2002 William Allen Award Winners
Daughters of incarcerated mothers find support in Boeing volunteer
Maureen Branchflower, shipping and receiving clerk at the Puget Sound Spares Distribution Center, was honored for her work helping daughters of incarcerated mothers connect with their mothers, and enjoy the benefits of scouting through the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program.
On three Saturday mornings a month, Maureen gets off third shift and then picks up the girls in her troop from their homes in Auburn, Kent, Enumclaw, Federal Way and Tukwila. Sometimes they have a troop meeting in Renton.
Sometimes they get on a bus to visit their mothers at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Purdy. On the way, they talk, sing, and share stories. At the prison, the girls spend time alone with their mothers, and enjoy typical Girl Scout activities. Maureen tells the mothers about their daughters' activities such as skating trips, picnics, troop meetings, camping and selling Girl Scout cookies
Maureen also takes the troop on field trips to the Museum of Flight, swimming, or a visit to Microsoft.
Maureen said the GSBB is so valuable for the girls because "it combines the Girl Scout program with maintaining their relationships with their mothers."
She is changing the lives of these girls who are growing up without the daily presence of a mother, suffering the trauma of parental separation, and who are at risk for repeating destructive family patterns. Thanks to Maureen, they are being given the opportunity to develop qualities that will serve them all their lives, and they are enjoying activities other girls might take for granted.