming their locks.
When the walking tour was finished, the girls turned their microphone on a Suffolk Times reporter, as curious about the news business as they’d been about each of the shops
.
“We are the future business owners of the area,” Ms. Stevens. Several of the girls said the experience helped them realize the many opportunities that may open up to them when they’re grown up.
To read more on Troop 1575’s visit pick up next week’s copy of The Suffolk Times.
COURTESY PHOTO | Members of Girl Scout Troop 720 and Girl Scout Troop 2932 dedicated their Veterans Memorial Mosaic in Mattituck Veteran's Park to the local community, veterans and the Mattituck Park District.
A group of Cadette Girl Scouts from troops 720 and 2932 unveiled their handmade Veterans Memorial Mosaic on Dec. 3 at Veterans Memorial Park in Mattituck.
The mosaic, a Silver Award project made with natural materials forming the image of a candle, includes a plaque that reads: “The light is our freedom. It is fragile and we must strive to protect it.”
The Mattituck Park District commissioners assisted the troops with their project and installed three benches surrounding the mosaic.
District commissioners, along with Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine, attended the Silver Award dedication ceremony at which the troops honored local veterans.
The scouts said they came up with the mosaic idea because they believed it was a natural fit to fuse their two interests: honoring veterans and beautifying their beloved park.
COURTESY PHOTO | Girl Scouts from Troop 720 and 2932 unveiled their Veterans Memorial Mosaic on Dec. 3 at Veterans Memorial Park in Mattituck.
A group of Cadette Girl Scouts from troops 720 and 2932 unveiled their handmade Veterans Memorial Mosaic on Dec. 3 at Veterans Memorial Park in Mattituck.
The mosaic, which was a Silver Award project made with natural materials forming the image of a candle, includes a plaque that reads: “The light is our freedom. It is fragile and we must strive to protect it.”
The Mattituck Park District Commission assisted the troops with their project and installed three benches surrounding the mosaic.
The commission, along with Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine, attended the Girl Scout Silver Award Dedication ceremony where the troops honored local veterans.
The troops said they came up with the mosaic idea because they believed it was a natural fit to fuse their two interests—honoring veterans and beautifying their beloved park.