The members of Girl Scout Troop 371 take the Scout Law seriously, leaders say. According to their leaders, the laws key words describe these 12-year-olds well: honest, caring, responsible, helpful and respectful.

The four girls and their mothers spent hours in the hot sun this summer, planting a variety of flowers to brighten the front of the Hospice Thrift Barn. And that was after they spent hours sorting clothes in the back room of the Hospice Thrift Barn as well as cutting out and sewing pillows for Hospice patients. The girls are working toward their Silver Badges, which require 50 hours of volunteer service.

The mothers and daughters involved in the project said they welcomed the opportunity to give to the organization that has meant so much to the families when their own loved ones were in need of Hospice care. The circle widened when Landrum businessman Paul Ayers donated plants for the troop to use in their beautification project.

The mothers say they are also motivated by the idea of building camaraderie with their daughters, who will all be leaving for college before they know it, to pursue challenging fields of study including medical research, marine biology and engineering. It is a good guess that stepping out of their comfort zones, as one mother put it, by taking part in community projects has helped lay the foundation for the girls success in college.