Gold Star Fitness Comes to Good Counsel Riverside

Christine Adams, currently a senior at Bishop Eustace Prep in Pennsauken, NJ, was in pursuit of the Girl Scout’s Gold Award.  The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting with just 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earning the award. According to the Girl Scout website, “the prestigious award challenges young women to change the world – or at least their corner of it.”

Already a volunteer babysitter at Good Counsel’s Riverside home, Christine recognized a need that she could help meet with her project.  After discussing her idea with Allyson DeSante, House Manager, Christine, an avid athlete, decided to bring her passion for fitness to the moms at Good Counsel. July 2016 was dubbed “Fitness Month” in South Jersey and Christine got to work, reaching out to several fitness experts in the area to present a series of classes for the moms in residence. The goal of her project was to encourage Good Counsel moms to incorporate physical fitness into their daily lives and educate them on different types of exercise. Rebecca Furrer, Physical Therapist, and Barbara Agurkis, Physical Therapist Assistant, from Strive PT, facilitated the first session where they spoke about the benefits of exercises, and then demonstrated warm up and cool down exercises.

For another class in the series, Christine recruited fitness instructor, Deb Celland, from the local YMCA to hold a Zumba class with weight sculpting. The moms who participated had the workout of their life! Mom Daveeda, very excited after the Zumba class, said it was "so fun even though I was soaked with sweat!" The moms were sore the next morning but felt energized.

Along with recruiting fitness experts, Christine brought along several fellow Girl Scouts to lend a hand and babysit some of the smaller children while the moms were working out.  With the continuing health of Good Counsel moms in mind as well as the fitness of future residents, Christine set to work procuring donations of fitness supplies including yoga mats, exercise balls, weights, jump ropes, water bottles, exercise bands, and an exercise bike.

“Christine did an amazing job bringing knowledgeable and certified instructors to our residents. The residents found the sessions informative and fun! Additionally, Christine brought other girl scouts with her to assist with the children, which was very helpful. Overall, Christine organized a great and thorough program and provided a great service to our residents. She left everyone with a yoga mat and water bottle, and the moms are doing yoga on their own now. We felt very blessed that she chose Good Counsel Homes for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project.” – Allyson DeSante, House Manager

You don’t have to be a Gold Award achieving Girl Scout to bring your passion to the moms at Good Counsel, we are always looking for volunteers to lead Life Skills classes in our homes.  Click here for more information on how you can to help.