SOS! Patch Program*

Girl Scouts from Troop 1879 in Reading, Massachusetts were the first to earn the SOS! Patch. They created a map of all the outdoor sculpture in their town.

Brownie Troop 2112 in Framingham Massachusetts and troop leader Charlene Frary were drawn to the SOS! Patch program because they saw it as a way to learn history, science and art while performing valuable community service. The Brownies focused on an 1872 Civil War monument, The Soldier, by Martin Milmore. The girls visited the historical society, performed science experiments and, with the help of an SOS! assessment award, worked with a local conservator to assess the condition of the sculpture. The troop has since adopted The Soldier and remains involved in conservation efforts.

"We feel that the assessment was an enormous success for a number of reasons. Our Girl Scout troop had an opportunity to see a professional female conservator in action; they actually assisted in some of the measuring and other observations. The presence of the media and other organizations made the girls recognize the we are part of an important, newsworthy, and hopefully inspiring community service project." —Charlene Frary, leader

"I learned you can save a statue by getting all that green stuff off. I learned how it got on, from storms and acid rain." —Angela

Junior troop 9414 and Cadette troop 9366 from Dorchester, Massachusetts surveyed the statue of Edward Everett in their town square in order to receive their SOS! patches. With troop leader Margaret McMahon, they visited the Boston City Archives to research their sculpture and created a scrapbook and video to document their hard work. The Dorchester troops have since adopted the Edward Everett Monument (1867), by William Wetmore Story, and has received and SOS! Assessment Award to help fund the first crucial step of the conservation process.

"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 will be proud to know I have helped this statue shine for future generations." —Elisabeth

"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

Troop 806 in Glastonbury, Connecticut toured two local art museums, taking note that some outdoor sculpture had been affected by the elements more than others. Next, they spent time in the library studying sculpture from other cultures, including Roman, Egyptian and Greek sculpture. Again, they noticed some sculpture was in better condition than others, depending on the material from which the sculpture was made. Later, the girls made their own sculptures from clay and put them outside to see how well their creations stood against the elements. Attendance at the local Museum on the Green increased after an article on the troop’s activities appeared in the local newspaper.

"I liked making clay sculptures." –Courtney

"I thought the field trip to the museums was the best part." –Juliette

"I was surprised that Egyptian sculpture had so much detail." —Kathy

Troop 1169 in Hot Springs, South Dakota, toured various sculpture sites in South Dakota as part of their work for the SOS! Patch. They traveled to Crazy Horse to see a small bust sculpted by a woman; to Mt. Rushmore, where they completed the Junior Ranger booklet about the history and care of the monument; and to Keystone, where they saw a statue of Lincoln and one depicting slavery, in addition to a sculpture by Monique Ziokowski at the Children’s Home. The girls learned to carve sandstone from Frank Foster, who is restoring a sandstone sculpture of General Logan, the founder of Memorial Day, at the State Veterans Home in Keystone.

Junior Troop #999 of Kapa’au, Hawaii earned their SOS! Patch, in conjunction with the conservation of King Kamehameha I (1899) by Thomas Ridgeway Gould, in June 2001. Led by Margaret Hoy, a former SOS! Volunteer, the girls examined both local and national sculpture found through the Smithsonian’s Inventory of American Sculpture. A display of these monuments was created to show the different types of sculpture that exist. On two separate occasions, Troop #999 met with conservator Glenn Wharton to discuss the responsibilities of a conservator and the city of Kapa’au in preserving outdoor sculpture. Next, each scout carved her own miniature sculpture from bars of soap. All these activities were photographed and placed on display for King Kamehameha Day when the newly conserved statue was rededicated to the community of Kapa’au.