WALNUT CREEK, CA (Aug. 15, 2025) — The answer “no” can work out to be a good thing. And for a trio of young women in Girl Scout Troop 30783, it opened the door to an opportunity to serve the Winter Nights organization.

When the 2025-’26 season begins in September for housing more homeless families in area houses of worship, two new rolling cupboards will replace a single rickety one for the Winter Nights library.

In June, 10 months and a combined 150 hours of work after starting their project, 14-year-olds Sophia Samady, Ayda Halperin and Jackie Million cut the ribbon to turn over the completed units to the appreciative Winter Nights group.

“I hope all the children of the Winter Nights program will be more encouraged to explore the books that have found their new home in the newly built and long-lasting bookshelves,” Halperin said.

Trooper leader Carrie Million also serves with a group of tutors assisting youngsters who call the Winter Nights traveling indoor camping arrangement home. She saw firsthand the state of the aging bookshelf, which was becoming increasingly more difficult to tote from one site to another.

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“They had approached other people, who said ‘No thank you,’ ” Million said of two other projects the girls proposed.

“That is a happy thing, because we found Winter Nights. They saw the need and I am so proud of them,” she continued.

Step-by-step process

The scouts identified two issues when preparing to build the cabinets. The old shelving unit tended to be top-heavy and posed a risk of toppling over. Along with dividing the books between two units, they positioned interior shelves in one to better accommodate larger picture books for young readers.

The three cited the meticulous planning to ensure everything went just right as the most interesting part of the process, even though it was the simplest of projects on its face.

“Planning and creating an organized set of steps is important so that the process can run smoothly,” said the younger Million. “I found the planning fascinating since the project seems small, but a lot must be considered.”

While they will take away some shared experiences, each girl felt a unique sense of accomplishment from completing the hands-on project.

“The most satisfying part has to be seeing people light up with joy when we initially presented the finished shelves,” said the younger Million. “Seeing the people who work at the shelter and the little kids who would be using the shelves really made me happy.”

Nurturing a love of reading

Samady felt pleased about the long-lasting nature of their project and the potential it has for improving lives, especially for children.

“I also hope this will create a safe space for kids, as I have always been a passionate reader and libraries have always been a sanctuary for me,” she said.

For Halperin, helping transfer all the books from the old, broken shelf to the new ones was the most gratifying aspect of the experience.

“I hope all the children of the Winter Nights program will be more encouraged to explore the books that have found their new home in the newly built and long-lasting bookshelves,” she said.

David Scholz

David Scholz is back in journalism as a freelance writer and photographer after nearly two decades in education. Prior to moving into teaching in 2000, he worked as a full-time journalist since 1988 for rural community and small daily newspapers in Central Ohio and Northern Nevada, and later in California with The Business Journal in Fresno and dailies in the Bay Area, including The Oakland Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. More recently Scholz also worked in an editing, writing, and page layout role with the Rossmoor News.