Pause Book Drive!
Getting involved with Pause? What’s that mean? In the past, students have completed their senior projects or internships with Pause by getting hands-on experience working with families. Other groups and organizations like Mason High School or University of Cincinnati’s Allied Health program have funneled volunteers to interact (and have fun!) with kiddos who are differently abled at our monthly events.
But, some organizations don't just stop there! Some come to us with BIG ideas and BIG hearts to serve families - and the Junior Girl Scout Troop 41015 from Anderson Township is one of those groups! Troop 41015 consists of ten 4th and 5th graders who have been together for five years! They have done a variety of activities over the years including hiking, painting, cooking, and camping!
Each year, the girls pick a service project to complete to give back to their communities. Previously, they packed shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse, made blessing bags for The Bethany House and planted flowers at their school. This year, the girls decided to do a book collection for their service project and Pause was recommended as an organization to partner with because our CAN DO network stretches far and wide!
The troop met with our team to learn more about our mission, values and how we serve families. Afterwards, the girls were so excited to partner with us that they wanted to involve their school community to collect as many books as they could - and they did just that! They contacted the school administration to share their ideas and then blasted out the book drive in the school newsletter and on social media pages. They set a big goal of collecting 100 books!
The girl scout troop ran the book collection for about three weeks and were BLOWN away with the support they received! They surpassed their goal - not by a little, but by a lot! They were able to collect 906 books in total! You read that right! 906 books!
The girls enjoyed their service project SO much that they came and volunteered with Pause’s Sunday morning program - Unlimited! In the past, the girls never really got to see how their service project impacted the organization, so this time they wanted to come and see how Pause actually supports families. Such huge hearts for girls who are so young. We were so honored to meet and host them!
Troop Leader Anna said, “The girls were so happy about our book drive, and so proud of the number of books we collected, they really wanted to bring them and experience the difference they were making. Spending time with the children and being able to make that connection with the program was really special and brought the project full circle. Each girl talked about how amazing the kids were and how much fun they had. Seeing our Girl Scouts take ownership of this project was really amazing! The girls all really enjoyed being a volunteer, and were so impressed about the important work you are doing! We hope that the books make a difference for the kids and families you serve. Books are something that can be enjoyed at all ages for years to come!”
Let’s hear what the girls said about their experience partnering with Pause!
“I really liked volunteering for Pause for Parents Play for Kids! It was very fun to play with the little kids and give them books. I loved the zipline and the backyard play area.”
- Chloe S., 5th Grade
“My favorite thing that we did at Pause was playing with the children. I’m so happy we got to help Pause out with getting books. I hope the kids really enjoy them!”
- Madison S., 5th Grade
“I learned that giving to others is fun. I really liked the relaxing room. I am sure that is a nice place for the kids to relax.”
- Bella G., 5th Grade
“I learned about how it is fun and important to help kids. It was a lot of fun and I am glad that we went to Pause for Parents, Play for Kids!”
- Sophia G., 5th Grade
“I liked volunteering at the Pause for Parents event and seeing the kids we were helping.”
- Ellie M., 5th Grade
My favorite part of Pause was playing with the kids. It was a lot of fun and helpful to the parents to get a little break!”
- Emily G., 5th Grade
“I really liked the look that they had on their faces when we told them that we had 900 books. It just felt really good to be able to give so much.”
- Lucy M., 4th Grade
“I love that we set a goal of 100 books but we were able to collect over 900! Pause is a really neat place for everyone to hang out.”
- Jovie P., 4th Grade
Troop 41015 - YOU have impacted our families by blessing us with so many amazing books! We are SO thankful for all your hard work and dedication to this book collection and we can’t wait for you to come and hangout out with our kiddos again!
Interested in coming up with a creative project to support Pause families? Reach out to sara.porter@pauseforparents.org with your ideas! Together we can do MORE for families!
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
