Tag Archives: Girl Scouts

Webster community mailbag

30 Mar

The second annual Village of Webster Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Webster BID, is just around the corner, on Saturday April 8 at the Webster Fireman’s Field on Ridge Rd.

The absolutely free event will begin at 11 a.m., and is designed for children ages 10 and under. Children will be split into three age groups: 0-2, 3-5 and 6-10. Arrive any time after 10:30 a.m. Our local business owners and community agencies are preparing almost 5,000 eggs, so no fear — there will be enough for everyone. (And some eggs have a secret surprise.)

The Easter Bunny will be there, too, so bring your cameras! This great event is sponsored by the village’s Business Improvement District.

By the way, the organizers could use some volunteers to help set up and run the event. If you’re interested in having a little fun and helping out, click here to sign up!

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Those young Brownies from Troop 60344 are at it again.

They’re going to be outside the Webster Walmart Home entrance on Saturday April 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with their table of Girl Scout cookies. So no worries if you thought you’d missed out on Girl Scout Cookie season this year.

The girls will also be encouraging people to donate a box of cookies to the Blue Star Mothers NY8 chapter to be included in care packages for locally deployed troops. (The soldiers LOVE to get Girl Scout cookies.)

The Blue Star Mothers plan to send out more than 200 care packages soon, and would love to have a box of cookies to put in each one.

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The next Friends of the Webster Public Library book sale is quickly approaching!

The Friends’ Spring Book Sale will be held Wednesday April 26 through Saturday April 29. Gently used hardcover books will be available for only $1, paperback books will be $.50.

Members of the Friends can shop before everyone else, on Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. If you’re not a member and want a sneak peek, memberships will be available at the door or on the library website.  

The general public sale will begin Thursday April 27 from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, April 28 is BYOB (bring your own bag) Bag Sale from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m, when you can fill a bag with gently used books for only $5. The bag sale continues on Saturday, April 29 but only from 10 a.m. til noon.

Proceeds from the spring book sale directly benefit library programs, book collections and other special projects.

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This notice from the Webster Central School District:

Applications for absentee ballots for the Webster CSD Annual Budget Vote and School Board Election are now available.

Qualified voters of the district who will be unable to attend the polls on the day of the vote may wish to use an absentee ballot. Voters must apply for the ballot in advance. Absentee ballot applications are available from District Clerk Cynthia Cushman, 119 South Avenue, Webster, phone (585) 216-0001, or at the news story on the district website.

All absentee ballot applications must be RECEIVED by the district clerk at least seven business days prior to the vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the vote if the ballot is to be picked up personally by or for the voter.

The Webster CSD Annual Budget Vote and election of Board of Education candidates takes place Tuesday, May 16, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Webster Schroeder High School gym, 875 Ridge Road.

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Here’s a great way to celebrate Earth Day this coming April 22: a Family Scavenger Hunt.

This easy hike/scavenger hunt will take place at Liberty Lodge/Finn Park on Maple Drive from 10 a.m. to noon. Different hunts will be available for three three skill levels, ages 2 through 12. The event will take place rain or shine, so dress for the weather, and make sure to wear boots if it’s been wet. It would also be helpful if you could bring your own clipboard and pencil.

The Family Scavenger Hunt costs $5, and registrations are being taken through the Webster Recreation Center. PLEASE register ahead of time so we know how many kids to expect. Payment can be made when you arrive at the park. Click here to register.

The Family Scavenger Hunt is being hosted by the Webster Health & Education Network (WHEN) in conjunction with the Friends of Webster Trails and Webster Recreation Center. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of Webster Trails.

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(posted 3/29/2023)

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Spreading love this Valentine’s Day

13 Feb

For Valentine’s Day, a few short stories about how our young people are helping spread love throughout the community.

Cards for Maplewood residents

Last Monday night, Girl Scout Troop 60344 turned their bi-weekly meeting into a Valentine’s card-making party. The occasion arose from an invitation last fall from Mary Ann O’Mara and Pat Miller, who contacted the troop to offer their card-making “services.” Co-leader Linda Meyers said she “jumped at the opportunity.” Scheduling the event in conjunction with Valentine’s Day seemed ideal.

