Girl Scouts donate sensory board to Murrysville library

Descriptions of the Girl Scout Bronze Award encourage participants to find a project that can “make a difference in their community.”

For Troop 16380’s Minnoli Bhatt, an idea sprung immediately to mind.

“I have a friend at school with intellectual and development disabilities,” said Bhatt, 10, of Murrysville. “He doesn’t get all of the same opportunities as us.”

The troop, based out of Emmanuel Lutheran Church on Old William Penn Highway, set out to pursue a Bronze Award project that would offer some of those opportunities. In addition, this year’s projects were meant to focus on sustainability.

That took the form of a partnership with nonprofit PA Connecting Communities, on a program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities demonstrating how to plant flowers.

It also included the creation and donation of a sensory board for the Murrysville Community Library, which the troop presented on June 6.

“We looked at some examples and did research online for how to make the board,” said Girl Scout Surra Lateef, 10.

Bhatt’s mother and fifth-grade Girl Scout Leader Avani Bhatt said the Bronze Award project holds a lot of significance.

“It’s the highest achievement a Junior Girl Scout can attain,” she said.

The board was created entirely through donated materials, with a variety of textures, tools, colors, latches, hinges and buttons.

“We also made fliers and bookmarks for the library, on how to interact with people who intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Bhatt said.

The troop, which include 21 members, was split into two Bronze Award groups. A second group is working on an animal-related sustainability project that will be presented later this year.