American Heritage Girls all about service to God and the community
Posted: 12/30/2009
By James Mulcahy
Fifteen years ago, a group of women in Cincinnati got mad when they were told their daughters could not pray during Girl Scout meetings. The ban angered them so much they organized their own program: American Heritage Girls.
The group has since grown to 13,000 girls across the country and troops in all but four states.
Included is a Shelby County chapter, Kentucky Troop 2917, based at Simpsonville Baptist Church and in its third year. Troop Coordinator Kristie Eldridge said 42 girls attended the September meeting -- the first of the year.
"That's an increase of 13 from last year," she said. " The first year we had about 22 girls. Our second year, we had 30 to 32."
Girls in kindergarten through the 12th grade are eligible to be in AHG. "We will not turn any girl away," Eldridge said.
The program is like Girl Scouts in many ways, she said. "We are similar in the way that we have badge work that we do, even though the badges are pretty different from Girl Scouts. Our program is based on the Christian faith -- it's a Christian scout program."
Like Girl Scouts, community service is important.
"We do a lot of community service," Eldridge said. "The goal of the program is to create women of integrity through service to God, to family, to community, to country." Through that service, badges are earned.
Member Whitney Stephens, of Shelbyville, has earned 17 of those badges in her three years in the troop. Her badges are for toys and games, fire safety and fire building, creative writing, caring for our environment, geology and travel, to name a few.
She said she's involved for many reasons.
"I really like the whole God thing," she said. "And the friendship is just the best thing ever -- just like family."
Being one of the older members, she sometimes mentors others.
"Leadership is a huge part of this," she said. "I hope to have a family rehabilitation center someday, and this has really helped with my leadership (skills). We're expected to do a lot, and that has helped me learn to organize."
Eldridge said the girls are involved in many projects.
"We do projects here for the pregnancy crisis center (A Loving Choice) in Shelbyville," she said. "We just finished the HUGS projects, where we got duffle bags with the American Heritage Girl logo on them. The girls collect items -- crayons, markers, notebooks, socks, and other personal items for young girls -- then we have an overnight lock-in where we have a blanket-making night. The bags are then packed by the girls and prayed over. Then we take all of the bags to Shelby County Social Services. When they have a young lady taken out of the home, usually it's in the middle of the night and they have nothing. They give them a bag so they have something. They have a blanket, a Bible, a storybook -- all kinds of different things that are age-appropriate."
The projects, as well as the program in general, stress unselfishness, Eldridge said.
"Everything we do is 'other' focused -- we're trying to take what society keeps doing in making everything self-focused and turn the girls around to the point where they're looking out for others, not just themselves."
The group has since grown to 13,000 girls across the country and troops in all but four states.
Included is a Shelby County chapter, Kentucky Troop 2917, based at Simpsonville Baptist Church and in its third year. Troop Coordinator Kristie Eldridge said 42 girls attended the September meeting -- the first of the year.
"That's an increase of 13 from last year," she said. " The first year we had about 22 girls. Our second year, we had 30 to 32."
Girls in kindergarten through the 12th grade are eligible to be in AHG. "We will not turn any girl away," Eldridge said.
The program is like Girl Scouts in many ways, she said. "We are similar in the way that we have badge work that we do, even though the badges are pretty different from Girl Scouts. Our program is based on the Christian faith -- it's a Christian scout program."
Like Girl Scouts, community service is important.
"We do a lot of community service," Eldridge said. "The goal of the program is to create women of integrity through service to God, to family, to community, to country." Through that service, badges are earned.
Member Whitney Stephens, of Shelbyville, has earned 17 of those badges in her three years in the troop. Her badges are for toys and games, fire safety and fire building, creative writing, caring for our environment, geology and travel, to name a few.
She said she's involved for many reasons.
"I really like the whole God thing," she said. "And the friendship is just the best thing ever -- just like family."
Being one of the older members, she sometimes mentors others.
"Leadership is a huge part of this," she said. "I hope to have a family rehabilitation center someday, and this has really helped with my leadership (skills). We're expected to do a lot, and that has helped me learn to organize."
Eldridge said the girls are involved in many projects.
"We do projects here for the pregnancy crisis center (A Loving Choice) in Shelbyville," she said. "We just finished the HUGS projects, where we got duffle bags with the American Heritage Girl logo on them. The girls collect items -- crayons, markers, notebooks, socks, and other personal items for young girls -- then we have an overnight lock-in where we have a blanket-making night. The bags are then packed by the girls and prayed over. Then we take all of the bags to Shelby County Social Services. When they have a young lady taken out of the home, usually it's in the middle of the night and they have nothing. They give them a bag so they have something. They have a blanket, a Bible, a storybook -- all kinds of different things that are age-appropriate."
The projects, as well as the program in general, stress unselfishness, Eldridge said.
"Everything we do is 'other' focused -- we're trying to take what society keeps doing in making everything self-focused and turn the girls around to the point where they're looking out for others, not just themselves."
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