Tuesday, January 18, 2000
Girl Scouts learn lessons for life
Members plan entire dinner/dance
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CRESTVIEW HILLS — As she marks her 30th anniversary in Girl Scouting, Villa Hills Troop Leader Paula Koenig is quick to note that it's not your mother's Girl Scout troop any more.
“We still camp. We still do crafts, and we still sing songs,” Ms. Koenig said. “But it's amazing how many things Girl Scouts do today.”
Ms. Koenig lives in Villa Hills, but her Troop 279 draws its membership from Boone County, Edgewood, Independence, Erlanger and Elsmere.
One of the troop's chief projects is the annual Snowflake Ball, which the Cadet and Senior girls plan and execute for 126 Brownies and their fathers.
“Where else can you turn seven teen-agers loose with $2,500 and tell them to go plan a program?” Ms. Koenig said.
For this year's ball, held Saturday at Seiler Commons on the Thomas More College campus, Ms. Koenig's troop and two other scouts had to oversee every aspect of the formal dinner/dance.
“We had to plan a menu, entertainment and decorations around a budget of $10 a person,” said 15-year-old Anna Dolhanycryk. “We had to call the caterers, call a DJ, help set up, and clean up everything afterwards.”
Besides providing a good time for their younger peers, she learned responsibility, the teen-ager said.
For Ms. Koenig's troop members, the experience was invaluable, because their leader let the girls do all of the work, after offering a few suggestions on how to get started, said Laura Clarke, membership marketing manager for the Licking Valley Girl Scout Council.
Besides learning budgeting skills, the Girl Scouts had to choose music that was appropriate for first- and second-grade girls, and “figure out how to keep Dads from sitting on the sidelines,” Ms. Clarke said.
The girls also learned how to deal with business professionals, Ms. Clarke said.
“They called one caterer, but she was incredibly rude to them,” Ms. Clarke said. “When it came time to choose (a caterer), the girls said, "This one is the cheapest, but she was very rude to us, and she wouldn't be good with the girls.'”
The Girl Scouts opted not to go with the cheapest caterer, and, in turn, learned “some real positive lessons” in dealing with business professionals, Ms. Clarke said.
Fourteen-year-old Amy VonHandorf, a nine-year Girl Scout who hopes to one day work with children, said that working with the Snowflake Ball also helped her develop skills in dealing with youths.
Members of Northern Kentucky's Licking Valley Girl Scout Council take part in service projects such as collecting baby goods for needy families and visiting nursing home residents.
Northern Kentucky Girl Scouts also explore careers in science, and they attend weekend workshops at which they learn new skills and meet girls who share common interests, Ms. Clarke said.
They also travel, visiting such places as the nation's capital and the Savannah, Ga., home of the Girl Scouts' founder.
“It's certainly not what people think it is,” Amy said of scouting. “If I had to describe Girl Scouts, I'd say it's an organization of girls of all ages that gives you the opportunity to do things you like, learn new skills and meet interesting people.”
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