Monadnock Community Hospital received $2,700 worth of Girl Scout cookies March 7, a donation from the Grand Monadnock Rotary Club through the Hometown Heroes program run by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
“This gift was a win-win for all involved,” stated Kelli Brown, the director of fund development for Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains.
PeggMonahan and Laura Gingras are both members of the Grand Monadnock Rotary Club, and Gingras is also the vice president of philanthropy for the hospital.
“Until recently, I hadn’t given much thought of Girl Scouts in my development as a person,” Gingras stated. “As I reflect on it, it was my first formal exposure to goal-setting and goal achievement. I still have my sash with completed badges. I had an amazing mother, and growing up under her watch was a blessing. But I’m going to credit Girl Scouts for having a hand in my career as a leader.”
Monahan stated she learned a lot as a Girl Scout in her hometown of Lakeport, a part of Laconia.
“My daughter, Ann Goodrich-Bazan, a local Winchester, New Hampshire, community leader, was a Girl Scout, and I was her cookie mother,” she stated. “The cookie mother experience was a rite of passage in motherhood.”
Donna Houghton, office assistant at the hospital, stated, “I think this is an awesome gesture. Girl Scout cookies are the best. I was in the Girl Scouts from Brownies up to Cadettes. I think it is a very important group to belong to. The Rotary Club is very thoughtful for giving us this donation.”
“The community support throughout the pandemic has been incredible during this time,” stated AlyciaMcDuff, a hospital manager. “We are so grateful for this donation from the Rotary Club. It is these meaningful gestures and kindness that make all the difference to our staff.”
Medical assistant Jennifer Reichelt agreed.
“We are so appreciative for the Grand Monadnock Rotary Club’s generosity for the donation of Girl Scout Cookies to all of the MCH employees,” she stated. “We also appreciate everything you do for our community; from our happy bellies to yours, thank you.”
At the presentation, Martha Manley of Peterborough, the council’s first vice president, and Tara Pacht of Vermont, the council’s board president and chair, thanked Rotary members for their donation and helped unload a van full of cookies.
Hometown Heroes is a way for Girl Scout supporters to send a taste of home to U.S. servicemen and women, as well as thank veterans and front-line workers for all they do. Last year, more than 30,000 packages of Girl Scout cookies were donated to Hometown Heroes by the public.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. All proceeds stay local, and participating Girl Scouts learn the skills of goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics while using the funds they earn to make the world a better place.
For more on Girl Scouts, see girlscoutsgwm.org.