We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
The Girl Scouts in Chinook could be found selling their famous cookies easily through the years, but membership dwindled in recent years to the point where there wasn't a troop at all during the 2021-22 school year. A recent visit to the Meadowlark Elementary by the Girl Scout Council out of Great Falls has helped to change that. Brittany Dawson stated, "The kids were sent home with a letter stating that the Council was seeing what kind of interest there was and if it was feasible to get the organization to be listed as active again. We met January 21 to gauge interest, and we went from there."
Brittany will oversee the Daisies which includes children K-1, Tawnee Brown will assist her. The two both have kids of their own in the Daisies, Brittany's daughter Peighton and Tahnee's daughter Lyncoln both age 6. Heather Huravich will oversee the older kids, Brownies and up which primarily includes kids grade 2-6. "In Chinook kids generally go through sixth grade and stop once they get to junior high," said Dawson. "We are starting early and will stick with them as far as they want to go, through high school even if that's what they want to do."
The new troops 3161 (Daisies) and 3162 (Brownies are getting a late start this year but still hope that the girls can complete some of the requirements and earn a few patches. "The year runs from September through May, so we are definitely late to start, but we plan to meet as much as possible to help the girls earn a few patches," added Dawson. The patches they hope to achieve include a Community Service patch, Working with Money Patch and an Honest and Fair Patch.
Dawson would like to get the girls uniforms this year, but that is still undecided, "We have some money left from previous years of Girl Scouts, but we have yet to decide on maybe buying pillows this year to put their patches on and getting uniforms next year." As far as those famous Girl Scout Cookies, "We have two girls fully registered that are out selling and will do so until the last part of February."
Tammy Williams has been involved with Girl Scouts locally for many years, "I think I first started back in '91, '92 maybe. I'm still with the Girl Scouts and will handle all the paperwork, make sure everything gets done properly and help the Troop leaders out as much as possible." As far as having her own troop again, "I will help Heather with the older kids when she needs it, but as far as having my own troop, probably not. I think it's great that Brittany stepped up and took off running the Daisies and if she wants to do more that would be great."
Having the Girl Scouts active again provides another opportunity for young girls to learn new things and get involved in the community. Despite the late start, troop leaders hope that the girls involved now, currently seven, will share their experience and maybe next year the number can go up and get back to the levels they once were