So, armed with bundles of already-prepped materials, Mary Ann and Pat joined the meeting and helped the Scouts prepare 28 beautiful cards, then sent each girl home with a treat bag of heart cookies from Sweet Jude’s.

By the way, Mary Ann and Pat would love to offer their card-making “services” to other groups as well. Email me if you’re interested and I’ll get you in touch.

Klem North students making Valentine’s Day crafts

The Klem North PTSA has always got some fun event up their sleeves.

Earlier this month, the PTSA purchased Valentine’s-themed crafts for teachers to have their students make. Students completed the crafts in early February and they were delivered to The Maplewood nursing home, Baywinde Senior Living Community, and the first responders at North East Quadrant Life Support in time for Valentine’s Day.

Here are some photos from those craft sessions:

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It’s Girl Scout cookie time!

13 Jan

Hooo boy, this is going to be dangerous.

The Girl Scouts are going all-in with their online sales this year, thanks in large part (I’m sure) to this never-ending pandemic. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to find it much easier to pull out a credit card for my cookie order than try to scrounge up cash. Which, of course, facilitates the purchase of more Girl Scout cookies than a normal body needs. (AND you can get them delivered right to your house in just about a week.)

I’ve had a regular cookie connection for many years, ever since we lived in North Penfield across the street from Annalise, who sold us cookies every year before we moved to the village.

But even though we weren’t neighbors anymore, I knew where she lived, so I still tracked her down when cookie time rolled around. This year it’s so much easier — all I have to do is visit her personal cookie-selling website to get my fix of Thin Mints and Shortbreads. Anna’s little sister Adelia is a Brownie now as well, so I’m going to have to split my order … or maybe just buy more.

The Scouts are being encouraged to record promotional videos this year as well. I think that’s pretty neat in that it gives these young ladies a little public speaking experience. If you’re at all interested, here’s Anna’s video, and here’s Adelia’s.

I hope you also have a regular Girl Scout cookie connection. Or perhaps you wait until you can grab some boxes in March when they’ve set up tables outside local businesses. But if you can’t wait and really need a source, feel free to visit Adelia’s or Anna’s cookie ordering sites.

And if you really DON’T like Girl Scout cookies, there’s still a way you can support the organization’s goals and the opportunities they provide for the girls. It’s a program called “Cookie Share,” where you can purchase some boxes to be donated. Usually these go to local military organizations.

Thin Mint fan or not, I encourage everyone to support the Girl Scouts. They do so many neat things with these young ladies. Adelia’s mom Jess told me the trips her daughter’s been on already include visits to the Planetarium, Ginna and the George Eastman Museum. Plus, she’s taken an engineering class at the U or R and sampled karate and yoga.

I don’t remember having anywhere near that much fun when I was a Camp Fire Girls Bluebird back in the day.

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Girl Scouts learn how toys and pirates go together

19 Nov

The Daisies of Webster Girl Scout Troop 60344 got an inside look at the Pirate Toy Fund warehouse recently, learning about the great ways this organization gives back to the community, and getting the chance to help their cause.

The Pirate Toy Fund is the only nonprofit organization in the country dedicated to distributing new toys year-round to children in need throughout the Greater Rochester region. It was co-founded by local children’s entertainer Gary the Happy Pirate and Dave and Lorrie Simonetti. Since 1995 it has distributed almost 400,000 toys through more than 70 program partners including camps, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and law enforcement agencies throughout Western New York.

The Daisies first got a personal tour of the warehouse from Otto Harnischfeger, the fund’s Executive Director. After the tour, they girls were given a snack and special Pirate Toy Fund pins to proudly display on their uniforms.

The Daisies were working on their “Make the World a Better Place” Daisy Petal, one of ten petals on their uniforms, each representing one line of the Girl Scout Law. Troop 60344’s Brownie was also on the tour; she was fulfilling some of the steps for her “Give Back” badge by learning about a business that gives back to the community, and supporting that mission. Every girl brought at least one new toy to donate.

Troop co-leaders Linda Meyers and Daniela Viavattine knew this would be a valuable opportunity for the young ladies. Linda said,

We thought it would be a great idea for our girls to see a wonderful Rochester-based organization that’s helping the community all throughout the year, and especially at the holidays now. Fortunately, our girls come from homes that can generally provide presents for their children, and we thought it would be great for our girls to help out for children and families that maybe aren’t able to do that.

