My name is Marisa Iati, and I am a 2010 graduate of Montgomery High School and a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame. I earned my Girl Scout Gold Award about two years ago. For my project, I created the biographies of three women with disabilities that live at Enable, Inc.'s Princeton Junction group home. I am now seeking current Girl Scouts and other young people to carry this project forward. I believe that an advancement of this project may be a great Journey project or Silver or Gold Award.
I cannot speak highly enough of my experience. I spent a few hours a week with the women, playing games and baking with them in order to form relationships, as well as talking to them about their pasts, interests and daily lives. I then created the biographies in order to honor the women and recognize them as individuals with distinct personalities and dreams, just like everyone else. The biographies were put onto scrapbook paper, decorated, bound and presented to the women at a dedication ceremony held at Enable headquarters. At this event, the women, their relatives, Enable staff, Girl Scouts and my family were able to learn about the importance and influence of these three people. Ultimately, my relationships with Patty, Denise and Bernice impacted all of us, and I honestly couldn't tell you who got more out of the experience: me or them.
At the end of the project, I compiled a guide to help future volunteers write biographies about other people served by Enable. This guide outlines the process of creating a biography step-by-step but also leaves room for creativity and improvement. Because I believe that this project had a significant impact on Patty, Denise and Bernice, I hope to find several young people interested in using this guide to create other biographies for people served by Enable.
For more information or to discuss how you can get involved, please contact me at msiati@msn.com.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Marisa Iati
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