Kelly Trame, Director of Development at Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, spoke to Lima Rotarians.
Dean Brown | The Lima News
LIMA — Kelly Trame, Director of Development at Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, acknowledged while speaking to the Lima Rotary that Girl Scouts are well-known for delicious cookies. The annual cookie sale is the largest fundraiser for the organization and helps to fund programs and activities for girls.
Yet Girl Scouts are so much more. The Girl Scouts offer a wide range of programs and activities that focus on developing important life skills such as leadership, teamwork, and community service. Girls can participate in outdoor adventures, earn badges in various areas of interest, and work on projects that benefit their communities.
Trame said, “We’re really working on helping girls build their courage, confidence and character. We believe when girls go through the Girl Scout program, they’re going to engage in community problem solving. They’re going to develop those healthy relationships and positive values. They’re also going to have that better sense of self and not be afraid to seek challenges.”
The Girl Scout program is segmented into four pillars – outdoors, stem, life skills and entrepreneurship. Everything is going to be related to one of the four pillars.
The Girl Scouts organization is divided into different age groups, including Daisy (grades K-1), Brownie (grades 2-3), Junior (grades 4-5), Cadette (grades 6-8), Senior (grades 9-10) and Ambassador (grades 11-12). Each level offers age-appropriate programs and activities designed to help girls grow and develop as individuals.
Throughout all of western Ohio there are about 33,000 girls involved with scouting; in Allen County there are about 800 to 1,000 girls.
In addition to hearing about the Girl Scouts, the Lima Rotarians presented more scholarships to students who have taken a non-traditional path toward their education and career plans. The Rotarians have been giving such scholarships for about 15 years. In that time, around $908,150 has been given to about 1,994 students.
The recipients have been out of high school for a number of years — some longer than others. They may have gotten married, had children and now decided now that an education will help provide a better family life. Going back to college, paying for housing, car payments and life can be a struggle.
Adrian Zeigler has decided to enter the registered nurse program at Rhodes State College. He has worked for two years as a mental health technician at a behavioral hospital.
Zeigler said, “I just want to be able to provide a different level of care than what I can currently do in my position. The scholarship will really help.”
Brittany Pitts is planning to study biology at Ohio State-Lima. Pitts said, “This is something I’ve always wanted to do for quite some time. I’ve had health issues and once I got older, it got worse. This is my passion for the medical field. I got diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. So I want to help others in the same circumstances.”
Just as Girl Scouts continues to emphasize community service and encourages girls to use their skills and talents to make a positive impact in the world, the Lima Rotarians are making a difference in the Lima community.
Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409
