East Alabama Women of Distinction Luncheon Kick-Off

The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama has kicked off the planning for its East Alabama Women of Distinction Luncheon. The Women of Distinction program pays tribute to women who have made special contributions to their community through civic, academic or professional involvement. In addition to the outstanding women being honored, GSNCA will honor the Gold Awardees from the past year. The Luncheon will be held on April 1st and will honor women in St. Clair, Talladega, Etowah, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Clay and Randolph counties. The Luncheon speaker will be Gail Collins of the New York Times.

This years’ Women of Distinction Luncheon chairs are Julia Segars of Alabama Power, Marcy Gregerson of Regency Pointe and Civic Leader Juliette Doster. Nomination forms and more details are available at www.girlscoutsnca.org/wod-eastal.php.

Photo: Seated (L-R) Barbara Walters and Juliette Doster. Standing (L-R) Gina Byars, Julia Segars, Denise Webb and Jenny Gauld. Not pictured: Marcy Gregerson, Patty King, Betty McWhorter, Dr. Bill Meehan, Dr. Margaret Davenport and Melody Warren.

Gold Award Helps Kids Get School Supplies

It’s All for the Kids

Karla Webb recognized that there were students at Hazel Green Elementary whose families were unable to afford school supplies. Through her Gold Award project, she created awareness in her community and organized a school supply drive to help these children. Karla created a “how-to” guide, which she presented to the Madison County Schools Superintendent, and delivered a persuasive speech to community leaders to garner support for her project. Girls and parents of Girl Scout Troop 1283 helped her with the donations, and members of the school’s PTO and the local high school’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America have committed to making this an annual drive for the school.

“As a result of my project, I learned leadership qualities and strengthened my organizational and speaking skills,” stated Karla. “I enjoyed giving back to my community.”

She graduated from Hazel Green High School in May 2009 and is a student at Calhoun Community College. Karla is the daughter of Cindy Webb of Hazel Green.

That’s Entertainment!

Jessica Wolfe took the opportunity to address senior citizens’ mental health needs in her community with her Gold Award project. She created an educational brochure on the benefits of visual stimulation for seniors and developed a video and DVD library for the residents of Agape Manor Senior Living Facility. Designed with the help of a volunteer, Jessica’s brochure provides the community with a listing of all the local agencies where senior citizens may obtain assistance. The videos provide entertainment for the residents and their families, and she coordinated with her church’s outreach ministry to continue the program by adding to the library throughout the year. Jessica also arranged for a guest speaker from the Mental Health Center of Madison County to present a program on senior mental health to the residents.

Jessica said, “This experience taught me how to organize a team and delegate tasks to complete a project. I also learned a lot about what goes into the production of an informational brochure.” Her parents are Robert and Rosemary Wolfe of Hazel Green. Jessica graduated from Edison Academic Center in Bradenton, Florida, in May 2009. She is currently a freshman at Auburn University.

Gold Award Project Teaches Girls To Be Financially Independent

The goal of Jennifer Dingle’s Gold Award project was to teach girls, ages 15-18, how to become financially independent. She coordinated a hands-on workshop with local experts that focused on the importance of maintaining a budget and living within your means. Topics included how to save money, creating a budget, investing, credit cards, interest rates and learning good spending habits. Presenters created real world scenarios for the girls to illustrate the impact of their financial decisions. When one of the presenters had to cancel at the last minute, Jennifer dealt with a stressful situation by “believing in myself and coming up with an alternate plan.” Ultimately the event was a success and she is working to ensure the program is conducted annually. Jennifer is the daughter of James and Gwendolyn Dingle of Madison and graduated from Catholic High School in May 2009. She is currently attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

UAH Student Earns Gold Award

Elizabeth Watson
Bringing Children Back to Nature
Elizabeth wanted to make a difference in the lives of children through her Gold Award project by helping a local school and community learn more about nature. To meet these goals, she constructed a butterfly garden at F. E. Burleson Elementary School in Hartselle, to be used in their outdoor classroom. She consulted with the Alabama Wildlife Federation teaching coordinator about landscaping and garden construction, researched native butterflies and host plants specific to the area, and organized volunteers and donors to help with the project. Once the garden was planted, she was able to teach classes about butterflies, their life cycles and habits, how to feed them, and why conservation is important. Elizabeth found the children’s excitement when seeing a butterfly at the garden to be especially gratifying and received positive feedback from the teachers. She has coordinated with the after school program, students in the school, local Girl Scouts and school staff to maintain the garden so it will continue to be a major teaching tool in the outdoor classroom in the future. Elizabeth graduated from Hartselle High School in May 2009 and currently attends the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her parents are James and Lisa Watson, who live in Decatur.

