SEQUIM — One nook of the Sequim Police Department is more child-friendly thanks to the efforts of some hardworking Girl Scouts.
Earlier this fall, members of Troop 43870 helped remodel a waiting room in the police station inside the Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St.
Staff Sgt. Sean Madison said the Scouts approached him for a project and he knew refurbishing the room was something he and other officers hoped to see done.
The room sits adjacent to an interview room with a window between them so a person with children can keep an eye on them while speaking with an officer.
Inside the room, the Girl Scouts filled the room with cozy chairs, a bookshelf packed with books, a desk, a bench and a TV and DVD player with several movies.
Madison said the new space has been used as a safe spot for children to rest in the middle of the night after a tough situation.
“We’ve used it several times since it was finished,” Madison said.
“The police department is not really a kid-friendly place, but now we have a place they can go, watch a movie, go to sleep or play. [The Girl Scouts] did an awesome job.”
Parent Heidi Krzyworz said the Scouts sought a project to help the community and turned to the police for a suggestion. If they served 20 volunteer hours, they’d earn a Bronze Award Project at the junior level.
The girls held a toy and book drive to stock the room, sought donations from such companies as Home Depot, painted the room, purchased the TV and DVD player, picked out wood for the furniture and built the bench for the space.
Krzyworz said they couldn’t find a futon small enough for the room, so the Scouts opted to build their own.
After the room was complete, the Scouts suggested a few names, and police staff agreed on Cozy Cove.
Participants in the project were Caydence Barnett, Johanna Beckerley-Kohl, Taylor Heyting, Paige Krzyworz, Kaia McCarter, Sophie Morton and Olivia Ostlund. The troop is led by Leesa Kohl, Gena Winningham and Tiffany Barnett.
For more information on the Girl Scouts, visit www.girlscouts.org.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
Heidi Krzyworz Girl Scout Sophie Morton smiles big while helping fellow Scouts Taylor Heyting, left, and Paige Krzyworz stock the new child-friendly space called Cozy Cove in the Sequim Police Department.
John Brygider helps Kaia McCarter, a Girl Scout with Troop 43870, build a bench for a room in the Sequim Police Department specifically for children.
Heidi Krzyworz Sequim Police Officers Sgt. Mike Hill and Stephanie Benes visit with Sequim Girl Scouts, from front left, Johanna Beckerley-Kohl, Caydence Barnett and Paige Krzyworz as they refurbish the Cozy Cove, a child-friendly space in the Sequim Police Department. The girls worked 20-plus hours each on planning and implementing the project.
