Local Girl Scout Troop 'Bookin' it for Books'
By Nora Cardec

Junior Girl Scout Troop #246 (front, l-r) Nicole, from St Elizabeth's Hospital, Sydney Buono, Cammie Brown, Ashley Archangelo, Peri Michael, Haley Girouard, Kallie Napolitano, Sabrina Caldwell, Jessica Cormier, Rebecca Racine, Megan Bernard, Sarah Werner, St Elizabeth's Hospital. (Back, l-r) Renee Caldwell, troop leader, Elizabeth Dugas, Fiona Kusza, Becky Manita, Sierra Vachon, Courtney Mercier, Erin Leamy, Katie Houghton, Katherine Lemieux, Hannah Glenny, Brianna Clark, Brenda Brown, troop co-leader.

Doing projects to benefit the community is nothing new for Girl Scouts Junior Troop #246.

What is new is the troop has taken on a bigger project this year. They are building a library for babies. The troop plans to raise 200 new books for the Once Upon a Time Library, of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Elizabeth Hospital, in Boston.

Troop members will walk Saturday, Sept. 16 from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Clark Memorial Community Center track, in Winchendon.

Under the theme, "Bookin' it for Books," the troop will be looking for pledges of new children's books. They will also accept cash donations.

"The Girl Scouts take pride in doing community projects," said Brenda Brown, Girl Scouts service unit manager. "Although we cannot raise money for organizations, this we can do since it is books."

The neonatal intensive care unit at St. Elizabeth Hospital provides care for infants who are born prematurely or with illnesses or problems, for which they require special care, explained Sarah Werner, NICU social worker.

Werner said she borrowed the idea to create a library for the NICU after attending a conference. She saw the opportunity to provide parents with books they could read to their infants, thus creating a bonding with their babies.

Nicole Croak, occupational therapist for the NICU, said since many parents are unable to hold their babies while they are under treatment, reading to the infants will give the parents a sense of connection.

This is a new initiative and, according to Werner, the first one to be implemented in the commonwealth.

"We want to create a library to provide parents with an opportunity to bond with their babies while at the hospital," said Werner.

The idea is to provide three books to each child upon entering the hospital's NICU and three more for each month he or she stays.

Werner said Troop #246 is the first group taking on this project. She hopes for other groups as well as individuals to join and help build the NICU library.

Renee Caldwell, Troop #246 leader, said she brought the idea to her troop after learning about the hospital's project during a recent former patients' reunion.

Caldwell's youngest son, Curtis, was a preemie at St. Elizabeth six years ago.

After explaining the idea to the 22 members of Troop #246, Caldwell said the girls decided to raise 200 books for the NICU at St. Elizabeth Hospital.

To make pledges and donations or for more information, call Renee Caldwell at (978) 827-4015.