Montgomery Blair incoming senior, Rebecca Rivera, made a lot of money this summer. Then she spent it all to improve a teen crisis center in Washington DC.
Rivera had been looking for a project that would put her creative skills to work to earn the Gold Award, the Girl Scouts most prestigious and demanding badge. We connected Rebecca with The Washington Covenant House’s teen crisis center (with whom we have been doing a series of repairs) in hopes that she would feel inspired. As a budding seamstress, Rivera could not help but notice the dingy, threadbare curtains hanging loosely about the windows. She then met with several of the kids who stay at Covenant House and asked them what kind of drapes they would prefer. Overwhelmingly, the teens told her they wanted something bright; something that felt more like a home and less like a prison.
Girl Scouts seeking the Gold Award are given a $50 stipend. Rivera used the money to buy clay. From the clay she made pottery. She sold the pottery at a market in Silver Spring. She used the money she made to buy the fabric to make the curtains to give to the Covenant House. One of Yachad’s volunteer handyman installed the curtain rods and Rebecca and her troop of volunteers installed the curtains on a Sunday in August.
A very special thanks to:
Jennifer Manguera, Yachad office mate, Girl Scout troop leader and matchmaker
Vernell Payton and Larry Gold of Covenant House
Marc Zweben, handyman and superhero