Ascension : News From The Grotto - Thought For The Week
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 18.10.2007 (Article Archived on 01.11.2007)

This week, kids, we’ll talk about being helpful, and what a great gift it is that we give to others when we do nice things. Last week Brownies started up again for this year. Brownies is the Guiding group for girls 7 to 9 years old.

On Monday evening we had a little celebration to welcome the new girls.  We went from 2 girls to 9!  A lot of them jumped over the rainbow, having been in Rainbows, and 2 other girls joined us as well.  We’ll have a great group this year, and lots of fun.

                We hadn’t even had our first official meeting yet, and already the girls have participated in two service activities.  The first was the Coffee Morning on Saturday morning in Georgetown.  They all marched from the hospital to the town square.  I must say all the girls, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides looked very smart in their uniforms.  They helped raise a lot of money for Cancer Awareness in St. Helena and the Guiding movement here on Ascension.

                Then on Sunday morning the Brownies were out again, helping clean up Ascension’s beaches.  Unfortunately some people aren’t very thoughtful and they throw their litter on the ground instead of taking it home and putting it in the trash bin.  Some even rolls ashore from the sea.  Litter on the beaches isn’t only an eyesore, it’s dangerous to the island wildlife.  It gets in the way of the turtles building their nests, and we’ve all seen a poor donkey wandering around the island with an old rusty can stuck on its hoof.  Can you imagine having something awful like that caught on your foot, and not being able to get it off, or ask for help?  It’s not like they can go to the hospital like we can when we get hurt and have Dr. Alex or Dr. Adrian fix it for us, can they? 

                The animals of Ascension need the help of the people who live here.  That’s why a lot of people showed up for the annual beach clean-up and picked up trash.  The Brownies, and their brothers, friends and parents cleared a lot of vegetation from PanAm Beach.  This isn’t supposed to be growing on the beach and it gets in the way of the turtle hatchlings after they hatch.  They can get trapped in it, and not be able to get free to make it to the ocean.  We cleared loads of stuff, even prickly weeds, so the hatchlings will be happy this year!  Well done to the girls and all their helpers.  And to all those people working on the other beaches.

We live in a very special place, somewhere that is very beautiful in a rugged sort of way.  And if we don’t keep it clean, and healthy, who will?  So it is a good thing to be helpful, and everyone who came out this past weekend proved that they were good people.  Just like all the people who helped at the Coffee Morning, and all those who came to get their morning tea and cakes were showing their good hearts as well.

                It doesn’t take something big or organized to be helpful either.  These times are special, but so is every time that you help your parents, or your teachers or your friends.  Every time you clean up your room, pick up a piece of litter on your  way home from school or the playground, or help someone carry something heavy, you are being helpful.  And that is a nice thing, and a good thing.  It doesn’t take much to be helpful, just a kind thought, and a kind heart.

                So thanks to all the people who helped out this weekend, especially the young people.  You showed everyone that you have good hearts