Bee Seen Bee Heard Mental Health and Wellness Event

I had the pleasure of meeting Anna at a recent Town Council meeting!  Anna got up during the public session portion of the Council Meeting to speak about and invite everyone to her event, Bee Seen Bee Heard.  I thought she did a fabulous job (I could tell she was nervous speaking in front of the Council) and was riveted by her story so I asked her if she would be interested in telling her story for the Newsletter!  Here it is……

My name is Anna Schunke and I am a member of Girl Scout Troop 95388. I am a junior at Indian Hills High School in Oakland, NJ. I have been a Girl Scout for the past twelve years and I am a recipient of both the Bronze and Silver awards and I am currently working to complete my Gold award project. The Gold Award is the highest level award a Girl Scout can receive and focuses on finding solutions for problems girls observe within their community. For my Gold Award Project I have found that the lack of knowledge and resources available for children and teens struggling with mental health in Bergen County to be extremely alarming. As someone who has had an extended history of struggling with mental health I understand the difficulties faced by those experiencing mental health issues; especially when it comes to seeking help. This is why for my Gold Award Project I have organized a free Wellness Event to promote people and organizations that specialize in mental health and overall well being. 

This event is called the Bee Seen Bee Heard Mental Health and Wellness event. For this event I have gathered together dozens of organizations including therapists, counselors, yoga instructors, meditation specialists as well as  healthy supplement sellers and other vendors. My goal is to have all of these resources available in one place, making it easier for the community to find the help they need. There will also be wellness activities located outside run by student volunteers such as making stress balls and zen gardens.  Presentations will be held every 10-15 minutes, providing valuable information as well as leading attendees through breathing exercises and other self calming techniques. And, we will have Mikes Hot Dogs, Playa Bowls and an ice cream truck giving out free food!
The event will take place at Valley Middle School, 71 Oak St in Oakland,  from 1:00-3:00 pm on Saturday June 8th.

I became involved in Girl Scouts just as any other little girl does, when in kindergarten their mother signs them up to see them in the cute little blue vest with the flower on the front. I stuck with my troop throughout my years at Manito Elementary School with the same array of girls, participating in projects like making blankets for Project Linus as well as creating a kindness rock garden. As we entered middle school the number of girls began to decrease. However with my mom as my troop leader I stuck through gaining skills that helped me with other aspects of my life as well. Girl Scouts allowed me to develop skills that I now contribute to several other extracurricular activities such as becoming the Varsity Girls Tennis Captain for the 2024-2025 season as well as the Media Manager, working as the Set Coordinator and Media Manager for the Indian Hills Theater Company, the President of the Italian Club, and as a camp counselor and Tennis Coach for young children. Being a Girl Scout for the past twelve years has taught me to consistently motivate others and become a driving force within the community.

Some other Girl Scout events that I have had the opportunity to participate in include creating a kindness rock garden at one of the local elementary schools which helped earn me the Bronze Award, becoming the first overall winner of the Oakland Girl Scouts cupcake wars competition and since then I have become a judge annually, as well as making and selling t-shirts to raise awareness for the Bergen County Horse Rescue that helped me to earn the Silver Award. Being a Girl Scout for so many years has taught me so many life skills that I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else, including leadership, independence, time management, collaboration skills, and to embrace my own creativity. The Bee Seen Bee Heard event alone has taught me to improve upon my time management and organization as well as my public speaking and communication skills.

Great job, Anna!