Girl Scouts want drivers on the wagon
Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 29, 2002
The small group of area Girl Scouts eagerly bounced up and down on the wooden benches of the city council chambers Monday night, awaiting their turn to speak to the mayor and council.
The girls had come to tell the council about a campaign called S.O.B.E.R. Days, which lasts from Friday until Tuesday.
S.O.B.E.R., which stands for Stay Off the Bottle, Enjoy the Road, is a project designed to raise awareness about drunk driving in the city. Last year, there were 10 fatalities during Labor Day weekend on Alabama roads. Half of those fatalities were alcohol-related.
Mayor James Perkins and the City Council awarded the troop with an official proclamation that the city would observe the event. As of Wednesday morning, signs were up in places like police headquarters.
The appearance of the girls signalfies another movement in Selma – one to activate and promote Girl Scout troops in the area.
So far, there is a Daisy, Brownie and Junior troop that meets every Tuesday night at Elkdale Baptise Church, said Tina Price, leader of the Juniors.
Daisy Scouts are girls who are in kindergarten or 1st grade. Brownies are 1st-3rd grades and Juniors are 3rd-6th. So far, there are five girls signed up to be Daisies, 30 for Brownies and 20 for Juniors.
This is the first year the troops have been active.
The girls have gotten involved in projects such as S.O.B.E.R. in order to educate them about what happens and to hopefully prevent accidents related to drugs or alcohol.
In addition to learning about safety, the troops will be traveling to Camp Kiwanis for camping trips and Six Flags Over Georgia in October, where the park will be shut down for the entire day so Girl Scouts from all over can enjoy the fun.
Price said there has been a large interest in girls in joining the troops, since there is a lack of it in Selma.
However, some parents have expressed concerned over the expense involved. Price said that this doesn’t matter, that the experience for the girls is more of a concern than money.
It’s not too late to sign up to be part of the Girl School troops. Registration will take place Tuesday evening at Elkdale Baptist Church. For more information parents can contact the church.