Port resident Shannon Straggi completed her Girl Scouts Gold Award Project—Wheelchair Accessible Flower Planters—at the Sands Point Center for Health & Rehabilitation in April. The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, which recognizes girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable Take Action Projects that have sustainable impact in their communities and beyond.
Straggi’s 82-year-old grandmother, Adele, has been a permanent resident of the Sands Point Center for Health & Rehabilitation for nine years. She and many of the residents are disabled and in wheelchairs. Sixteen-year-old Shannon wanted to do something special for the nursing home and residents for her Gold Award Project. After brainstorming with her family and Project Advisor Karen Toback, director of Recreation at the Sands Point Center, they came up with the Wheelchair Accessible Flower Planters idea.
Gardening is the number one outdoor leisure activity of America. It is a source of personal satisfaction and pride, providing aesthetic pleasure and opportunity for relief from daily stress. It is an ideal preventative therapy to maintain personal well-being. The disabled and elderly who have never gardened can acquire a new and rewarding hobby.
After much research and discovering the costs of materials and supplies needed for this project, Straggi applied for an online competitive grant with The Home Depot Foundation, was eventually generously awarded the Community Impact Grant and was able to move forward with her project. She prepared a pre-garden survey and met with the residents to find out if there was any interest and requests for specific plants. She shopped with her dad at Home Depot and ordered supplies and materials needed for the project. 
All volunteers were on hand and met at the nursing home to assemble and set up the planter boxes, fill them with soil and put together the rolling gardening cart with gardening tools, gloves and watering cans. The group met again at the nursing home on April 10 for a introduction to gardening class led by Home Depot Horticulture Specialist Randy Stricker and Home Depot’s Rob Bienstock. Next, the volunteers worked with the residents and had them replant lavender plants in pretty flower pots and take them back to their rooms. The residents were fully engaged with the Girl Scouts, loved the beautiful smell of the plants and were thrilled with their final product. Afterwards, everyone went outside and planted flowers, vegetables and spices in the planter boxes. It was a beautiful day, and the residents really enjoyed themselves. Shannon’s Scout leader since first grade, Ginny D’Alonzo Sikes from St. Peter’s Troop 432, was on hand to celebrate the day. In addition, North Hempstead Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio honored Straggi as a citizen who contributed to the enrichment and betterment of her community and presented her with a Proclamation.
Straggi has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and has been working on this project for 11 months, with over 90+ hours logged. The project was a community group effort and was successful with the help of Shannon’s Troop 432 Leader Ginny D’Alonzo Sikes; fellow senior Girl Scout Sara Malvey; younger Scouts from Troop 459 and Troop 457, including Faith Sanders, Paige Faulk, Natalie Coletti, Katie Dunphy, Noelle Fox and Analise Stehl; and Troop 459, led by Troop Leader Deirdre Conneely and Coleader Doriann Sanders; Schreiber High School Tree Huggers; Sarah Mannix and Club Advisor Julie Barbieri; Home Depot Horticulture Specialist Randy Stricker and Rob Bienstock; The Home Depot Foundation; Sacred Heart Academy fellow students Sara Malvey, Bridgett Cunningham, Erin McHale, Hannah O’Connor; Michael Rufrano; Justin Straggi; Sands Point Nursing Home residents; Project Advisor and Director of Recreation Karen Toback; Nursing Home Administrator Audrey Marschand; Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio; and many local friends and family.
Straggi is a junior at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, an all-girls Catholic college preparatory school whose singular purpose is to educate young women who have strong academic and leadership potential. Sacred Heart Academy empowers young women to make a difference in their communities, professions, the Church and the global world.
