Area girl scouts perfect their square knots

The Holiday Season is the time for giving and the Girl Scouts of America are no strangers to the art of giving and doing for others; it is part of their pledge “to help other people at all times”.

The Daisy, Brownie and Junior Girl Scout Troops at Hillside Elementary School in Brookfield complete a service project every year as part of their annual Christmas Party. This year they made 80 fleece blankets for patients at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa. The blankets specifically will given to patients being treated on the hospital's Trauma/Surgical Intensive Care Unit, and are much appreciated.

Hillside Elementary School has six troops of Girls Scouts: K5 Daisy Troop #4473, 1st Grade Brownie Troop #2272, 2nd Grade Brownie Troop #2828, 3rd grade Brownie Troop #2536, 4th Grade Junior Troop #2496, 5th Grade Junior Troop #2363. A total of 85 girls participated in the event.

The evening started with caroling at Brookfield Rehab, Care-Age of Brookfield and Franciscan Woods in Brookfield. Everyone returned to Hillside School for pizza, juice and desserts donated by the parents. Work then began on the blankets. The project took 150 yards of fleece fabric and an hour and a half of tying square knots to complete!

“Last year we made Teddy Bears from the Build-A-Bear Workshop and donated them to Children’s Hospital," said Rene Crowe, leader of both Brownie Troop #2272 and Junior Troop #2496. "We also do the PB&J collection to benefit the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee and the individual troops have also done various service projects throughout the year.”