SCOUTS

GIRL SCOUTS

Girl Scouts from throughout southeast Louisiana will be celebrating the birthday of Girl Scout founder, Juliette Gordon Low, at the annual fall festival Nov. 7 at Camp Whispering Pines in Independence.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East is encouraging all Girl Scouts to participate in this year's community service project to benefit the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children. Participants are asked to donate items needed in local shelters and by the women and children who are trying to start new lives with very little of their own. By supporting women and children in a critical time of need, Girl Scouts continue the mission begun by Low nearly a 100 years ago.

Born on Oct. 31, 1860, Low organized the first Girl Scout troops in the United States. In developing the Girl Scout movement, she brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to learn about nature and develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She encouraged girls to prepare themselves not only for traditional homemaking roles, but also for possible roles in the arts, sciences and business and for active citizenship outside the home.

Kevin Shipp, program event coordinator at Girl Scouts Louisiana East, said the event will celebrate the "can do" attitude of Girl Scouts with hands-on activities and informative presentations from organizations such as Global Wildlife, LSU Deptartment of Forestry, Society of Women Engineers, the Deptartment of Environmental Quality and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum.

Several Girl Scout troops will be facilitating some of the activities, too. Scouts may bring their own special birthday cakes to share with their Girl Scout sisters at the party and their own T-shirts to tie dye for "art-to-wear." Registration for this all-day event is $8 per girl, and $2 for adults.