Donation Benefits After-School Activity Center at Ledge Street School

Nashua, NH – Girls at Ledge Street Elementary School are assured of ongoing after-school fun as part of the Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council’s outreach program thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

During a six- to eight-week rotation of after-school activities at Ledge Street School, girls in grades one to five may choose to participate in the once-a-week program run by the Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council.  During the most recent session, girls chose crafts and other activities with an international theme. On this day they made dessert crepes which they filled with strawberries and blueberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Other after-school program activities this session included sampling foods from Morocco, Japan and the Middle East. They also made African masks, koinobori (Japanese fish windsocks), and crafts from Mexico and India.

Besides outreach programs such as this, there are other ways girls participate in Girl Scouting beyond the traditional troop model. These include weeklong activity centers during school vacations, the Daisy by Mail program for kindergarteners, Special Interest Groups, in programs at girls’ homes and shelters, and as teams such as the champion Swift Water Paddlers canoe racing team.

The outreach program at Ledge Street School is four years old. The Bank of America grant will help Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council continue to offer this opportunity when school starts up in the fall. “The Girl Scouts play a critical role in helping our community’s children gain the skills they need to succeed in life,” said John F. Weeks, president, Bank of America New Hampshire. “These funds will have a direct impact on this fine organization’s ability to continue the great work they perform every day.”

Bank of America Corporate Philosophy
Building on a longstanding tradition of investing in the communities it serves, Bank of America is in its fourth year of achieving an unprecedented 10-year goal to donate $1.5 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation will give more than $225 million in 2008, making the bank the most generous financial institution in the world and the second largest donor of all U.S. corporations in cash contributions. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called “neighborhood excellence,” under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 625,000 hours in 2007 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council is 50 years old and serves nearly 14,000 girls in New Hampshire and eastern Vermont, and is supported by 4,200 trained and dedicated volunteers. The council runs three residential summer camps and five day camps. For more information about camp opportunities or to volunteer, see www.swgirlscouts.org, or call 603-627-4158.