Geneseo Brownie Troop 51096 has decorated the tree on one of the village’s newest green spaces.
The space at 13 Ward Place, once a residential area, has burned down. It is now located in St. Michael’s Peace Garden, created by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church at 23 Main Street.
Church member Diane Hamilton said she purchased the land over a year and a half ago to create green space for the community to use.
“We want people to feel relief when they walk by,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said the church was thrilled when the Brownie Corps displayed ornaments and reached out about participating.
“It’s great that young people are interested in what’s going on in the village,” said Hamilton.
Laura Valentino and Trisha Butera, two unit leaders and Geneseo residents, say that the eight girls enjoy getting their hands dirty and getting creative, so making ornaments has become an annual tradition. I said yes.
Valentino said that Hamilton’s friend and Valentino’s neighbor, Liz Porter, was the one who brought the military’s attention to the Garden of Peace.
“We have a very creative and artistic group, and I am constantly amazed at the amount of time and detail they put into these projects,” says Butera.
Butera and Valentino provided the girls with 25 to 30 wooden round ornaments, paints and stencils.
From there, Boutella said the girl’s creativity and imagination kicked in.
Each girl created multiple ornaments that were stenciled or freehand painted, each one unique.
“We strongly believe in the importance of youth involvement in the community. Not only do the communities benefit, but it gives girls a sense of belonging and accomplishment. There are simple ways to give back that can make a difference,” Boutella said.
Other projects the unit has participated in include decorating and assembling children’s bags for the Geneseo Groveland Food Pantry and creating holiday cards for a local nursing home.
Butera said she really enjoys having the girls on the project.
Hamilton noted that the gardens are open to the public and that more landscaping work is taking place.
There are benches, a variety of annual and perennial flowers and plants, and even a Christmas tree this past holiday season.
Hamilton said he would save the ornaments and reuse them on the tree again next Christmas, if possible.
Geneseo Brownie Troop 51096 was formed in December 2019 with eight girls in grades 2, 3 and 4.
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