Unexpected encounter leads to a meaningful friendship and new memorial at Orchid Park

Among the many pandemic-time hardships, forming meaningful connections was challenging for many. Yet for Coral Springs-based Girl Scout Troop 10883, the girls creatively utilized a Coral Springs Park as a safe place to meet faceto-face – and laid the groundwork for an unexpected encounter that would result in a lifelong connection.

While holding socially distanced meetings at Orchid Park in Coral Springs, Troop 10883 became curious about an older gentleman who regularly visited one of the park’s memorial trees; the memorial was for a woman named RuthAnn Gillooly.

During the unveiling, they noticed another visitor at the memorial – and it was who they had been searching for all along – Kathleen Schaffer, the adult daughter of John and RuthAnn. Kathleen, along with her husband, made a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Orchid Park that morning.

“Chills went up my back. It was the craziest thing,” Kelli said.

The gentleman - John Gillooly – RuthAnn’s husband – was kind and patient with the girls, sharing that his wife was a former teacher. Inspired by his kindness, the troop chose to install a Little Free Library at the park in honor of RuthAnn next to her tree. Little Free Libraries are nationally known pop-up library installations where readers are encouraged to “Take a Book. Share a Book” for free.

Sadly, in the months that it took to install the library formally, John passed away. Troop Leader Kelli Matonak tried to locate other family members hoping to include them in the official unveiling of the Little Free Library, but never found them.

On Saturday, March 4, 2023, with all the logistics finally in place – and the Little Library appropriately renamed to honor both RuthAnn and John Gillooly – the girls arrived at Orchid Park to unveil their project officially.

The troop unveiled the new Little Library to an emotional Kathleen who shared just how much the Girl Scout Troop had meant to her dad during the last days of his life.

“He talked about them almost every day; he referred to them as “His” Girl Scouts,” Kathleen said. “As they grow, and when they go their own way, I hope they remember what a difference they can make; you never know who is sitting next to you.”