Girl Scout donates bears, cards to sick children
Girl Scout Elizabeth Town knows that a hospital can be a scary place for a young child. So the 17-year-old senior at Huntingtown High School created "Bears to Show We Care". Working with local parents and students she collected hundreds of handmade get-well cards and teddy bears that she recently gave to Calvert Memorial Hospital.

"I was absolutely overwhelmed," said Barbara Fenwick, director of emergency services at CMH. "It shows her dedication and initiative. This is something that was done from the heart."

Since March, Town spent over 75 hours on the Gold Award project - the highest award available to Girl Scouts. The project reflects the skills - such as leadership and planning - she has learned through her 10 years in the Girl Scouts.

To reach her goal, Town partnered with the principal and third grade teachers at Plum Point Elementary School. Troop leaders Annie Hamer and Patty Hanko also assisted her. To begin, she researched on the Internet how to talk to children about hospital stays and how to lessen their fears or concerns.

Then she visited each of the third-grade classes at PPES. As part of her presentation, Town developed games to help the students talk about their feelings. Later, she showed them how to make the get-well cards. Each one has a decorated cover and a handwritten message on the inside.

Town also distributed flyers to parents whose children attend the school encouraging them to donate bears to the project. Troop 2331, a junior troop, made 10 furry friends at a Build-a-Bear workshop®, which they also donated.

In addition to the cards and bears, she also made activity booklets called "Me and My Bear" to help calm and entertain the children while they're in the hospital. There's a page where the child can write what they're going to do when they leave the hospital and a "good memory" page where they can collect autographs from the nurses and doctors.

Along the way, Town said she had a lot of help, especially from her parents. "Mrs. Donna House (principal at PPES) was very understanding and supportive," she added.

"I wasn't sure I could pull it off," said Town, "but the kids gave me such positive feedback." What was the best part? "I really liked going into the classrooms and seeing them so happy when they made their cards."