Monday, August 23, 2010

200 Girls Enjoy Summer Fun Programs in Etowah County

The Etowah County Summer Fun Girl Scout Programs, which served over 200 girls this summer, were held at two locations: Walnut Park Community Center and Gateway Community Housing. Everything the girls did centered around the theme, It Is Great to Be Me! and the Girl Scout promise and law. Each girl received a journal and participated in activities about feelings and issues that happen in everyday life and in their schools. The girls also participated in exercise each day.

The girls at Gateway Village had an instructor teach them Zumba, a popular new dance style of exercise. Girls explored their creative abilities by making many different types of things like appliquéd beach towels, decorated flip flops, painted wooden jewelry boxes and picture frames, as well as painted and designed beach cover-ups out of T-shirts, painted and decorated beach bags. They made bath salts and put in decorative bottles, made real lip gloss and even made bulletin boards for their rooms with boards and fabric and ribbon and buttons.

Girls were also taught how to help others. The girls at Walnut Park appliquéd towels for Thirteenth Place, a home for teenagers after one girl shared how she was separated from her family and spent nearly a year at Thirteenth Place. They also picked up trash all around the Walnut Park community center and school grounds. Girls at Gateway Village made one of all their crafts for a young girl with brain cancer. They also did cleanup project at the community housing.

Field trips were also a big hit this summer. Walnut Park girls went to DeSoto Caverns for a day of fun panning for gold, exploring the caves and water activities. Gateway Village girls went to Spring Valley Beach for a day of water activities and spent a day at Noccalula Falls riding the train, touring the grounds and swimming at the campgrounds. The girls were given kapers each day and the opportunity to make choices that gave them ownership of the program and the development of leadership skills.

Girls who attended the 21st Century Grant day care program at Striplin Elementary participated in Girl Scout programs one day a week and Girl Scouts also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club by presenting Girl Scout programs with their girls one day a week.

Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Gadsden and Gadsden Service Guild for sponsoring the Summer Fun program.

Photo: Girls at the Gateway Community Housing showing off their new jewelry