April 7, 2007

Evergreen Girl Scout troop donates hundreds of toys to Regional Medical Center

Troop 007 organized toy drive to benefit pediatric department playroom

By Ali Abdollahi
Staff Writer

Evergreen Girl Scout troop 007 recently delivered a bounty of toys to the pediatrics department at San Jose Regional Medical Center.

Back row from left to right: Varsha Sathappan, Kelley Fernandez, Ashley Vaughn, Namrata Vakkalagadda, Jana King (troop leader), Rishika Kenkre and Dr. Meena Sathappan. Front row from left to right: Priyanka Krishnamurthi, Lyanh Phan and Gilliane Nwafor.

Troop 007, comprised of 10- and 11-year-olds, conceived and carried out the service project to collect toys for the children’s play room at the hospital, and their efforts yielded several hundred items including books, DVD’s, board games, stuffed animals and toddler toys. The size of the delivery left the playroom overflowing with donated toys, and was a welcome surprise for the impressed staff at Regional Medical Center.

“When the girls heard that the playroom did not have many toys or books, and that many underprivileged children come there, they really wanted to help,” said troop mother Dr. Meena Sathappan.

The project helped the troop complete their Bronze Project, the highest distinction for junior girl scouts.

The girls distributed flyers throughout Evergreen seeking donations, and collected bags full of new and gently used toys. Los Gatos toy store, The Wooden Horse, donated toys for the project, and other Girl Scout troops in Evergreen lent their efforts to the cause.

The troop also received a $500 sponsorship from Brian Ng on behalf of the Thao Dang Century 21 Alpha Group, which they used to purchase much-needed supplies for the playroom.

“It’s such a wonderful win-win situation when young people are helping other young people. These girls made the effort to collect toys for kids they don’t even know. It’s just fantastic,” said nurse Janet Rettig, Assistant Department Manager for Pediatrics at Regional Medical Center.

“This donation is so important,” Rettig added. “When children have to stay for an extended period in a hospital, it can be very stressful. Having toys is something that can be comforting to them and make it feel more like home.”

Troop leader Jana King had to fight back joyful tears when telling the girls how proud she was of their efforts.

“I’m so impressed with these girls and how they persisted throughout this project,” said King. “I think they learned a lot about leadership. This is just an amazing group of young women.”

The significance of the moment was also not lost on the girls. Troop member Ashley Vaughn said, “This project was really important to us because we were helping people that don’t have the things that we have, and we were giving back to the community.”