Mila Caminez
Ferris Robinson
Girl Scouts offers so many benefits for girls, starting in kindergarten with Daisies.
I started Girl Scouts in second grade with Brownies. My mother was our Brownie leader, and every time I eat butter (often), I remember making butter in a jar. We passed it around in our big circle, shaking-shaking-shaking that jar as we sang a little song. Finally it turned into the most delicious thick creamy butter, and we got to eat it on saltines. I swear I can still taste it.
There is much more to Girl Scouting than making butter, but that certainly hooked me.
Girls can join Girl Scouts at a young age and participate in activities that foster exploration, friendship and community involvement. Activities include financial planning, arts and crafts projects, outdoor enjoyment and doing our part to make our planet better. And every single year the program expounds on these categories and then some! Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors.
There are opportunities to earn badges in almost as many areas as you can imagine, from making the world a better place and thinking like a citizen scientist to automotive engineering and cybersecurity. And everything in between.
As girls grow in Scouting, they grow in important ways. It seems to be that focusing on doing good, one way or another, runs through every aspect of Girl Scouting. Mila Caminez of Signal Mountain Troop No. 40041 is working on her Silver Award, one of the highest awards in Girl Scouting. A Cadette, Mila knew there were several steps and a good deal of work involved in achieving this award.
First, she had to let the Girl Scout Council know she wanted to work on earning the award. Then, she had to decide on an issue she cared about, and figure out if she wanted to build a team or go solo in the pursuit. Understanding how the issue she chose affects her community and making sure her project could lead to lasting change was part of the plan, too. Only then could she begin to develop the project, plan it and put it into motion.
Mila knew she wanted to support Signal Mountain Social Services with her Silver Award project. With a mission of meeting the needs of families and individuals in the 37377 zip code during times of financial challenge and crisis, as well as providing service and guidance to help them become self-reliant, SMSS was an easy choice.
With school starting soon, Mila wanted to raise money to help SMSS buy school supplies for children, and she came up with a very creative and fun way to do so. During the dog days of August, what could be more inviting than a swim-a-thon? Mila organized the event, Swim for Signal, at the Signal Mountain town pool on Aug. 23 and developed the most appealing flyer.
Sarah Kologek of SMSS couldn’t be more pleased, saying the Cadet has taken the initiative to develop and implement a project that will provide meaningful benefits to our organization and the community we serve. Here is the letter Ms. Kologek sent the Southern Appalachian Girl Scout Council when she applied for the award:
“Swim for Signal is making waves in education to ensure every child starts the school year equipped for success. By providing essential school supplies, she is empowering young minds, breaking down barriers to learning and giving every student at SMSS the tools they need to thrive in the classroom. We truly appreciate her dedication, leadership, and hard work in addressing this need, and we are confident that her efforts will have a lasting positive impact.
Signal Mountain Social Services is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Mila on this important project, and we fully endorse her efforts toward earning the Girl Scout Silver Award. If you have any questions or require further details, please feel free to contact me at sarah@signalmountainsocialservices.org.”
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Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel and is available in paperback and on Kindle. “Dogs and Love - Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.