Wrapping Up a Year of Birthdays, Girl Scouts Present Gift to LifeTown

Girl Scout Troop 22789 in Short Hills capped off a year of volunteering with, and dedication to, Friendship Circle’s Birthday Club by presenting a $750 check to LifeTown. The donation was presented to Esty Grossbaum, FC’s Jr. Division program director, during an end-of-school-year Girl Scout celebration.

The Scouts, all students at Hartshorne Elementary School in Short Hills, began volunteering with Friendship Circle late last year after first visiting the future home of LifeTown.

Working in small groups, the girls helped reinvigorate FC’s Birthday Club, ensuring that every FC child had friends at their birthday celebration. According to Stacey Tavel, whose daughter Maddy, is a Girl Scout, the Birthday Club became “one of the highlights of our week for both the scouts and their parents. The Friendship Circle families were so warm and welcoming. We immediately felt like old friends.”

“The girls saw the children for who they were, not for who they weren’t. Our girls jumped into any situation and connected with friends with all different abilities,” she added. “I am hoping that they will carry this experience with them as they continue to grow, develop and experience the world around them.”

In accepting the gift, Esty Grossbaum acknowledged just how valuable the girls’ efforts have been in making birthdays super-special for Friendship Circle children. She also praised their gift, noting that she looks forward to seeing them in LifeTown.