University of Alabama Student Earns Gold Award

Marissa Carden
Bird Observation and Education
To create a learning environment for children at F. E. Burleson Elementary School in Hartselle, Marissa Carden provided birdhouses for their outdoor classroom. In preparation for her Gold Award project, she researched birds and their habitats, which houses were best suited for the area and how to construct them, as well as educational information to share with the students. The birdhouses gave the children opportunities to observe and care for the birds, which they enthusiastically enjoyed, and added to the beautification of the school. Marissa discovered how to be flexible when she had to reschedule plans due to inclement weather and coordinate with volunteers and participants. “I learned that I can be assertive when necessary,” she said, “and how to persevere through the rough spots and stay positive.” Marissa is the daughter of Virginia Carden of Hartselle and graduated from Hartselle High School in May 2009; she is now a freshman at the University of Alabama.

Girl Scout Study Finds More Youth Today Would Make Responsible Choices Than 20 Years Ago

A nationwide survey released by Girl Scouts of the USA finds that more American teenagers say they would make responsible decisions on a range of issues from lying and cheating to smoking and drinking than young people just a generation ago.

The study, conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), is nearly identical to one Girl Scouts commissioned in 1989 and a comparison of the two shows a marked shift toward more ethical and responsible beliefs and values and civic involvement among teenagers.

Nearly two out of three young people (62 percent) surveyed in 2009, for example, say they would not cheat on a test compared to about half in 1989. Fifty-eight percent say they would refuse an alcoholic drink if offered one at a party. That’s compared to fewer than half (46 percent) in 1989. And only 18 percent say they believe smoking is acceptable if a person finds it enjoyable. In 1989, more than a quarter of those surveyed thought smoking was acceptable.

“This study shows that young people truly value diversity and civic involvement,” says Trish Coghlan, CEO of the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama. “Teens today are more accepting and more committed to their values than teenagers 20 years ago. But in a society of constant negative messages, age-appropriate programs offered by the Girl Scouts are more crucial than ever to help girls learn strong values and how to deal with peer pressure.”

The survey, Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Teens and Tweens Today, involved a nationwide survey of 3,263 girls and boys from the third through twelfth grades that queried them on issues ranging from ethics and diversity to civic involvement and peer pressure. The study was conducted with Harris Interactive (formerly Louis Harris Inc., the same firm that worked on the 1989 study.)

The study also surveyed young people about issues that have become prominent with the advent of new media and technology. Only six percent say they would engage in cyberbullying by forwarding an embarrassing picture of a classmate to their friends. Some 40 percent would take the extra step of telling the originator of the e-mail what he or she did was wrong.

In addition, the data show that youth today value diversity. Among 7th- to 12th-graders, nearly six in 10 (59 percent) say that being around people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is important to them. This appears to be particularly important to girls (63 percent versus 55 percent of boys) and youth from diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds. (This question was not asked in 1989.)

And young people today appear to have a stronger sense of civic engagement. Compared to 20 years ago, youth today are more likely to say they intend to vote in the future (84 percent vs. 77 percent), as well as give to charity (76 percent vs. 63 percent). Some 79 percent say they will volunteer in their communities.

Volunteerism is an idea that the Girl Scouts have been instilling in young women for almost a century. Catherine Butler knows about volunteerism and recently earned her Gold Award by planning and teaching environmental classes to the campers at Camp Fletcher. The project addressed the specific issues of water protection, recycling and reducing wastes. Catherine helped campers relate to their local surroundings through a variety of activities.

Another aspect of the survey was religious beliefs. Seventy-one percent say their religious beliefs are important to them, and this group is not as likely as less religious or nonreligious young people to say they would lie, cheat, or drink.

The study also uncovered differences among boys and girls. Among teenagers, girls are more likely than boys to give to charity (80 percent vs. 72 percent) and volunteer in their community (81 percent vs. 77 percent.)