COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. (KMTV) — Kids learn from books, but children in Council Bluffs will also learn from dolls at the library thanks to a donation by Girl Scout Troop 40341.
Faith Lindquist, Jasmine Shields and Sophia Danker have all come together to donate American Girl dollars to the Council Bluffs Public Library as part of their work with the troop. In the process, they'll earn a Silver Award — a high honor for girl scouts.
When Girl Scout Sophia Danker brainstormed ways to give back, she knew what she wanted one doll to represent.
"Getting a bald doll, because I just thought, well if I had cancer, I don't know how I'd feel coming to the library to play with the dolls with them all having hair," Danker said.
She took matters into her own hands by contacting the staff at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital to help out and donate.
"She wanted to make sure we included a doll who represented a friend of hers who was going through some cancer treatments. And so we were able to rally our radiology oncology team and donated, not only the doll, the wheelchair, crutches and another little medical kit to go along with it," said Tara Slevin, the president of Jennie Edmundson Hospital Foundation.
That's the common thread behind this good-hearted gesture, which provided 11 dolls of all races and abilities. The hope is that kids can connect with something relatable to them.
"They call it windows and mirrors. It's important to see people in books and in toys that reflect your own experience, but also to be able to see through the window to how other people experience the world," Council Bluffs Public Library Youth Services Manager Anna Hartmann said.
As the girls band together to get the Silver Award they can also rest assured their hearts are already made of gold.
The Girl Scouts also received support from Goodwill and the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. Kids will be able to play with the dolls and then check out the books starting later next month.
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