Daisy Girl Scouts from St. Mary School in Cape Girardeau made blankets and donated them to the Building Blocks of Missouri Program. They completed this service project because of their love for babies. The girls used money they earned from their Fall product sales to purchase the fleece for these blankets. They wanted to help babies stay warm, clean, and have fun with their moms just like they do. Building Blocks is a free Nurse Family Partnership offered as a service from Southeast Missouri Hospital to first time moms in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott, and Stoddard counties. They also serve a few areas in nearby Mississippi, New Madrid, Ste. Genevieve, and Dunklin counties. The program visits with first-time moms helping them to make healthy choices during pregnancy, prepare for labor and delivery, make the best feeding decisions, make parenting easier with helpful hints, and learn about baby's growth and development. "The blankets donated by these girls will make a clean, safe area on the floor to help moms play with their babies and teach them about developing milestones," says Gleason. Any troop or organization wanting to donate blankets to learn more can contact Barb Gleason at 573-335-1033 or toll free 1-888-966-5973 during normal business hours.
Since completing this project, the earthquake in Haiti has occurred. The girls chose to waive their prize incentives from selling cookies so additional money could be earned for their troop. They have made a donation to the American Red Cross to help the families in Haiti. They have also used their money to plant and care for a garden in front of their after school care building the AB Club to beautify the community.
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