The following item is reprinted from the TLC Traveler, the monthly newsletter of the Tourism Leadership Council: 

Despite the devastation left in the wake of Super Storm Sandy, one group of Girl Scouts from Northern New Jersey decided to travel to Savannah for a trip that was already planned.

They called the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace ahead of time and humbly asked if they might collect some much hoped for relief supplies for the scouts to take back to New Jersey to distribute to families in need. They asked for simple things like blankets, batteries, flashlights, trash bags, and hand wipes. It was that call that sent Fran Harold, Executive Director of the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace into action.

 “I knew that it was going to take many people in this great city to step up to answer this call for help,” said Harold.

Later that same day, Harold, who serves on the TLC Board of Directors among other civic organizations, called on her peers at the TLC board meeting to act. They responded in a very big way.

Among the many who stepped up was Mitch Linder with Prince-Bush-Smith Hotels who contributed hundreds of blankets, toiletries, and sundry items. Joyce Ellis with Old Town Trolley Tours of Savannah took charge to coordinate the transportation of the many boxes of supplies, including a palette of hand wipes from Linda Herdina of Medical Equipment Transport Service. In fact, the Rotary Club District 6920 collected cash to purchase replacement Girl Scout uniforms for girls whose families lost everything in the storm. All of this came together in five short days. 

In case you were wondering how that Girl Scout group would get the donated goods back to New Jersey, that was taken care of too. Amtrack volunteered to ship the goods back to New Jersey alongside the Girl Scouts free of charge. In all, hundreds of blankets, flashlights, batteries, toiletries, clothes, linens and thousands of trash bags and hand wipes were donated.

“I know parts of New Jersey will be all the better for the support provided by the people in Savannah,” added Harold’s cohort, Jami Brantley, Program and Collections Manager at Girl Scout First Headquarters.