Published in the Community section of the Asbury Park Press 8/05/98

Barnegat Pete Sr., Pete Jr. and Little Jimmy the Jersey Devil are very well-traveled, especially considering they're stuffed animals.

The three mascots serve as Girl Scout ambassadors of goodwill, representing Troop 285 of Barnegat and Troop 111 of Tuckerton.

"I thought this would be a great way for our girls to learn about new places and things from other Girl Scouts across the country," said Troop Leader Pat DeNatale, of Barnegat.

DeNatale launched the local mascot program this past year after discovering the nationwide program through Girl Scout Web sites on the Internet.

The program gives Girl Scouts the opportunity to get to know Scouts from various parts of the nation via the mascots, who visit the other troops' hometowns and bring back information and sourvenirs. The girls also talk with the other troop members over the Internet and check up on the wayfaring mascots.

When it came time to select a mascot, Troop 111 had no doubt who would best represent the place they live. They chose the "Jersey Devil."

After tracking down a stuffed devil they dubbed Little Jimmy, the next plan of action was researching the folklore of the Pinelands. The information the troop gathered then was placed into a notebook that will also serve as Jimmy's journal while he is on his adventures.

Next came setting Jimmy's itinerary. Without the help of a travel agent, Troop 111's leader, Kristin McKelvey of Tuckerton, and her 10 year-old daughter, troop member Tiffany McKelvey, jumped on the Internet and started looking for hosts who would like a visit from Jimmy.

The same procedures were followed by DeNatale's troop, but instead of the Jersey Devil, Troop 285 chose Barnegat Pete the deer. Barnegat Pete was named after a real deer from the 1930s who was adopted by a local family after a brush fire swept through the woods in Barnegat.

"This really is a cute project," said DeNatale. "Whatever the girls do, that is what the mascot does as well. And Pete Sr. has done some pretty amazing things this year."

Pete Sr., a stuffed deer, has spent the past year marching in parades, visiting the Mayflower Plantation in Massachusetts and has been seen skiing on the slopes of Vermont.

"Pete even was caught in the big ice storm back in January that shut down most of New England," DeNatale said. "He was housebound, but he was safe. The host troop took very good care of him."

"This is a fun project," said Jamie Farenga, 13 of Barnegat. "I like seeing what other troops are doing, and through the mascots and the photographs they bring back, we see what everyone else is up to."

"This really is a great project because it gives girls from across the country an opportunity to find out about us as well," McKelvey added.

Currently, Pete Sr. is home relaxing before he ventures out again. He was so popular, the troop decided to add another mascot, Pete Jr. Like his dad, Pete Jr. likes to stay on the move. He is currently attending Girl Scout camp in Thousand Islands, N.Y., and will soon fly off to a Girl Scout jamboree in Kansas.

Among the states the mascots have visited are Texas, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida.

The mascots are always gracious and thankful guests and never go visiting empty-handed. They always remember to bring tokens of thanks for the hospitality shown to them by the troops they visit.

"We always make sure to send our mascot off with a gift for the girls he will be visiting," said DeNatale.

These little gifts are called "SWAPS" or, in Girl Scout lingo, "Special Whatchamacalits, Affectionately Pinned Somewhere."

"I helped with SWAPS," said Taryn DeNatale, a 13-year-old member of Troop 285. "We made 200 SWAPS in three days before we sent him to Thousands Islands."

Pete Sr., Pete Jr. and Little Jimmy have come home with gifts as well. Some souvenirs they have brought home included real maple syrup, candy and, of course, many Girl Scout patches and SWAPS.

Since this was the first year Troop 285 took part in the mascot program, DeNatale, along with her co-leader Marion Humphries, also of Barnegat, did most of the legwork on the project. They would like to get the girls more involved in the upcoming season.

"As long as the girls like this project, we will keep doing it," said Humphries. "This first year was an experimental year for us, but next year we will get the girls much more involved."

Anyone interested in seeing the mascots in action, may visit the troops Web sites at www.oocities.org/Heartland/Acres/3994/index.html or www.oocities.org/Heartland/1116.

Source: Asbury Park Press

Published: August 05, 1998