Girls help families in their time of need

The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island is place of comfort for families who are dealing with the illness of a child. Thanks to a pair of Valley Stream Girl Scouts, it’s an even better place to be.

Natalie Piniero and Monica Ferrall, seventh graders at Holy Name of Mary School, collected donations for the Ronald McDonald House, located in New Hyde Park. After visiting in December with the National Junior Honor Society to bake some treats for the kids, they wanted to do more. The girls said they were very impressed with the facility and the services offered to families, and enjoyed spending time with the children there.

For their Girl Scout Silver Award project, they collected 10 boxes of items that the Ronald McDonald House needed including toiletries and gift cards to various stores. Additionally, Piniero and Ferrall collected $138 in monetary donations, which was used to purchase bottled water. They brought all the items to the facility on May 9.

The girls sought donations from the parishioners at Holy Name of Mary Church, and placed an announcement in the church bulletin. They said the members of the church were very giving. “We really appreciated the generosity,” said Piniero, 12. “A lot of people donated.”

Ferrall, 13, said that she and Piniero spent a total of 52 hours working on their project. A lot of the time was spent sorting the donations. For the Silver Award, Girls Scouts must pick an issue in the community that they care about, and spend a minimum of 50 hours working on it. “It felt great that we were donating to a good cause,” Ferrall said.

The girls are scouts with Troop 2124 based at Holy Name School. They will be presented with their Silver Awards on May 25. The Silver Award is the highest honor for a Girl Scout Cadette.