160 North Midland Avenue
Nyack, New York  10960-1998
(845) 348-2000
www.nyackhospital.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              CONTACT:  Amy Massimo
Director, Public Affairs
DATE:  September 29, 2009                                  PHONE: 845.348.2773

Girl Scouts Bring Smiles to Hospitalized Children

Alison and Jaclyn Schwartz are shown with gift bags for pediatric patients.

Congratulations to Alison and Jaclyn Schwartz, members of Troop 527 and seniors at Pearl River High School, who recently completed the requirements to receive the Girl Scout Gold Award. Alison and Jaclyn are the daughters of Nyack Hospital Speech Therapist Sally Schwartz.

The Girl Scout Gold Award honors scouts age 14- 18 who complete a project that encompasses organizational, leadership, and networking skills, and sets the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship. The project fulfills a need within each girl's community (whether local or global), creates change, and is something that becomes ongoing. Alison and Jaclyn’s project, “Cheer for a Child,” met these strict requirements and had the added benefit of bringing joy to Nyack Hospital’s young patients.

The project involved raising funds to purchase items that were distributed to children in the Hospital. The girls assembled sixty small decorated backpacks filled with a variety of different activities appropriate for younger children (coloring books, crayons) and older children (crossword puzzles, word searches, etc.).

Congratulations to Alison and Jaclyn on completing this project. Nyack Hospital is proud of your accomplishment!

Nyack Hospital is a 375-bed community acute care medical and surgical hospital located in Rockland County, NY.  Founded in 1895, it is a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.