Girl Scouts Troops 9414 & 9366, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Working with the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and the Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council, scouts in Massachusetts earned the SOS! Patch. The patch program requires scouts to complete a specified number of learning and service activities designed to help them discover female role models, local history and the satisfaction of volunteering in their community through monuments and outdoor sculpture.
The
Girl Scouts in Junior troop 9414 and Cadette troop 9366 are among the first to earn the
SOS! Patch. These young ladies surveyed the Edward Everett Monument (1867) by
William Wetmore Story on Dorchester's town square. They visited the Boston City Archives
to research the famous Bostonian and created a scrapbook and video to document all their
hard work.
Troop leader Margaret McMahon and her girls did not stop after they sewed their new SOS! patches onto their sashes, however. The Dorchester girls adopted the Edward Everett Monument and helped a professional conservator—a "sculpture doctor"—with the assessment of the statue. The words of these 9- to 14-year-olds make clear the lasting impression this program has had on them.
"It makes me feel good that this statue reminds us that a great person came from Dorchester and that we can all speak up for what we believe." — Lauren
"I like researching the statue because it lets me get to do something for my city. It was exciting to learn about the statue that was built so long ago." — Dawn
"I see the statue everyday as it sits down the street from my school. I will be proud to know I have helped this statue shine for future generations." — Elisabeth
"We're saving Edward Everett. We've been finding out a lot about him. So far we know that he was a president of Harvard, an ambassador, an orator, a minister, and he's the one that gave the two-hour speech before Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. We can't wait to have the statue all cleaned up and are looking forward to having the statue rededicated with everyone who is now holding his former jobs." — Elizabeth
" "I think it's cool that he was a famous governor and he was from the same neighborhood as me!" — Erin
"The statue makes me think about Dorchester's history. It is great that someone with so much fame and effect on other people came from where I come from." — Katie
Photo by Margaret McMahon