BY BILL PARRY
Girl Scouts of Greater New
York is recognizing the fifth
anniversary of the creation
of Troop 6000, the first-of-itskind
program serving girls
and women living in shelters
for the homeless.
On Feb. 24, 2017, Troop 6000
held its very first meeting at a
shelter for homeless families
at the Sleep Inn Hotel in Long
Island City with just seven
girls. The program has since
expanded to 23 shelters across
all five boroughs and has
reached more than 2,000 girls
and women, in a partnership
with the city’s Department of
Homeless Services and with
the support of then-Councilman
Jimmy Van Bramer and
donors from across the city
and the world.
Troop 6000 had its genesis
at Sleep Inn Hotel where
Giselle Burgess and her children
were living after the
home she rented in Flushing
was sold. Burgess, a community
development specialist
for Girl Scouts of Greater New
York, approached then-COO
Meredith Maskara about creating
a troop for her daughters
and other children living
in the shelter. Burgess led the
first meeting with seven girls,
and as the program spread
through word of mouth, it
quickly grew to 22 members.
Maskara, who lives with
her family in Sunnyside, is
now the chief executive officer
of Girl Scouts of Greater New
York.
“Every girl in New York
City deserves the sense of
community and support that
comes from being a Girl Scout
and the opportunity to see
herself as a leader — that’s
what Troop 6000 is all about,”
Maskara said.
Troop 6000 brings the Girl
Scouting experience to girls
and women who wouldn’t otherwise
have access to it. Girl
Scouts in Troop 6000 meet
weekly, earn badges in subjects
ranging from STEM to
business and entrepreneurship,
explore the city on field
trips and attend camp upstate
— all at no expense to families
Virtual Open House Dates:
Friday, March 4TH ..................................................................6:00 P.M.
Friday, March 11TH .................................................................6:00 P.M.
Saturday, March 18TH .......................................................10:00 A.M.
Friday, March 25TH ...............................................................6:00 P.M.
Friday, April 1ST ......................................................................6:00 P.M.
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art of the experience is
the Girl Scout Cookie Program,
and this year Troop
6000’s annual cookie sale will
return, coinciding with the
in-person anniversary celebration
at the Seaport from
March 10 to 12. All proceeds
from cookie sales fund Troop
6000’s activities.
“We won’t stop until every
girl in New York City has the
opportunity to join the sisterhood
of Girl Scouts, so we are
especially grateful to anyone
that has purchased Girl Scout
cookies from Troop 6000 or
made a donation,” Maskara
said. “Your support will help
us expand the program for
years to come. I am incredibly
grateful to the many people
who bring their creativity,
compassion and commitment
to making this program happen:
from shelter staff, our
partners at DHS, our incredible
volunteers, our unstoppable
staff team and, of course,
the girls themselves and their
parents and caregivers who
make it all worth it.”
Girl Scouts of Greater New York’s Troop 6000 is celebrating the
fifth anniversary of its creation in a Long Island City shelter for
homeless families. QNS fi le photo
In 2018, Girl Scouts of
Greater New York launched
the Troop 6000 Transition
Initiative to support girls and
families while they transition
to permanent housing and
keep them in the Girl Scout
community. The average stay
for a family in the shelter system
is 18 months. When families
transition from shelter
to permanent housing, maintaining
a sense of community
and consistency is vital. The
initiative helps girls stay connected
to the community during
this time by integrating
them with a local troop, providing
welcome home packages
and offering financial
support for Girl Scout participation
for up to three years.
Burgess’ daughter, Hailey
Vicente, 18, a founding member
of Troop 6000, is now in
college and a Girl Scout volunteer.
She recently earned her
Gold Award, making her the
first member of Troop 6000
to earn this highest award in
Girl Scouting.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Girl Scouts troop started in Long Island
City shelter celebrates fi fth anniversary
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