ON MARCH 12, Daisy Scouts from Troop No. 45107 delivered a check for $800 for Katie VanNess’ second-grade class from Crestline Elementary School. Pictured from left to right are: Katie VanNess, Olivia Deming, Jada Shigeno, Ainsley Burckhard, Anni Vossler, Zoe Smith, Evi Vossler and Olivia Hillestad. Daisies not pictured include Layna Paliwoda, Ellie Seelbinder and Lindsey Seelbinder. Photo courtesy of Kristin Bruckhard.
When 38-year-old Kristin Burckhard first heard about the fire that destroyed Crestline Elementary School in Vancouver, she couldn’t help but hold back tears.
For more than 20 years, Burckhard’s mother, Janice Connolly, taught first graders at Crestline all the way up until her death in 2005 after a battle with cancer. Burckhard said Connolly was passionate about fire safety and went “above and beyond” in teaching her hundreds of students over the years about its importance. Connolly’s teaching even eventually caught the eye of those at the Vancouver Fire Department, who created the Janice Connolly Memorial Fire Educator of the Year Award. The award is given to teachers who show exemplary work in teaching fire education.
Connolly was posthumously given the award in 2006.
After hearing about the recent fire at Crestline, Burckhard knew she needed to do something to help. So, Burckhard decided to lead her daughter’s Girl Scout Daisy Troop, Troop No. 45107, to collect supplies to help the students and teachers at Crestline. The Daisy Troop is made up of 10 Hockinson Primary School kindergarten and first grade students. Troop co-leaders are Burckhard, whose daughter Ainsley is a troop member, and Leslie Smith, whose daughter Zoe is a member.
“Daisies collected books, paper, pens, crayons, binders, staplers and other supplies that could be used by students and teachers,” Burckhard said. “There was also a collection box for money and supplies located at Timberline Physical Therapy, owned by co-leader Leslie and her husband Zane.”
Burckhard said items were even collected from as far north as Graham, WA, from teachers at Nelson Elementary School where her sister, Margy Fossand, is a teacher. Money was collected from family members and friends of the Daisy Scouts, as well as patients at Timberline Physical Therapy.
“We collected nearly $400 ($267 from Timberline and $90 from Girl Scouts) in cash and the value of our supplies totaled more than $200,” Burckhard said. “Leslie and Zane Smith (owners of Timberline Physical Therapy) matched what the troop had collected and we delivered a check for $800 to Crestline in addition to the boxes of supplies we collected.”
Seven of the Daisy Scouts, including parents, delivered a check to Katie VanNess’ second-grade class, now located at Columbia Valley Elementary School in Vancouver, on March 12.
“Mrs. VanNess had given her classroom a heads up that we were coming,” Burckhard said. “When we announced that we were giving the school $800, the class erupted in ‘aaaahhhhhs,’” Burckhard said. “The students were able to tell the troop how things were a little different in their ‘new’ school. They were all very positive and seemed to be doing very well with their situation. We told the students that part of our Girl Scout Promise was to ‘help people at all times’ and that we really wanted to help the students at Crestline and would hope that they would be moved to do the same if something like this ever happened to our school.”
Burckhard said the Daisy Scouts enjoyed collecting supplies and raising money for Crestline, and especially enjoyed visiting the class and seeing where and who their donations would help.
