Girl Scouts Team Up With H.E.I.D.I For Twilight Camp

Girl Scout Service Unit 107 began their Twilight Camp at Camp Hugh on Memorial Day. The girls spent the first night of Twilight Camp decorating flower pots and planting butterfly attracting flowers thanks to the generous $750 donation from the H.E.I.D.I. Association.

Girl Scout Service Unit 107 is composed of Girl Scouts from Bunker Hill, Benld, Gillespie, Mt. Olive, Staunton and surrounding areas. There are approximately 194 registered Girl Scouts in this Service Unit.

It was the perfect opportunity for the Girl Scouts to learn about the H.E.I.D.I. Association. H.E.I.D.I. (Helping Every Individual Develop Independence) was established by Gerald and Sandi Brand in memory of their daughter, Heidi, who passed away May 26, 2011. Heidi was a special-needs child and was an advocate for the rights of the disabled.

The mascot of the Association is a butterfly, and the Girl Scout Service Unit 107 incorporated this symbol into their camp patches, shirts, and activities.

The butterfly is a symbol of growth and adaptation, and illustrative of the purpose of the H.E.I.D.I. Association. All of the money donated is put directly back into the community to assist those with special-needs to help improve their lifestyle.

Recently, the H.E.I.D.I. Association has donated the following:

$5,000 to help fund the purchase of a 2022 Chrysler Voyager LX minivan equipped with a folding ramp to the Bryant Family from Hillsboro; Donated $500 to FAYCO Enterprises; Donated to MCDD in Carlinville; Donated to Illinois Valley in Gillespie; Donated money for a field trip to the Altitude Trampoline Park in Glen Carbon for the Ben-Gil Elementary School Special Education Class; Donated a custom wagon for a little boy from Litchfield; And donated money for the building of several handicapped accessible ramps for individuals in Macoupin and Montgomery counties.

The Association also routinely assists several individuals, school programs and organizations by getting them supplies, resources and donations to meet their needs.

Girl Scouts discovered all that the Association has done for their community and surrounding areas. Inspired by the power of H.E.I.D.I., the girls were eager to make their flowerpots and plant their pollinating flowers.

Community and individual growth are two important values to all Scouts, and the girls learned first-hand the figurative and literal application of what the Heidi Brand advocates for, as well as what they can continue to do for all special-needs persons within their own communities.

If you are interested in requesting assistance from H.E.I.D.I, please contact the Association at [email protected] or (217)-971-7325.

If your daughter is interested in joining the Girl Scouts, please contact Service Unit 107 Leaders Jessica Wieseman at [email protected] or (618)-772-8191; or Krystle Morgan at [email protected] or (618)-225-7971.