PATRIOT ARCHIVED STORY

Girl Scout Troop 16466 donated Autism Sensory Bags to the Big Lake Police Dept.back in December of 2020. 

These bags are made for emergency situations involving individuals with Autism. In an emergency, everyone involved experiences high stress. When an individual who has Autism is in that situation, the stress may make him or her unable to communicate effectively with officers. 

All the items in the bag are designed to help calm those with Autism, or to help them communicate with officers. The items in the bag include toys to keep their hands busy, a whiteboard to help communicate, and ear muffs to reduce the noise. 

The Girl Scouts, Cailyn, Brynn, and Ruby, executed this project in order to earn their Silver Award. They donated the bags to the BLPD for officers to keep in their squad cars. The project took two years to complete.

The girls accepted donations for more bags at a drop off bin at Coborn’s in Big Lake. They also had an Amazon Wishlist where items could be sent directly to the troops.

More information and a video made by the scouts is available at the BLPD Facebook page.