Helping babies in the NICU!

The blanket makers with their cozy blankets!

We had another AWESOME meeting on November 20, and helped make knotted fleece baby blankets for 12 babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital in Gary. NICU nurse Terri Hendrickson was our speaker and said the blankets would be very much appreciated by the families receiving them. Some families coming to Gary Methodist don't even have a going-home baby outfit for their newborn, and very few have blankets and just go home with the typical thin hospital blanket. So she said, especially with the cold weather upon us, the families would treasure the blankets the girls made.

We used troop funds to purchase the fleece at Jo-Ann Fabrics (thanks to those of you who contributed coupons! :-) and had the blankets pre-cut so the girls just had to tie knots. They were great at this and had the blankets ready in no time. We might make more in the future for animals as part of their bronze project. 

Nurse Terri explained what her job as a NICU nurse is like, including what led her to become a nurse. The girls learned about saving a premature baby's life and how Terri has helped transport sick and premature infants.

They learned there are stereotypes nurses face, too, and how to overcome them. The girls got to see Terri intubate a baby doll and how equipment helps babies stay warm and breathe. They saw photos and x-rays from Terri's work. They all learned how to diaper and swaddle a baby using their baby dolls and hospital diapers and blankets. Everyone really enjoyed it!

At the end of our meeting, the girls showed off their cartoon superhero drawings. We had superheroes helping the homeless, others helping stray dogs and others that were experts on friendship. It was fun to see how each girl came up with her own superhero!

Diane gave all the girls their cookie forms so they can begin selling cookies to family over the holidays. They can start selling to the public January 1, but to relatives beginning now. We will hopefully have another booth sale this  year.

Nurse Terri Hendrickson explains how she and other NICU nurses care for premature babies

Jilli and her intubated baby doll

Ava with her diapered baby ;-)

Naomi with her swaddled baby doll

Julianna with her swaddled baby doll

These blankets turned out beautifully!

Voting and Veterans Cards!

At this meeting (Nov. 6) we had the girls vote on the area they wanted to focus on for their Bronze Project. These girls have such big hearts, they want to help a LOT of different groups -- sick babies in the neonatal unit, kids in orphanages, animal shelters, seniors, the environment/parks, underprivileged kids who don't have a lot of books or toys, etc., etc.! We needed to get them to narrow their focus so we could figure out how to best use their time and our resources for their Bronze Award.

Here's the interesting thing: Many Girl Scout troops do ONE thing for their Bronze Project. These girls have so much energy and enthusiasm we will be doing service projects all year long! How amazing is that?! Talk about the Girl Scout slogan: "Leave a place better than how you found it." They are living examples of making the world a better place!

The "vote" on a Bronze project "won" by one vote: Helping Animals. But we plan to also help many other organizations this year, including making a meal for the homeless on December 5, making blankets for Neonatal babies on November 20 and collecting books for needy kids at a Hammond School. Letters keep pouring in in response to the girls' letters to community organizations, and we're confident we will be able to help many other organizations this year.

Suzanne and I are working to give the girls choices on how they want to help animals, whether it's through the Humane Society, a group called Power Paws, or another local shelter that assists wildlife. We will keep you posted on our plans.

At the end of our meeting, with Veterans Day coming up, the girls made cards for service men and women. I am mailing them to an organization that gets letters to service men and women currently serving in our Armed Forces. I'm sure these will brighten their day!