Girl Scouts going through changes

By Shantelle Breaux

NEWS EDITOR

CROWLEY – The guest speaker at Tuesday’s meeting of the Crowley Rotary Club was Catherine Stagg, fund development specialist for Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf, who was a volunteer with the Girls Scouts in Acadia Parish for 15 years until she was hired into the organization this past February.

Stagg spoke about the new leadership program that will be introduced at the end of the year, which will focus on teaching Girl Scouts “to discover themselves and connect with others” with the result being able to take positive action. According to Stagg, the goal is teaching the girls to become leaders in their communities, and building courage, confidence and character within them.

Stagg also spoke about the re-alignment of the government of Girl Scouts of America within Louisiana, with the different councils in the state merging cover an area from north Louisiana to the Gulf, and whose eastern border is the Mississippi River and western border is west of the Atchafalaya Basin. According to Stagg, this merger is providing more opportunities for girl scouts in the area, providing four camps for them to pick from, instead of just one as before.

The Girl Scouts are also changing the way they are establishing themselves, and are now hiring outreach specialists to reach out to new communities and establish troops in them.

But even with all these changes, the Girl Scouts are still focusing on the important lessons they have always taught their troops – those lessons including “self-esteem, values...differences, and community service,” according to Stagg.

Although the Girls Scouts are more known around communities for the snacks they bring – “You’ve all seen the girls selling cookies, right?”– laughed Stagg, she was quick to point out that selling cookies are not the only activities Girl Scouts are involved in.

“We’ve done lots of community service,” said Stagg, and also participated in programs with schools and libraries.

Stagg also pointed out all the opportunities provided through the Girl Scouts, and how some scouts right here in Acadia Parish have traveled around the U.S. and have gone to Europe and to Mexico with Girl Scout programs.

Girls anywhere from 5 years of age to 17 years of age are eligible to join the Girl Scouts.

Showing their support for the Girl Scouts, the Crowley Rotary Club made a $1,000 dollar donation to the organization.

Anyone interested in more information can visit their website at girlscoutsbayou.com, or find their local office listed in the phone book.