The girls wanted to help NICU families by donating Girl Scout Cookies to the hospital.What’s more special than NICU babies? Two Girl Scouts who were once NICU babies themselves, returning with arms full of cookies and hearts full of gratitude.

Isabella and Cheyenne, members of Girl Scout Troop 670 from Punta Gorda and students at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte, recently delivered boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The donation was part of the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida’s Gift of Caring program, which allows community members to purchase Girl Scout Cookies for donation to local heroes and those in need.

Isabella was born at Sarasota Memorial in 2018, weighing just 1 lb. 10 oz. at 27 weeks. Cheyenne was born at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers in 2017, at 35 weeks and weighing 3 lbs. 13 oz. Now sisters in scouting—a Daisy and a Brownie—the two girls are giving back to the same kind of medical staff and families who once cared for them.

“After much thought and consideration, we couldn’t think of a better donation for these two girls to make, than to a NICU,” said troop volunteer Chrystal Ortiz. “What a way to give back to those who continue to care and nurture these babies, like they were both cared for.”

“The life of NICU parents and their families, can be a long and rough journey filled with heartbreak and setbacks,” she added. “Maybe these cookies will bring comfort to parents sitting there day after day, hour after hour, listening to the beeps of machines.”

In 2025, Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida donated 41,587 packages of cookies through Gift of Caring, bringing smiles and encouragement to frontline workers and deployed military members alike. Girl Scouts are hand-delivering donations across the council footprint in Sarasota, Manatee, and Lee counties, and beyond.

Before leaving Sarasota Memorial, Isabella and Cheyenne visited the hospital chapel to pray for the babies, families, and staff in the NICU. Their gesture served as a heartfelt thank-you to the medical professionals who provide critical care to the tiniest patients and hope to their families.

Troop 670 donated their Gift of Caring Cookies to Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s NICU.

Isabella was born at Sarasota Memorial in 2018, weighing just 1 lb. 10 oz. at 27 weeks. Cheyenne was born at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers in 2017, at 35 weeks and weighing 3 lbs. 13 oz.