Health & Fitness
The Year of the Girl–Girl Scouts in Ramona
When you think of Girl Scouts, you most likely think of cookies but here in Ramona, and across the country, Girl Scouts are making the world a better place.
Written by: Denise Drum, Troop Leader and Ramona Girl Scout Service Unit Representative
When you think of Girl Scouts, you most likely think of cookies but here in Ramona, and across the country, Girl Scouts are making the world a better place. If you look around our community you may see a troop tending to the plantings at the Ramona Monument, singing at the holiday lunch at the Ramona Senior Center and of course selling Girl Scout cookies!
Currently, there are 29 troops and 314 girls registered in Ramona. To kick-off the new year of Girl Scouting, Girl Scouts of Ramona have organized their Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 13 at the Scout Hut in Collier Park.
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The event will include booths with food and games and a haunted house put on entirely by local troops. This family-friendly event also includes a costume parade and contest. The event is free and open to the community. There is a small charge for each booth and game and food tickets will be sold at the entrance. For more information on this event please visit www.ramonagsa.com.
This year, the Sunrise Valley Service Unit was awarded the President’s Award in recognition of their efforts to enhance Girl Scouting in the communities they serve. This prestigious award is given to a select few, top-performing Service Units that have achieved the council’s goals during a membership year. Girl Scouts of Ramona was one of only 8 Service units out of 47 council-wide in San Diego and Imperial Counties to receive the award.
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Most girls join a local troop or group for fun and friendship, but they also find out about building character and self-esteem and serving their communities—the core qualities of Girl Scouting. In Girl Scouts, girls find a safe place to grow and share new experiences, learn to relate to others, develop values, and contribute to society. So – What Do Girl Scouts Do? The Girl Scout program is fun with purpose! It is based on the Girl Scout Promise and Law that generations of girls have followed. Girl Scouts earn badges, hike and camp, participate in the cookie program, and much more. They improve neighborhoods, protect the planet, and establish programs in their own community. To see what a great Girl Scout year can look like for each grade level please visit www.girlscouts.org. Each Girl Scout program starts girls off on a Journey of their choice from the National Leadership Journeys series.
They'll earn awards, have fun, and take on projects that change the world. “Girl Scouts in Ramona have a strong sense of community and a desire to give back”, said Mary Hopperton, Service Unit Manager for Sunrise Valley. “They truly embody the Girl Scout motto of One girl can make a difference; girls together can change the world.”
Celebrating 100 years, Girl Scouts USA is the world's premiere leadership organization for girls. It provides an accepting, nurturing environment where girls can develop leadership skills, cultivate lifelong friendships, serve their communities and grow through new and exciting experiences. Girl Scouts was founded on March 12, 1912 by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia. Today, Girl Scouts of the USA has a membership of over 3.2 million girls and adults, a significant growth from its modest beginnings nearly a century ago. Part of the San Diego – Imperial County Council, Ramona Girl Scouts belongs to the Sunrise Valley Service Unit which serves the communities of Ramona, Julian, Borrego Springs, Warner Springs and the back country. The Girl Scout’s mission to build "girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place" extends to all girls ages 5-17 of every racial, ethnic, socioeconomic or religious background.
When Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts, she understood that dedicated and dynamic leaders were vital to helping girls develop their full potential. Girl Scouts are always looking for new leaders to start and guide troops. To reach girls from different backgrounds, Girl Scout’s strives for a volunteer base that reflects the communities’ diversity. The Sunrise Valley Service Unit has identified a lack of Hispanic troops in the Ramona Community and is looking for ways to increase leadership and registrations for Hispanic girls.
If you would like more information on starting a troop or are interested in getting your daughter involved in Girl Scouts, please contact the Membership Development Coordinator, Priscilla Chandra at 619-610-0817 or by email at pchandra@girlscoutssdi.org. To find out more about Girl Scouts in San Diego-Imperial counties please visit the council website at www.sdgirlscouts.org.
The 2012 Year of the Girl National Campaign is Together, we can get her there:
