Members of Pack 23 from North Mianus took advantage of a sunny Thursday afternoon last week to participate in spring planting at Parsonage Cottage Senior Residence. There are 70 members in Pack 23, one of 6 in Greenwich. What is notable about Pack 23, is that it was the first one in town to include girls; swearing in nine girls in February 2018, after the National BSA Organization announced in October 2015 that it would include girls going forward. Pack 23 consists of 6 Dens, one for each grade Kindergarten through 5th grade, and there are 15 girls in total.
Photo 1: Madeline Yu, Alice Ahn, Gia Kapur, Vanya Kapur, Charlotte DiPreta, Claire Tucker, Anoushka Mittal, Holly Shattuck, Luke Shattuck, and Libby Byxbee. Contributed photo
Cindy and Rich DiPreta have served as Pack 23 Cub Masters since 2016 and began the tradition of planting flowers at Parsonage that year. In addition, Pack 23 is the group that constructs, paints, and hangs the
sweet, signature birdhouses that hang throughout the trees.
After missing last spring due to the pandemic, the Pack was excited to get their hands dirty. In the past, both the boys and girls Dens have participated in the planting, but this year it was the girls’ Den.
“Parsonage Cottage prides itself on our connection to the Greenwich community and various organizations. Pack 23 has been so generous with their time over the years and the residents really enjoy seeing the children on our grounds planting,” said Penny Lore, Parsonage Cottage Executive Director.
The scouts were treated to a nice barbeque following the planting, courtesy of the Parsonage Cottage staff.
Parsonage Cottage Senior Residence is an affordable home for our own Greenwich older adults to be able to age in place, near friends and family, remaining in the town they call home. Quality of life and health is so much better when we are in familiar surroundings, allowing for peace of mind for our residents, as well as their family members, who can visit more often.
Lore enthusiastically described the state-of-the-art, traditionally designed, large “cottage” as idyllically set on landscaped wooded acres in the heart of Greenwich.