Webster Troop 60344 has 15 Girl Scouts, 14 first-grade Daisies and one second-grade Brownie. The Daisies come from Klem North, Plank North and Dewitt elementary schools. They are Adriana Gringer, Alayna Henrichs, Alexa Weber, Avery Ganter, Charlotte Lloyd, Claire Frisk, Emerson Ganter, Harper Bozzelli, Julia Meyers, Kennedy Kleps, Lily Pettit, Mackenzie Johnston, Natalie Wigton and Penelope Patterson. Brownie Sophia Elias attends St. Kateri.

Click here to check out a great short video from the visit, posted on the Pirate Toy Fund Facebook page.

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Local Girl Scouts hunt for experiences in annual “QuestFest”

28 Jul
Team Sarski: (Front row) Karolynn Shaw, Samantha Byerts, Harleigh Simmons, Isabella Coradaro
(Back Row) Jennifer Shaw, Madison Fisher, Reagan Provo, Savannah Riggs, Kaelan Campbell, Addison Terrana, Abigale Terrana

Webster Girl Scout Troop 63113 joined troops from all over the world last weekend for an epic scavenger hunt.

The virtual Girl Scout QuestFest is an annual two-day event hosted by the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, held this year on July 24 and 25. Webster’s “Team Sarski” was one of 47 Girl Scout teams participating in the event from all over the U.S. and as far away as Alaska, Canada, Venezuela and Tokyo.

(L-R) Reagan Provo and Isabella Cordaro present flowers to Chris Rauber-Wasson at BC’s Chicken Coop for the “Drive-thru Kindness Challenge,” to thank the owners for their continuous support of Webster Girl Scouts.

The weekend’s adventures began with an official opening ceremony on Saturday, when the girls found out what this year’s challenges would be. To complete each one, they used smartphones or other devices to submit either a photo or video. Some challenges they could accomplish from their own homes, but others required going out into the community.

Unlike other scavenger hunts, however, the girls didn’t have to find THINGS. They had to search for EXPERIENCES. The challenges were designed with Girl Scout values in mind, so while they were having fun, the girls were also making the world a better place (as evidenced by the kindness challenge pictured to the left).

Team Sarski, comprised of seven Webster girls and two former troop members now living in Virginia and Maine, did a great job. The team was co-captained by troop leaders Abigale Terrana and Jennifer Shaw, who report that the girls successfully completed every single challenge and came in fifth overall. While that wasn’t better than their second place finish in 2020, they did almost double last year’s score.

Karolynn Shaw completing the “Take the Time to Smell the Roses” challenge.

“We are so proud of how they did!” Shaw added.

The troop is already looking forward to participating in QuestFest 2022 next summer. In the meantime, however, they hope to visit Savannah, Georgia in February, which Shaw called their “dream trip.” They’ve been fundraising for several years in anticipation, and hope to cover the entire cost of the trip for the girls.

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More good food coming our way this summer

19 Jun

I got a few emails the other day about some upcoming grab-a-dinner events that didn’t make it into my recent mailbag, so I wanted to feature them today.

The first is a fun event being hosted by the Webster Girl Scouts Service Unit on Tuesday, June 22. It’s a Food Truck Rodeo, held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Willink Middle School on Publisher’s Parkway. As you can see on the flyer, the event will feature four food trucks — Kona Ice, Macarollin, Tuscan Wood Fired Pizza and Stingray Sushifusion. But for added fun, several local entrepreneurs and businesses will also have tables for you to brouse. They include:

  • Color Street
  • Crowned Free
  • LulaRoe
  • Pampered Chef
  • Perfectly Posh
  • Tastefully Simple
  • Thirty-One Gifts
  • Simmons Custom Creations

And (this is exciting) if you didn’t get your fill of Girl Scout cookies earlier this year, they’re going to be sold as well, so you can stock your freezer.

All proceeds from the Food Truck Rodeo will go directly to Webster Girl Scouts to support their community service projects, STEM projects, camping, and more.

