Supervisor Don Clavin, along with the entire Hempstead Town Board, authorized a $135,000 grant for Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Inc. for the purchase reimbursement and utilization of a vehicle to provide the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) programming in a mobile format. The grant will transform the Girl Scout outreach system to ensure girls in communities affected by COVID have access to unique, outdoor, STEM, life skills and leadership activities and a network of support that will benefit their self-esteem and mental health, as well as mitigate learning loss incurred by the pandemic. After this year, families may be facing limited time, means of transportation, finances and access to technology; some might face language or cultural barriers. The unit will minimize external factors that may be preventing girls from joining the organization's activities by bringing resources and staff members closer to the girls and their families in their communities.
The Town of Hempstead and Girl Scouts of Nassau County will accomplish this mission with the collaboration of Hempstead Ford Lincoln and Valley Van, who provided the van and Bolla Oil who will be donating a year of gas for the mobile unit.
The grant announcement was made by Supervisor Clavin and his Town Board colleagues: Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, Councilman Bruce Blakeman, Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, Councilman Dennis Dunne, Sr., Councilman Tom Muscarella, Councilman Chris Carini, Town Clerk Kate Murray and Receiver Jeanine Driscoll. They were joined by Randell Bynum, CEO of Girl Scouts of Nassau County.
“Thank you to Senator Schumer, for securing the extension of last year’s CARES Act funding that made this and a series of other impactful initiatives possible,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Clavin. “This initiative by Girl Scouts is a smart and creative way to increase outreach in communities affected by COVID so every girl can have equal access to STEM opportunities. These opportunities not only empower them to explore new horizons but also improve their mental health. I join my colleagues on the Hempstead Town Board in support of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s project and all of the organization’s work in the community.”
Girl Scouts of Nassau County is a strong, yet flexible and resilient organization prepared to adapt to the times of the pandemic and the current needs girls are presenting. This mobile unit is the solution to ensure as many girls in the county as possible have access to the programs and opportunities in different fields that Girl Scouts offers. Allowing girls to explore and develop their talents, interests and skills, while making friends and practicing teamwork. The unit can be located in community centers, parks, schoolyards, houses of worship, and other public spaces with the objective of enabling more times and places where girls and their families can participate.
“Special thanks to Supervisor Clavin and the Town Board for making this initiative possible. Additional thanks to Hempstead Ford Lincoln and Valley Van for providing us with the van and Bolla for donating us the gas for an entire year. This vehicle will bring us one step closer to every girl in the community and a step closer to closing the gap for girls in STEM in the future,” said Randell M. Bynum, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Girl Scouts empowers girls to become their best selves as they help others while providing a range of invaluable skills that last a lifetime.”
Similar to the Girl Scouts Unit, the Town previously issued a grant to Mount Sinai South Nassau for New York’s first Mobile Vaccination Unit—the Vaxmobile—which successfully brought vaccines closer to residents in the hardest-hit communities, providing over 7,000 no-cost COVID-19 vaccines to date. That initiative has shown how a mobile unit brings resources closer to residents who need them. This grant has been made possible by funding secured through the federal CARES Act, through which the Town of Hempstead allocated millions of dollars to local organizations that provided relief to communities, including meals to residents in need, COVID-19 testing and PPE kits for small businesses, among other initiatives with hospitals, villages, and schools.
"Bolla is proud to support the great work the Girl Scouts of Nassau County do every day in our community," Bolla President and CEO Harry Singh said. "We are very happy to donate free gas for a year to fuel this important program which provides education and opportunity to every corner of Hempstead."
“As a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, I am especially proud of this wonderful initiative that will help so many young girls in the communities I represent, particularly those that were hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Senior Councilwoman Goosby said. “Thank you to Senator Schumer for securing over $133 million in funds for pandemic relief in the Town of Hempstead, and thanks to Supervisor Don Clavin, my colleagues on the Town Board and the Girl Scouts of Nassau County for making this important program a reality for the girls of our township.”
For more information about the Town of Hempstead and its efforts to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses throughout the region, visit https://hempsteadny.gov/.
