A 13-year-old Westfield girl is learning the aspects of fundraising, hard work and giving back to her community as she pursues her Girl Scout Silver Award. Jenna Lowes, a member of Girl Scout Troop 1505, is working to create a prairie and beautify Freedom Trail Park in Westfield.
“I’m doing this to promote Mayor (Andy) Cook’s Green Initiative, which is a movement to beautify and naturalize park areas of Westfield to attract wildlife,” Lowes said. “Another goal of my project is to make an enjoyable, low-maintenance area in Freedom Trail Park.”
Lowes sought the help of Genesis Farms to remove sod and make the area available for planting the prairie at no cost to the Girl Scouts. However, Lowes is fundraising for seeds, which will cost approximately $1,900. She also is fundraising to supply signs from CSI Signs to identify the prairie. A local Boy Scout donated $1,000 from one of his projects to her efforts.
Lowes wants to open the prairie to the public by spring.
“I really enjoy Westfield parks, and so when I thought about what I could do for my project, I went to the Westfield Parks Dept. and there was a list of things that could be done, and this one sounded like a challenging project,” she said. “I kind of wanted a challenge as far as projects go. I also liked the idea of creating a natural area in the park for people to enjoy.”
To donate to Lowes’ project or learn more, visit facebook.com/CityofWestfieldParksRecreation/videos/1809649395730499/.