What an excellent way to celebrate the last day of school: go out to dinner and support a good cause all at the same time. Bring your lawn chairs!

I don’t often get calendar notices from the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, so I’m especially pleased to pass this news along to you.

The church will host a drive-through Taco Dinner Event on Friday, July 9 from 4 p.m. until gone. Customers will have a choice of beef and chicken Birria style street tacos along with rice and black bean sides. The meals, priced at $12 for the first one and $11 for each additional meal ordered at the same time, are prepared by Tacodero, of Rochester. Its owner and chef, Cordero Rivera, has worked as a private chef cooking for hip-hop artists and NBA players in NYC before moving to Rochester where he was recently profiled in the Democrat & Chronicle.

Orders can be placed when you drive into the event. Proceeds will support the church’s outreach efforts in the Webster community and the greater Rochester area.

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd is located at 1130 Webster Road (Rt. 250) at the corner of State Rd.

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Girl Scouts help spread the word about Webster’s trails

5 Apr
The builders: Martine Broikou, Leah Hurlbut and Ellie Gramowski

Just in time for warmer weather and the promise of more hikers and bikers hitting the trails, several new Friends of Webster Trails brochure boxes have been installed for nature lovers to utilize.

At the request of the Friends, Webster Girl Scout Troop 60844 built six new boxes to replace some that have been vandalized and add a few in new locations. The girls spent several hours a few weekends ago constructing the boxes, then installed four of them last Saturday morning, with help from Friends Trails Committee Chair Craig Hurlbut and Trail Steward Bud Gearhart.

The new boxes contain Friends of Webster Trails brochures, which include a detailed trail map, plus information about the Friends and how to become a member. They’ve been installed at the Hojack Trail trailhead on Van Alstyne Rd., Gosnell Big Woods Preserve, Vosburg Hollow Nature Trail and on the Chiyoda Trail.

I love the idea of having these brochures so easily available to everyone who frequents our trails. The all-volunteer Friends of Webster Trails does an amazing job developing and maintaining our town’s impressive trail system, which now includes almost 30 distinct trails stretching through more than 20 miles of natural beauty. The new brochure boxes will, hopefully, let more people learn about and appreciate these very hard-working volunteers.

If you come across one of these new boxes in your travels, make sure to grab a brochure, tear off the membership card and send it in to show your thanks and support. It only costs $10/year for one person, and just $15 per family. Or better yet, click here to go to the Friends of Webster Trails website to learn more about them and sign up as a member.

  • Trail Steward Bud Gearhart and Martine Broikou at Gosnell Big Woods
  • Leah Hurlbut does some drilling with help from Trails Committee Chair Craig Hurlbut
  • Ellie Gramowski helps Hurlbut and Gearhart install the brochure box at Gosnell Big Woods
  • Leah Hurlbut, Martine Broikou and Ellie Gramowski pose with the first box they installed, on Van Alsytyne Rd. at the Hojack Trail

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Find out more about Girl Scouts at this weekend’s fun day

25 Aug

Let’s hope this beautiful late-summer weather continues to hold through this weekend, because the Seneca Waterways Council has planned a pretty cool get-to-know-your-Girl-Scouts event this Saturday Aug. 29.

They’re calling it a “community fun day,” an opportunity for interested families to get a taste of the programs that Girls Scouts offer.

Local Scouts and BSA Girl Troops will host two hours of activities and events, this Saturday Aug. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Penfield Wesleyan Church, 1580 Five Mile Line Rd. The event is free but participants are asked to register ahead of time (so they know how many people to expect). To do that, click here.

For more information, you can email Brendan Flaherty at brendan.flaherty@scouting.org, call him at (585) 241-8530, or check out the flyers attached here.

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St. Rita Girl Scouts help fight cancer

24 Jun

CURE check A

St. Rita Girl Scouts went above and beyond this school year in raising money for the CURE Childhood Cancer Association.

Students are assigned to either the Blue or Gold Team when they start school. Then throughout the year they’re asked to bring in change to put in either the blue or gold jar. They brought in anywhere from a penny to $100. (P.S. Gold won.)

The fifth grade Girl Scouts raised more than $1700 for the organization.

A representative from CURE came to the school last week for the check presentation.

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