BROCKPORT, N.Y. — Most students across New York state had off from school on Wednesday, for the first time since Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation making the Lunar New Year a public school holiday in 2023. Girl Scout Troop No. 61756 made the most of it by giving back to their community.
“It’s teaching them how to be a good part of the community and it’s teaching them good, interpersonal skills and teaching them love and kindness in general,” troop leader Maggie Culmone said.
About 20 Daisys, Girl Scouts between the ages of 5 and 6, gathered at the Brockport Fire District’s Station 1 on their day off from school to host a bottle drive. Proceeds went to the Morgan Manning House.
“The Morgan Manning House had a pretty bad fire," Culmone said. "I grew up in this town, so I remember doing field trips and stuff here. So, to see and also, I don’t live far from that house. I could hear all of the fire stations reporting, and to watch everything happen live through Facebook was pretty heart wrenching."
The historic landmark was damaged by fire on Jan. 14.
“You drive past the Morgan Manning house and it’s a staple in Brockport, and it’s surreal when you pull in realizing that the building is actually on fire," Brockport Fire District’s Assistant Chief Scott Wainwright said. "So it’s not something we wanted to see. A lot of these people, you hear stories of them as kids going to their first elementary school for tours and now, here they were, standing across the street watching it burn.”
More than a dozen fire stations assisted the district in putting out the fire. It burned for hours throughout the night in frigid temperatures.
“With the ice and the cold weather trying to keep guys warm, it was a very long night; about six hours we were there,” Wainwright said.
The building is a community staple dating back to the 1800s. The Brockport Fire District says there was another fire at the building in 1964, but it had been recovered for today’s society. The Morgan Manning House, in the heart of the village, is most remembered for its elementary school-aged field trips, Christmas events, and even for some locals' weddings.
“We get to, as kids in Brockport, go through and learn all about either architecture or Susan B. Anthony, and the history of our town, and where it comes from," Culmone explained. "I want that to continue to pass down to our kids. So to watch it slowly burn over a couple of hours, it was a lot.”
Within 48 hours of the fire, Culmone had calls out to organize a fundraiser for the girls.
“The idea was thrown around for like fundraising for our own troop, but I was like, the Morgan Manning House needs us more,” she admitted.
“There was a fire on Jan. 14 and the Girl Scout troop got a hold of the fire department to see if we could host a bottle drive to raise money for the Morgan Manning House from the fire that night,” Wainwright added.
Local businesses and community members were quick to chip in.
“Morgan Manning House has been a cornerstone in the community for a long time," Back Porch 585 Tavern owner David Bannister said. "Just about any graduate that comes through Brockport goes through that door, goes on a tour. It’s a great tradition, and hopefully we can bring that back by doing causes like this and rebuild over the next couple of years."
However, the girls were more eager to help out as excitement grew from one car to another on Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s something simple for the girls to do a meet and greet and to be able to learn how to talk to the community because a lot of these kids don’t really get the chance to talk to people on one," Culmone said. "It’s a lot of tablets and stuff lately, so we get to have them out here drinking hot chocolate and saying pleases and thank you to people who are coming in. And that’s really the goal."
“It’s fantastic coming to the firehouse and coming around the corner and seeing all these people," Wainwright said. "It’s fantastic to see the outpouring from the community."
Culmone’s daughter is a member of the troop and hopes community events like these will teach the girls valuable skills to last them a lifetime.
“We try to keep that family mentality and I’m trying to pass it on to the girls," she said. "I know that they’re only 5 and 6, but we get to learn that quickly. It’s just been surreal to see the outreach. And we just love the Morgan Manning House so much.”
