Mission Moment: Troop 30365: Bethany Baptist Church

Mission Moment

Troop 30365: Bethany Baptist Church

Troop 30365 is a multi-level troop that meets at Bethany Baptist Church, located in Lindenwold, New Jersey.  The many levels include Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes with over 50 registered girls attending troop meetings and activities regularly on the third Wednesday and the third Sunday of every month.  With Girl Scouts at their side, girls explore their every dream, discover what they love, and learn the skills that will set them up for life. 

One example is when the troop went camping for the first time this year in May at the Timbercreek Service Unit’s bi-annual Camporee Event at Camp Inawendiwin.  They met new friends while learning new things about the outdoors.  They played games with prizes, ate lots of campfire food and had fun in the outdoors.  The girls say that the campfire was truly the best and they had so much fun singing camp songs and being a part of the talent show.  No one wanted to leave when the festivities came to end.

The young ladies also worked on a service project throughout the year. Last August, the girls organized and successfully ran a clothing drive for Angels of God Clothing Closet, located in Pitman, New Jersey.  Angels of God Clothing Closet was founded by Katelyn Darrow in July 2009 at just 12-years-old; she is now 17.  To date they have provided clothing to over 8000 families.  Some of the girls even had the opportunity to meet her during the pick up!

Also this year, the girls participated in a community service project at the Camden City Children’s Garden, with fun activities that included touring the Butterfly House, planting flowers and painting a mural.  They learned about beautification and how everything in the environment works together, such as how butterflies use flowers to lay their eggs.

Another exciting adventure for the girls and their moms was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Kid’s Dash on Mother’s Day in Philadelphia, PA.  Amira Trueblood had the honor of being an Ambassador while Aniyah Ward, TaNiya Ritter and Brianna Lester walked with her in the processional parade.  Also, Amira and another troop member Skyy Simmeron were accepted into the 2014 NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) SEEK (Summer Engineering Experience for Kids) Program in Philadelphia, PA.  Participants in this program are exposed to STEM through hands on engineering projects, and exposed to the roles and responsibilities of engineers.  This is Amira’s sophomore year in the program.

While this is just some of the things that the young ladies are up to, these opportunities with Girl Scouts have helped to propel them forward.  The troop of Bethany Baptist Church has a new sense of sisterhood and confidence.  Their future has limitless possibilities.  They truly believe that with Girl Scouts, they have seen and done things they would have never been able to do.  When girls realize they can, they do!