Everett Brownie troop uses cookies sales to save pets
Jul 9, 2018, 12:38 PM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 7:33 am
(Everett Fire Department)
(Everett Fire Department)
An Everett Brownie troop decided to do some good with profits from cookie sales.
The girls settled on buying pet oxygen masks for the Everett Fire stations. This was a very “on brand” decision for this troop, according to troop leader Tina Fish.
“They’ve done various different things for animals over the last few years. Recently, I have a friend of mine who is also a Girl Scout volunteer, who lost their home due to a fire,” Fish recalled. “In the process of that they also lost their two pet dogs. And when we started talking about it they wondered, you know, what they might have been able to do. We had picked up a collection to help the family but what might they be able to do further on from that?”
They found out there were six fire departments in Everett. So, that would be it. All six stations would get a pet oxygen mask. Everett Fire’s Rachael Doniger says this was a necessary and heart-warming gift.
“We did not have any pet oxygen masks,” Doniger said. “Usually what the firefighters do is they makeshift one out of a normal mask that they would use for a human and these masks allow for a better seal to go over the snout of the animal.”
Lucky for Everett Fire, cookies sales were good this season. The troop sold 11,000 boxes. They smashed their goal, and with those profits they made the purchase of six, tiny pet oxygen masks.
The group invited firefighters to their gathering at Legion Memorial Park for an end-of-season celebration. That’s where they handed over the masks.
“Certainly an honor for the fire department,” Doniger said. “Those girls worked extra hard. They sold 11,000 boxes of cookies to make this happen, to use a portion of their cookie funds, and it shows their hard work. It shows them that they put an effort into their community and fire department. We’re very appreciative of them.”
Fish says this act of kindness – and generosity – gave the girls a big life lesson.
“I think that the biggest thing is knowing that they can make an impact in our community,” Fish said. “Hopefully they won’t have to use these masks, but if they do knowing that they actually contributed to helping protect something or someone in our community I think will have a really lasting impression on them.”
And these girls may not be done giving back.
“There has been some discussion about maybe moving out more into Snohomish County and that’s something that we’ll talk about as the next cookie season rolls around,” Fish said.
