Edison senior constructs Blessing Boxes for Girl Scout project

MILAN — Edison High School senior Sarah Bursley constructed and installed four area Blessing Boxes as part of her Girl Scouts project. Blessing Boxes are filled with non-perishable food items and toiletries that anyone can take at any time. They have a slogan of "take what you need and leave what you can." The Blessing Boxes are located at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Berlin Heights, St. Anthony's Church in Milan and in Norwalk, St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer and St. Alphonsus Catholic churches. Bursley has been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten. "Throughout the many years, she has always had the goal of obtaining the highest ranks in Girl Scouts — the bronze, silver and gold awards," her mother Pam Bursley said. For Sarah Bursley's bronze project, she and her troop installed a butterfly garden at the Berlin Township Conservation Club. For her silver project, she constructed five Free Little Library boxes and placed them throughout the Berlin Heights and Milan areas. "Now it was time to think about another community need and what she could do to earn the highest award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award," Pam Bursley said. "When thinking about what her gold project was going to be, she decided to look for a need within her community. She helped out in soup kitchens, she's been a part of the backpack program which fills up food in backpacks for kids to take home over the weekend and helped with OHgo Project Happy, which brings presents to children in need during the Christmas season." "Through these (projects), she realized that families lack some basic essentials that they can't live without — food and toiletries. Finally, after hearing a recent story of a homeless woman in need coming into one of our area churches and wrapping a foot rug over her to stay warm during the wintertime, she found a way that she could help her community — Blessing Boxes," Pam Bursley said. She continued: "Sarah is hoping that the area communities help sustain these boxes for years to come. Please consider donating food and/or toiletries to these Blessing Boxes. Many thanks to these area churches, along with the Edison Girl Scout Service Unit, Lowes in Sandusky, the Norwalk Elks Foundation, (which) helped to fund this project, and the Salvation Army in Milan for helping support and sustain this project. Sarah is hoping that today's young girls take part in all the wonderful opportunities Girl Scouts can bring."