My Daughter's Feet

I have to laugh sometimes ... my daughter has her own sense of style. Ballet and socks? Not to mention neon leopard purposely "matched" with a solid?

Her little anklet made me think of summer camp. Replace the pointe shoes with tennis shoes and she could be at camp. Then again, replace the pointe shoes with flats and she could be at school. Put them in boots and she's on horseback. The interests of girls can be wide and sweeping, but they are always bringing their personality into their world as it expands. And that makes the world beautiful and interesting.

Naturally, that's another part of Girl Scouting I love. It gives girls opportunities to experience and explore. And ultimately, by building courage, confidence and character, it brings out the unique leader in all ... even leaders in mis-matched leopard socks!

Diversity and Legacies

It does my heart good when I hear about inspiration and encouragement that simply relies on the human experience. Neither age nor race should play a discriminating role in the impact a person's life can have on the future of a girl. And I'm proud to say that I have found Girl Scouting to truly be a place where that is demonstrated.

Take Dawn and Dorothy, for instance. Dawn (left) grew up in McAlester with Dorothy (right) as her troop leader. At a recent event to honor Dorothy, the thanks and the stories that poured from Dawn's heart brought both laughter and tears. Dawn is NOT the outdoor type and as a girl had a hard time spending time away from home. Dorothy always encouraged her and always let her go home when it got to be too much ... time and time and time again.

Because of Dorothy's open encouragement, Dawn continued to take steps as she was ready, and eventually she made it through a night, and a weekend, and she has even successfully camped. But it wasn't just about staying overnight. It was about developing those core leadership skills - courage, confidence and character. The wisdom of patient leadership is what Dawn needed. And as a result, she had more than just a successful experience as a Girl Scout. She is now a professional Girl Scout staff member along with Dorothy! And maybe even more importantly, she is guiding her own daughter on a similar path in Girl Scouting to discover her strengths and master them one step at a time.

Dawn and Dorothy are both women who embody the Girl Scout Mission of making the world a better place ... one step at a time, one girl at a time. These women make me proud to be a Girl Scout, too!

Temporary Home

And so it begins ... Camp! This is my daughter's home for the next few days (and an excuse to try out my birthday present - a camera that does those moving panorama shots). This brings great memories to me of my childhood camping opportunities.

Camping For The Future

Which way to go? Sometimes that little question packs the biggest punch of them all. And it's also one of the things I love about the Girl Scout experience. The wide array of opportunities that are at a girl's fingertips give her a taste of what those directions hold. She has the freedom to explore her world.

Camp is just one of those ways to explore. From a specialized focus (outdoor activities like sailing to "S.T.E.M." directions like physics) to a wide array of options (my daughter's choice this summer is a camp where the campers decide what they want to do together), girls are exploring directions that will help them build their answers to the big question: Which way to go? It's not such a scary question if you're a Girl Scout!

Cox Tells All ... about Girl Scout Outreach!

Many thanks to Dawn Lowe and her Outreach Day Camp for helping Cox tell our story (and theirs - about their foundation). They are doing two features, so be sure to tune in for the first one coming up next week.

Cox Community Connection show airs on Cox Channel 7 in OKC and Cox Channel 3 in Tulsa. Here are the dates and times:

7/6 1pm, 4pm & 9pm
7/7 4pm & 5pm
7/8 9am, 1pm & 4pm
7/9 11:30pm
7/10 4pm & 11:30pm
7/11 3:30pm & 5:30pm

Quick Trip

Our thanks to Quick Trip for an amazing team of people who probably saved us MONTHS of work! Camp Tallchief and Camp Swannie are both much improved thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of one amazing company!

Camp Adventures!

Gotta love the adventure! I love knowing that girls are experiencing exhilarating moments while they are at camp.

Phoenix Rising

"Phoenix" is Mary Jessup's camp name. "Click Chick" is mine. Our Camp Director is more widely known as "Skipper" than by her given name. This is part of the culture at camp ... and it's fun. But don't let the fun fool you. There is serious business going on as well!

As Channel 6 featured today, Girl Scouts are serious about taking care of girls. Safety is paramount and we take great pride in knowing that our Camp Counselors are fully trained to handle emergencies. Today's feature? Weather. Are Girl Scouts prepared? You bet!

Phoenix is a great example of growing up a camper and rising to the challenge of leading and protecting younger girls ... you can hear her sound byte on http://www.newson6.com/ or read the story. Click here to go directly to the story.

'Tis the Season ...

