The fourth graders from Sandy Hook Elementary School's Girl Scout Troop 50611 gathered at the Municipal Center on March 16, eager to continue their work to support The Ana Grace Project.For more information about dropping off items, e-mail Troop 50611 leaders Neasa Waaler at neasa.waaler@gmail.com or Deb Lombardo at deblombardo13@outlook.wm.

The Ana Grace Project, which was founded in 2013 in memory of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, who was killed on 12/14, promotes love, community, and connection through partner schools, professional development, music, and art.

To help the group's mission, the girls launched their Third Annual Dance Shoe & Instrument Drive to benefit the Capitol Region Education Council's (CREC) Ana Grace Academy of the Arts Elementary School in Avon.

Troop 50611 Leader Neasa Waaler said all the items collected from the drive will be donated to the school's students in need. In the last two donation drives, the troop had collected a total of 450 pairs of dance shoes for the school and hopes to surpass that number this year with the community's help.

The members of Girl Scout Troop 50611 are not only organizing the donation drive, but have also helped create a "Love Wins"-themed quilt to be auctioned at the upcoming Dance For Ana With Love event on April 7. The quilt is 4 feet by 4 feet and depicts a variety of different size and patterned hearts that were sewn together by local quilter Elaine Lundquist.

The troop also designed handmade sachets out of the spare quilt fabric, rice, and scented essential oils that they plan to hand out to guests during the dance next month.

Those interested in donating gently used or new dance shoes and musical instruments have until the end of April. Currently, boys dance shoes and instruments are the biggest need.

Dance studios in Newtown participating in collecting donations are Dance Etc, Graceful Planet, Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet & Voice, and Lathrop School of Dance. Additional locations include Dance Donations in Brookfield, Dance Dimensions in Brookfield, Nutmeg Ballet School in Torrington, The Dance Workshop in Monroe, Logrea Dance Academy in New York, Thrive in Monroe, and Creative Music in Monroe.