Girl Scouts Leave It Better
Media Contact:
Debra Rutt, Marketing & Communications Manager
Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey
201-419-8085
drutt@gshnj.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Girl Scouts Leave It Better” Event Showcases Leadership and Conservation By Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey
$500 Donation to South Mountain Conservancy Highlights Commitment to Environmental Stewardship
Westfield, NJ – December 12, 2024 – This past Saturday, December 7, the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) hosted its “Girl Scouts Leave It Better” program at South Mountain Reservation, bringing together 100 Girl Scouts from across New Jersey. This hands-on day of leadership and conservation demonstrated the power of young changemakers to leave a lasting environmental legacy while inspiring their peers and communities.
Ranging from Daisies (Kindergarten) to Cadettes (6th, 7th, and 8th Grades) and guided by six Senior Girl Scouts (9th and 10th Grades), participants engaged in activities that combined environmental education with real-world action. As part of the Pollinator Meadow Restoration Project, the Girl Scouts worked on an acre of land, spreading seeds to create a thriving pollinator-friendly habitat while learning about biodiversity, life cycles, and the importance of pollinators in sustaining ecosystems.
The program was further enriched by the support of AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), who led educational games and activities focused on conservation and environmental stewardship. Collectively, the Girl Scouts contributed a total of 17 volunteer hours to the Pollinator Meadow Restoration Project.
The day was capped by a meaningful contribution: a $500 donation from GSHNJ to the South Mountain Conservancy to support ongoing efforts to preserve the 2,110-acre nature reserve, which spans Maplewood, Millburn, and West Orange.
“‘Girl Scouts Leave It Better’ embodies what our movement is all about,” said Lori LaBorde, Girl Experience Manager STEM for GSHNJ. “These girls are not just sowing seeds—they’re learning to lead, to work together, and to care deeply for their communities and the environment. Their actions today will have a lasting impact on both the land and their futures as leaders.”
The Pollinator Meadow Restoration Project addresses the critical decline in pollinators like bees and butterflies, which are essential to maintaining healthy ecosystems. During the event, Girl Scouts explored how human activity impacts the environment and learned how small, intentional actions can help repair the balance.
"I learned that people can be harmful and helpful to our environment. People can poison the environment, but they can also clean it up by planting seeds to help the environment from slowly dying," said Peyton W. a Girl Scout from Troop 20204 in Bloomfield. “Some bugs may be icky but all bugs are part of our environment and we should help them all."
The South Mountain Reservation, nestled between the first and second ridges of the Watchung Mountains, provided a perfect backdrop for the event. Its diverse ecosystems and commitment to conservation efforts made it an ideal location for the Girl Scouts to take action and connect with nature.
Representing towns across the state, participating Girl Scouts came from Morristown, West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Wayne, East Orange, North Arlington, Hackettstown, Washington, Belvidere, Oxford, Verona, Fair Lawn, Cedar Knolls, Montclair, West Caldwell, Chatham, and Hoboken.
The “Girl Scouts Leave It Better” event highlights GSHNJ’s dedication to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. Through education, service, and leadership opportunities like this, Girl Scouts are making an immediate impact while developing the skills to create lasting change in their communities.
About Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey:
Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) believes in the power of every girl. Our leadership program is designed to help girls discover who they are, what they can do, and connect with a powerful community of girls and mentors to make it happen. With unique opportunities, Girl Scouts explore, learn, succeed, and take action to make a difference in their community. Providing over 13,000 girls from Kindergarten through 12th grade access to leadership programs and mentors throughout Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, southern Warren, and parts of Middlesex counties, GSHNJ offers girls a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership. GSHNJ has two service centers located in North Branch and Westfield and operates three camp locations: Camp Hoover in Middleville, N.J., Camp DeWitt in Hillsborough, N.J., and The OVAL in Maplewood, N.J. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, please visit www.gshnj.org.
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December 12, 2024