... for camp! I can't tell you how many times I have heard adults say that they had no idea what they were learning while they were growing up in Girl Scouting. But as real life challenges start to surface in adulthood, the skills they learned as young girls with their Girl Scout troop begin to surface. Teamwork. Cooperation. Determination. Problem solving. Self sufficiency. These young girls may think they are just carrying water. But step by step they are building their future.

In the Words of a Girl Scout ...

My name is Hayley and I love being a Girl Scout. July, 2007, I went to Tallchief camp and had a fantastic time. When I got home, I realized there was a girl out there who wanted to go to camp but could not afford to go to camp.

For the rest of the year I felt bad for that girl and others who could not afford to join Girl Scouts or go to camp. As it got closer to my birthday, my friends asked what I wanted for my birthday. It was very hard to answer because I have so much and my family is so blessed. I remembered that girl that could not afford to go to camp, so I asked my friends and family to give money to Girl Scouts instead of presents to me. It feels good to help that girl who could not afford to go to camp. I learned the best present is the feeling of giving.

Why did I do it? Because I’m a Girl Scout.

Look For This Sign!

When at Girl Scout Day Camp, some very important things may not be on your radar. This is one of them! Odd thing is, however, when I found this sign it was leaning against a picnic table. Somehow I do not think it was an invitation to find relief there!

Magical Soggy Carrots

Not everyone would think to keep a bag of soggy carrots around. At best they might end up in a compost pile. But this odd circumstance of the grocery escapee came at the opportune time ... we were about to go to camp! Instead of tossing the forgotten bag of carrots, I tossed them into the freezer in hopes of keeping them around until we could visit the horses at Core Camp.

You never know when you might have the chance to be part of something very special. Little M's friend for the weekend (Miss ML) stayed on a little later with us after camp was done. With the frozen carrots "burning" holes in our imaginary pockets, we couldn't wait to spend them on the horses. Pam picked us up and gatored us over to the riding arena. The girls jumped out ready for horse time ...

But young Miss ML was afraid. She had never fed a horse and was a little afraid of them altogether. Her brave heart reached out with a carrot, but as soon as a horse would approach, she would jump back. She tried and tried, but just couldn't bring herself to keep her hand steady and sure. I had her put her hand on top of mine and I showed her how to feed him. She was amazed! It still took a while, but after she got comfortable, she tried it on her own. A little more time and she had those horses literally eating out of her hand.

By the end of our time there, the half-frozen half-soggy carrots were long gone and the girls were running around harvesting grass with their bare hands and letting those horses slurp up every last blade. They looked like old pros. I don't know what was more magical ... watching a fear slowly melt into adventure or seeing how quickly girls can be trained by horses!

Sprinkle and Stir

I had a danceline instructor known for her #1 phrase: "SPARKLE & SHINE!" At Girl Scout day camp, my daughter learned a new phrase: "SPRINKLE & STIR!" Though I can't imagine it being said with the same intensity and gleaming smile, I have a feeling this carries with it a much more practical benefit!

Camp Tenkiller Wildflowers

I have hundreds of photos of girls at daycamp ... and could have stayed HOURS to take more photos of nature! The hillside was awash with wildflowers and grasses. I can see why this camp is a favorite of many! I'm debating whether to make my first camping trip there with or without kids! I have this crazy idea that I could stay there for a week, mix my own paints with petals and bark, and come back refreshed with solitude and a meaningful piece of art.

Two thoughts about arrows ...

Yesterday ...
I saw girls shoot a bow for the first time. These were girls from different backgrounds, different experienes, etc. One little girl shot this arrow that landed just outside of the inner black ring on her first attempt and BEAMED the rest of the time I was there. Evidently her older sister was in the group because a comment that came from the ones watching was something like, "Hey - your *slam* sister isn't *slam* with this! She's good!" And to hear the cheers from the whole group (sister included) warmed my heart. Girl by girl, each of them tried their hand to the encouraging remarks from the other campers. It was wonderful to hear the support pouring out. Even one girl who seemed to prefer being alone found a smile ... and then two, then another and another ... each easier than the last. It was a wonderful moment to witness!


Today ...
Naturally, there are more than enough analogies about arrows. But I have to admit that seeing the preparation that goes into something like this inspires me to think of how prepared I am in my own space to hit my own targets. Honestly, I probably end up doing things backwards. All the preparation gets postponed until I "have time" and in the meantime, just meeting deadlines or tying up loose ends eats up all the time and I rarely ever feel truly prepared. I guess now I have a picture ... not only of preparing to hit my own targets, but the extra step of the preparation needed to teach others to hit their targets as well.