Spending time with the residents of New Hope Assisted Living in Avalon started out as a project for the members of local Girl Scout Troop 50887. And although their efforts netted the girls the Bronze Award -- the highest award possible for Junior Girl Scouts -- the scouts are continuing their visits to the facility they have now “adopted.”

The scouts visit New Hope in their free time a couple days each month, playing bingo with the residents, decorating their walkers for holidays, doing crafts and treating them to other opportunities, such as last week’s Girl Scout cookie taste testing, pictured above, with scout Addy Helfrich serving some scrumptious samples to New Hope residents.

The girls also have made sure to get to know the residents, spending time talking to them about their lives and families.

Although the girls were required to spend only 15 hours at New Hope to complete their Bronze Award work, they have “gone way beyond that,” according to troop leader Erin Joyce.

Why?

“[They] said that we made them very happy,” said scout Katie Cubellis.

Troop members include Anna Joyce, Olivia Alexander, Kimmi D’Ottavio, Katie Gould, Katie Cubellis, Lindsay Tighe, Addy Helfrich, Emma Herzig, Cassidy Southern and Zoe Patterson. Sue Alexander also serves as troop leader.