As government officials debate how to handle the influx of new arrivals, the Girl Scouts — whose Troop 6000 has served kids who live in the shelter system since 2017 — are quietly welcoming hundreds of the city’s youngest new residents with the support of donations.
This photo provided by Girl Scouts of Greater New York shows Girl Scouts Troop 6000 paying a visit to the Statue of Liberty in New York in 2023. Troop 6000 has served kids who live in New York’s shelter system since 2017, quietly welcoming hundreds of the city’s youngest new residents with the support of donations. NEW YORK — Once a week in a midtown Manhattan hotel, dozens of Girl Scouts gather in a spare room made homey by string lights and children’s drawings.
Not everybody is happy about the evolution of Troop 6000. With anti-immigrant rhetoric on the rise and a contentious election ahead, some donors see the Girl Scouts as wading too readily into politically controversial waters. That hasn’t fazed the group — or their small army of philanthropic supporters. Amid city budget cuts and a growing need for services, they are among dozens of charities that say their support for all New Yorkers, including newcomers, is more important than ever.
With few other after-school opportunities available, the girls are “so hungry for more” ways to get involved, says Giselle Burgess, senior director of the Girl Scouts of New York’s Troop 6000. “We already had a model that has really proven to work,” says Maskara, who raised about $400,000 in an emergency campaign from Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
That hasn’t been easy at the Midtown shelter. The average length of stay for a family in the city’s homeless shelter system is a year and a half; in an emergency shelter, it’s often mere months.“Keeping the girls connected is what matters the most for us right now,” says Burgess. “There’s a lot of emotion, frustration, and hurt.” Around 50 scouts who have left the shelter participate in a virtual troop.
With or without government directives, she says, charities are feeling the crunch: Food banks need more food. Legal clinics need more lawyers.Together, they’ve provided over $25 million for charities serving asylum seekers, from free legal assistance to resources for navigating the public school system.
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