Cookies for the troops

But, at this time of year, the care packages contain all cookies. As the girls sold cookies door-to-door, or in a parent’s workplace in January, they asked potential buyers to consider purchasing boxes for themselves and for U.S. troops. The response was phenomenal.

This year, the girls sold 299 boxes of cookies specifically for soldiers overseas; their total number of boxes sold was 1,224. They were delighted to top last year’s contribution of 181 boxes sent overseas.

This troop’s commitment to service runs deep. In addition to supporting American troops abroad, the girls have sent stuffed animals to Project Smile for distribution to children in need and conducted a fall clean up and bulb planting project at Wyngate Elementary.

Congratulations to the girls in Troop 6002 for another service project well done. Troop members are: Jessie Bernstein, Katie Cannon, Clare Cawley, Catherine Gardiner, Anna Gefke, Claire Guion, Madison Kemp, Jessica Lee, Beatrice McDermott, Lana Newman, Nolwenn Raballand, Katie Ripley and Lydia Wang.

Growing the seeds of peace at Warner

Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church will focus the Lenten season on ‘‘Growing the Seeds of Peace,” a series of meetings about the call to serve as peacemakers.

Participants will share a soup and bread meal at 6:30 p.m. followed by a prayer service and discussion, each Wednesday night through March 12.

Tonight, Jan Moody, a Christian educator, will explore the theology behind peacemaking and Peace Corps volunteers, and Shelley Swendiman and Paul Massey will share their experiences of teaching young people. Both Swendiman and Massey are Warner Young Adults, a religious and social group for young adults in the area.

Also through March, the church is accepting donations of juice boxes and prepackaged snacks for Rainbow Place, a women’s shelter in Rockville. The items will be used for bag lunches given to the residents when they leave the shelter for the day.

The Warner Youth group collected 200 cans of soup and $270 on Super Bowl Sunday for Rainbow Place.

For more information on the programs at Warner Memorial, located at10123 Connecticut Ave., contact June Eakin at 301-949-2900 or WarnerMemorial@comcast.net or visit www.warnermemorial.org.

Another team wins at robotics competition

The Washington Episcopal School Dragonbots robotics team won its second trophy at the First Lego League Maryland State competition at UMBC in Catonsville in January. Team members Jonathan Butturini, Pryce Bevan, Phoebe Christofides, Julia Currie, Marc Finzi, Patrick Holland and Shelby Mahaffie from the school’s fifth through seventh grades, won second place for the innovative design of their robot. They had previously won the Judge’s Special Award for the simplicity and elegance of the design of their robot in 2005. The team is coached by Jane and Ed Boynton, Barbara von Schilcher and Gina Mirigliano.

Bethesda Literary Festival could feature your story

Budding writers from the community can take their place among nationally known authors and journalists in Bethesda’s Literary Festival, set for April18-20.

The Bethesda Literary Festival’s Writing contest invites young adults in grades nine through 12 and adults age 18 and over to write a 500-word short story or essay about a major turning point in their life. Fourteen finalists will be featured in a special event during the Bethesda Literary Festival and published in a booklet distributed throughout the festival. The authors of the top four essays in the adult category and the top essay in the young adult category will receive cash prizes, including a $500 award for first place.

Additionally, young writers in kindergarten through eighth grade can express their creativity in the youth writing contest featuring the topic, ‘‘My Favorite Teacher.” The top 10 winners of the youth contest will be honored along with their favorite teacher at a special children’s event during the festival where they will read their essay and receive prizes.

Entries for both contests must be received by 5 p.m. March 21. Completed entry forms must be submitted with each essay. For entry forms, call 301-215-6660 or visit www.bethesda.org.

The ninth annual Bethesda Literary Festival will also showcase novelists, journalists, poets and children’s authors throughout downtown Bethesda’s bookstores, arts organizations and community centers. Featured authors include: Helen Thomas, Hearst News Service columnist covering the White House; Alice Hoffman, author of ‘‘The Third Angel;” Jan Crawford Greenburg, ABC News legal correspondent and author of ‘‘Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control for the United States Supreme Court;” associate editor of the Washington Post and author of ‘‘Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell,” Karen DeYoung; and New York Times columnist Judith Warner.