Pals with Brownies

Local troop writes to children of U.S. Army Reserve unit . ‘My favorite food is sushi. Write back soon!’ one writes. The classic pen pal is hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles away, available only through a postcard or letter and a mailbox. The girls of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 291 don’t have a typical writing arrangement. Their pen pals are well within driving range.

The troop, comprising 22 second-grade Newport Beach and Costa Mesa students from Mariners Elementary School, kicked off a pen-pal program this week that involves sending cards to children whose parents are serving in the military.

This batch of letters, written by the Brownies, is going to sons and daughters of U.S. Army Reserve members from Orange County, some of whom have returned recently from Iraq.

“The No. 1 concern for people in the military is their family,” said Brad White, a legislative board member with the National Guard Assn. of California. “Girls adopting kids in military families is huge. No one tends to think about them, so this will help.”

White is in charge of California’s Yellow Ribbon America organization, which facilitates interaction between military personnel and community members though donation drives and special events.

The organization was founded in 2003 as a nonpartisan effort to unite the families of service people with their neighbors. This winter, Yellow Ribbon America, the California state legislature and the National Guard Assn. of California are co-sponsoring Operation Christmas for Our Troops II, a program that brings donated toys to children of soldiers.

The pen pal program had never been done before. Brownie mother Jill Kanzler, a Newport Beach resident, contacted her friend, White, to find local military families.

“I thought, let’s do something to connect with the service men and women,” Kanzler said. “I wanted our girls to understand there are people whose parents are protecting us.”

Many of the Brownie’s parents have explained to them the significance of the pen-pal project. Davis and uniformed National Guardsmen told the children where their letters were heading during a Wednesday meeting.

Kanzler said her daughter, 7-year-old Maddy, told her that “it would be sad if one of her parents was away from home for a long time.”

Added Maddy: “I want to be good friends [with my pen pal]. I want to tell her who I am.”

Many of the postcard writers explained to their future pen pals who they are and listed their favorite colors, foods and movies.

Paige Fults, 7, ended her postcard with the words: “My favorite food is sushi. Write back soon!”

Her mother, Kelly Fults, said this program coincides with the troops theme this year, which is “Friends Without Faces.” Kelly Fults said she is trying to convey the importance of being open to friendships.

“This is the first time many of these girls are involved in community service,” Fults said. “The sweetest thing is that they want to give up more info than they should.”

Kanzler said the Department of Defense has expressed an interest in duplicating this type of pen-pal program throughout the nation. As far as she knows, this is the first one that has connected military families with their neighbors.

In June, Troop 291 is planning an event where the pen pals can meet in person. They will be communicating through mail at least once a month.

“It’s a symbolic message they [the Brownies] are sending,” Davis said. 20051209ir7hw9knCOURTENAY NEARBURG / DAILY PILOT(LA)U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Fochen Horton, left, Sgt. 1st Class Brad White, and Sgt. Joshua Miller hand out stickers and cards to Brownies on Wednesday. The Brownies are pen pals with the soldiers’ children.20051209ir7hwtknCOURTENAY NEARBURG / DAILY PILOT(LA)Sgt. Joshua Miller lets Brownies Holly, left, and Grace Clemence, both 7, try on a helmet Wednesday.