Singing for a good cause
Girl Scout troops from across the Mars area are belting out holiday tunes to raise money for families in need with the return of their Caroling for Mars service project.
The scouts raised money last year to purchase presents through troop funds that would have otherwise been used to attend events that were canceled due to COVID-19, but did not sing in person for safety reasons.
“We had a lot of extra funds within individual troops because no one was allowed to do anything. We weren’t spending money on supplies, and we had extra money from cookie sales that we were able to contribute towards the shopping,” said Megan Balazs, leader of Troop 28839.
This year, the performance schedule is back on track. Girl Scouts performed at the Light Up Mars holiday celebration in downtown Mars, and are scheduled to perform again Dec. 4 at two locations: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harvest Valley Farm Market in Richland Township, Allegheny County, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dave’s Country Meats in Middlesex.
Approximately 10 different troops will participate, with each troop signing up for a different hour time slot. Troops can also carol in their neighborhoods in addition to at scheduled locations.
Mars Trefoil Service Unit Girl Scout troops have participated in the Caroling for Mars project for nearly 30 years, performing in front of local businesses and at holiday events to collect donations, which are used to purchase presents for local families in the Mars area.
Hands-on help
Leader Heather Ladesic of Troop 28839 said that the scouts are raising funds to purchase gifts for 16 different girls in need. The Girl Scouts receive information on “wish lists” for the families.
“You are given an age group, a number to put on the bag, like ‘1A, Age 11,’ and then they have a little wish list of what they would like,” Ladesic said. “For example, pants, size small, dislikes pink, likes purple and white. Then we deliver all the packages to Mars Middle School.”
Ladesic said the performances are a great way for the Scouts to get out into the community.
“It’s a pretty nice event being able to stand out there, and people are able to see the girls from the community coming in,” she said. “It’s nice to get back together.”
Sandy DaRe, service unit manager and leader of Troop 24122, a troop made up of high school students, said that the caroling event has opportunities for all girls to participate, even if they aren’t able to make the specific caroling hours.
“A couple of mine are going to help with some of the younger troops, because mine work during the day, so they can’t physically be there. Even in the case that you can’t sing something, I know some troops will do it in their neighborhood if our sign-up dates don’t work,” she said. “Some will also go help with the shopping, because they usually will have a lot of the tags that they can take a card and go shop for.”
Those in need
Balazs said that girls and families were already excited to participate and prepare for the performances.
“Our first meeting of the year, they created all new posters, which, I think, they had a really fun time doing,” she said. “We had parents donate a lot of different items we could use to create posters for the holiday season. They reorganized the song books and decorated the collection jars — that really got them geared up.”
In past years, Girl Scouts members have done the majority of the shopping for toys and requested gifts with the donated funds. Some families in need have asked for basic supplies like shampoo, conditioner and toilet paper on their wish lists.
“It was a very eye-opening experience,” she said.
For the girls that participated in shopping, Balazs said, being able to help out was “a motivator” to raise more funds this year.
“The older girls really got into picking out items they thought that the kids would like. They loved it — they had just a great time,” she added. “At the end, it was really cool to have all these kids see just how much we were able to get for these kids who otherwise wouldn’t have had a really great Christmas.”
DaRe said her troop members have had a similar experience shopping in the past.
“The Saturday morning that we go shopping, I think a lot of the troops notice that, that it’s as simple as clothes or that kind of thing in addition to a toy that they’re asking for,” DaRe said. “They’re asking for everyday items.”
A busy winter
Balazs said that local Girl Scout troops have had a busy schedule planned with activities for the winter now that more options are feasible for in-person events.
A number of girls recently participated in self-defense training at ATA Martial Arts in Cranberry Township through their troops.
“Not only did they talk to the girls about self-defense and physical actions they can do, they spent a lot of time talking about situations you don’t want to find yourself in,” she said.
The troops also have a babysitting training class planned for January.
“It focuses on safety, choking hazards and how to prevent and alleviate choking and CPR — all the different aspects of babysitting,” Balazs said.
Earlier in October, Girl Scouts visited the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and donated to support the organization, bringing in around 62 pounds of food.
“(It) was really encouraging for the girls,” Balazs said. “That was one way we turned it a little bit into a service project. We had all the girls bring a donation with them that we could give to the food bank before the tour.”
