It’s a party at this meeting of Girl Scout Troop 5312 at P37R on Staten Island. But this isn’t any ordinary group of girls. Troop 5312 specifically caters to girls with physical and developmental disabilities. It was the first of its kind in the city.

“The most important things for the girls are socialization, communication, friendship, learning how to help one another,” said Lisa Rosenfeld.

Rosenfeld, a paraprofessional at the school, founded the troop 20 years ago.

“We went on so many girl scout trips with my daughter and I kept saying ‘Why can’t the girls at my school be girl scouts? There is no difference. They’re all the same.’”

It started with six girls and kept growing. The scouts now hail from Staten Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx

Rosenfeld has also started a second troop, Troop 5227, that meets at the local Jewish Community Center. She says the troops are like second families to these girls.

“Being able to walk up to other children and say hello and introduce themselves, introduce their friend that cannot introduce themselves,” Rosenfeld said. “And they take very good care of one another.”

The girls do all the same things typical scouts do. They sell cookies. They go on trips. And they earn badges.

But some adjustments need to be made.

“The symbols are written out for them when they sit at a table,” Rosenfeld explained. “They have instructions written out with pictures on them. We hold up signs that say ‘Stop, go, happy, sad, I need help.’”

While most parents stop attending girl scout meetings when their children do, Rosenfeld has stuck by her pack for two decades.

“My daughters in their 20s and I still did not age out of girl scouting,” she said. “And I don’t plan on stopping doing girl scouts because I love to see the girls giggle, smiles, the way they greet one another.”

For giving girls of all abilities the chance to serve their country, help people at all times and live by scout law, Lisa Rosenfeld is our New Yorker of the Week.