NORWAY -- Two Norway Girl Scouts have teamed up with a local church in a community service project that will make a difference across the globe in the country of Kazakhstan.

Shayetoria Peeples and Rasia Steadman are both candidates for the Gold Award, the highest award offered by the Girl Scouts. The girls, both students at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School in Norway, have been in scouting for years, earning merit badge after merit badge along the way. Some of the projects they have been involved in through scouting include working with Norway senior citizens by providing care baskets and household help; participating in the annual Norway Thanksgiving celebration; singing at the annual Christmas program; mentoring children and, of course, selling cookies.

But, Peeples and Steadman are taking on a larger service project now -- one they initially learned about from an article in the Sept. 21 edition of The Times and Democrat about the efforts of Pine Hill United Methodist Church to sew blankets for the children of Kazakhstan. The church's goal was 100 blankets. Peeples and Steadman, with the help of their troops (356, 407 and 486) and leaders, hope to contribute 12 blankets to the effort.

They made contact with Lewis Davis before approaching the troops about helping with the project, collecting money to purchase the fabric and soliciting volunteers to actually make the blankets.

The pair plan to complete the dozen blankets soon and donate them to Pine Hill UMC's effort.

"I think this is a good project, and it will help those children from being so cold," Peeples said.

Steadman added, "I like doing things to help other people. Making these blankets is easy. I feel good about helping those children, and I have learned a new craft."

"These girls have been working very hard. Through the years, they have made a difference in Norway," said Bessie Peeples, troop leader. "I feel that they will always be leaders and have the confidence in themselves that they have now.

"Making the blankets and donating them to the children of Kazakhstan is part of what they decided to include as the community service portion of their Gold Award presentation. I am very proud of them."

Steadman and Peeples said they would also like to thank "a very special lady," Jackie Tyler.

"Even though she is still recovering from an accident she was involved in earlier this year, she made one of the blankets while recuperating in her bed," Steadman said. "She is one of our inspirations."

T&D Correspondent Sherryl Peters can be reached by e-mail at speters@surrealestate.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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