Gifts for the Grieving
Not many people believe that losing a pet can cause any
emotional damage, but it can be just as devastating as losing their
best friend. Ellie has experienced this firsthand and decided this
would be the focus of her Gold Award project. Through her research,
Ellie discovered that not many people do anything to help pet owners
cope with the pain and grief they experience. Ellie also discovered
that loss of pets has been treated by psychologists in the same way
loss of family members have been treated due to the same impact the
loss has. Loss can cause depression, withdrawal from society,
tiredness, as well as much more serious conditions related to grief.
Ellie says that “It does not matter what the loss is, loss is loss and
is often treated in the same way, and that’s why my project addressed
loss of pets and providing comfort items to area clinics to help with
recovery after loss."
Ellie’s goal was to give
families and their pet matching comfort items by providing area
veterinary clinics with comfort kits they distributed to grieving
clients. Ellie’s kits included a pamphlet of grief resources,
ecologically friendly blankets to bury or wrap deceased pets in, a
children’s book that focuses on pet loss and grief, for younger pet
owners, and memorial keepsake ornaments for remembering their pets.
Ellie says that “The vet clinics that I distributed the supplies to
were extremely pleased with the boxes. They informed me that they
would make use of the supplies” and that “The vet clinics have passed
on what the owners said about the pet loss comfort items and the
pamphlets saying it was very helpful in the grieving process.”
To sustain her project, Ellie enlisted the help of a younger
Girl Scout troop and an area 4-H club. She created an instructional
video on how to create the kits and comfort items. Ellie said that “it
was difficult because of COVID, which restricted how much I could do.
I had to get creative in teaching them over zoom as well as create
videos on how to complete different steps in creating the kits.”
When asked what she learned through her Gold Award project
Ellie said: “I am able to solve many problems and am able to figure
out solutions to sudden and unexpected problems that arise. I can
teach people effectively and am able to adapt to changes quickly and effectively.”
Gold Award Girl Scout, Ellie
26 Jun 2021
