Krownapple puts forth heartfelt effort to earn GSA Silver Award
Over the decades area youth who are members of the Girl Scouts of America and Boy Scouts of America have put together projects in earning their Gold and Silver awards.
Perhaps none have been more purposeful and heartfelt than the one Sydney Krownapple is fulfilling.
When her grandmother Marilyn Krownapple was diagnosed with cancer, the teenager got an in-depth look into exactly how cancer can affect people.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments left her grandmother constantly feeling chilly. After her grandmother lost her hair because of the treatments, hats and bandanas became a new staple in headwear, and she constantly had a bad taste in her mouth.
These were just some of the symptoms Marilyn Krownapple experienced, and it tugged at Sydney Krownapple’s heart to see her struggling through those types of symptoms.
With that in mind, the GSA Killbuck Troop 777 member decided her Silver project would be to raise funds and items she could distribute in cancer patient care baskets.
Marilyn Krownapple passed away, but her memory and the idea of helping others have spurred Sydney Krownapple to make a difference for others going through the same experience.
“I saw firsthand how cancer affects someone,” Krownapple said. “Not only that, it touches everyone in the family. We were all pitching in to make sure she wasn’t there by herself and going through it alone.”
Krownapple is now collecting items to put into baskets and distribute to cancer patients around the area. She also is accepting donations that she will use to purchase items for the baskets.
The list of items Krownapple is accepting includes lap blankets and fleeces, socks, hats, scarves to help keep patients warm, lip balm and mildly scented lotions to aid the drying process of skin and lips, hard candies for the sour taste treatments can leave in the mouth, crossword puzzles and journals for them to read or write in to pass the time, and colored pencils and crayons.
This project will touch the lives of those suffering from cancer and their families, and it will show there are people in the community who care enough to create a project to help.
Once the project is complete and the baskets are ready, Krownapple will focus on finding cancer patients she can help.
“We are trying to keep this as local as possible, so if anybody knows someone personally who would like it, they can call and we will make a basket for that person and hand-deliver it,” Krownapple said.
Krownapple has a special account set up at Killbuck Savings Bank where donors may give financially in her account. Physical donations may be made by calling Jacqui at 330-231-3935 or Lindsey at 330-473-8306.
Krownapple said there have been some special donors who have made her project a reality including Killbuck Savings Bank; Nashville Horizons, which donated lip balms and lotions; Killbuck P&G, which sent colored pencils and crossword puzzles; Trailside Deli; Tobacco Hut; Lori Kamer, who donated two lap blankets; and others.
Krownapple said she must have her project completed by mid-October, so she has set Oct. 9 as her deadline for donations.
While she must have all of her paperwork filled in by the deadline, she said this is one project she will gladly continue well beyond the project date.
“I know that my project will have an end date, but I’d like to continue making baskets and delivering them after it’s over,” Krownapple said. “I might hand it off to someone, but I still definitely want to be a part of it because it is a meaningful thing to me because of what my grandma went through.”
Through all of her research into the different types of cancers and how they affect people, Krownapple said she has learned a great deal. She hands out small booklets explaining the different types of cancers and their symptoms, effects and treatments.
It is with passion that she works toward her Silver Award.
“Cancer became a part of my everyday life when my grandma was diagnosed,” Krownapple said. “She has since passed on, but my passion to help educate and lift a bit of burden off of the patients and the family has not.”
Her effort to spread the word about her project included setting up camp in the foyer area of the expo center at the Holmes County Fair Aug. 5-10, where she greeted the masses as they entered the arena.
She had success in talking to people about her project, one she hopes will have an ongoing impact for families struggling with the daily agony of a loved one dealing with cancer.