Girl Scouts of Tribal Trails Council Publicity Page

Girl Scouts of Tribal Trials Council recently had a very special international visitor, Elena Korneeva. Korneeva is the Executive Director of the United Way of Moscow. She was visiting various cities during a three week visit to Indiana to observe how United Ways of the United States do their work supporting agencies like Girl Scouts.

Several Girl Scouts from Logansport and some from the Cass County Brownie Girl Scout Day Camp welcomed Korneeva with a serenade of "Make New Friends." She and the girls then exchanged gifts: the girls gave her a Mellennium tin with a Girl Scout calendar and a Tribal Trails T-short. Korneeva gave the girls two small Russian dolls "to be shared and passed down to their Girl Scout sisters." The dolls will be on display at Dunbar Center for girls to admire and treasure.

Korneeva had lots of questions about the use of Wildwood, how often troops meet, and the adult volunteer structure. Although the Russian Federation became an Associate Member of WAGGGS in 1999, Elana knows of no Girl Guides in Moscow, a city of 9,000,000 people. United Way of Moscow has been in existence for ten years and raised only $150,000 last year to be distributed to 13 of the 37 charities who applied for funding. Most of the money goes to orphanages, as these are the children with the least.

Mental Health Association Gift Lift Girl Scouts Erica, left to right, Sarah, Amanda, Kelley and Andrea wrap gifts for Howard County Mental Health Association's Gift Lift. Not pictured were Ashley and Katie. (KT photo by Kevin Seifert)

Cadette Girl Scouts devote all year to MHA's Gift Lift

By DANIELLE GATES
Tribune staff writer

Girl Scout Troops 4260 and 4269 prepare for Christmas year-round.

The Cadette Girl Scouts have made the Howard County Mental Health Association's Gift Lift their main community service project and work to raise funds for gifts year-round.

The Gift Lift provides gifts for mental health patients in Howard County, all group home residents and all Howard County nursing home residents with no family.

Sandra Strus, volunteer and activities director for the Mental Health Association, said 983 people received gifts last Christmas.

"Without Scouts I don't think we'd ever get the gifts wrapped," she said.

She said Troops 4260 and 4269 have "really gone above and beyond the call of duty" in wrapping gifts, collecting gifts and collecting funds to buy gifts.

She said they raised $250 in door-to-door collections in their area this year and recently raised more than $100 with a bake sale.

The girls deliver their gifts to ExtendaCare and often go back to visit the residents, Strus said.

Diane Poisson, co-leader of the troop, said they started work by only wrapping gifts for the Gift Lift, and have expanded operations to raising money as well.

"We're just trying to do different things to raise money or gifts for the Gift Lift."

They also visit ExtendaCare at times other than Christmas, she said.

She said the girls have learned to be more comfortable with older people through their visits.

"The first time they went they were a little uneasy and weren't sure they wanted to go...Now they really look forward to it. They really like some of the people and feel really at ease."

She said three members are eighth graders and will become Senior Scouts in the fall, but plan to continue working with the Gift Lift.

"They're willing to give their time to help other people. Besides helping them the main thing they've gotten (from their experience) is taking their time to visit in the nursing home and feeling at ease."

She said she believes the residents also enjoy the girls' visits. "I think they remember the girls and they really like talking and working with the younger kids...I think they probably enjoy the girls as much as the girls enjoy them."

Reprinted with permission. Kokomo Tribune, Monday, May 11, 1998

Nesting Doves benefits from volunteer's idea

Helping others is a Mohr family value.

By LISA FIPPS
Tribune staff writer

Beanie babies brought a little girl
with good and big ideas about fund raiser
together with Nesting Doves Administrator Lisa Willis. Thanks to 10-year-old Girl Scout, a local not-for-profit received a $1,400 "nest" egg.

Feb. 16, Mohr gave Nesting Doves the money from a fund raiser she thought of herself: Beanies for Babies.

Nesting Doves is a Christ-centered home and education center for pregnant young women who have no place to go and young mothers and their babies.

Considering Beanie Babies are "hot" items right now, selling for hundreds of dollars, Mohr thought it would be neat to have a swap meet, where people could buy, sell or trade Beanie Babies.

Mohr spent two months organizing the Feb. 15 event herself, made fliers, contacted businesses to get donations, got vendors to come from other Indiana cities, beseeched the United Auto Workers Local 685 to let her, for free, host Beanies for Babies at the union hall, and talked her fellow Girl Scouts and some adults into volunteering time to run the concession stand.

Lisa Willis, administrator at Nesting Doves, said Mohr even made and distributed fliers to promote the fund raiser and delivered some to Willis so she could put them in the monthly newsletters.

Mohr raised money by charging admission, charging vendors a booth fee and selling concessions.

"It was so organized," Willis said. Mohr "did a fabulous job."

Her efforts paid off, and the $1,400 -- raised in a mere five hours -- will come in handy to Nesting Doves, which in October announced it was struggling financially. In fact, hearing the news made Mohr want to help them.

When asked why she wanted to help, Mohr said "I grew up with my grandma (Kay Stough) and mom (Tammy Mohr) being volunteers."

Mohr plans to continue her efforts to help Nesting Doves. "We're planning on doing it (Beanies for Babies) again in November sometime and having a two-day thing."

With nine months to work on it, there's no telling how much she'll raise then.

For more on how you or your church or organization can help Nesting Doves, call 456-1765.

Reprinted with permission. Kokomo Tribune, Monday Feb 23, 1998

Mmmmm - Tasty!

Junior Girl Scout Troop 4488 visited Texas Roadhouse Restaurant in Kokomo. They learned about some of the things that take place behind the scenes of running a restaurant such as taking precautions against food borne diseases.

The Girl Scouts were taken inside the meat cutting room, which is inside a cooler, and were even allowed to try their hand at preparing their own steaks for the grill. What they learned on the trip goes toward their badgework for healthy eating and careers. Thanks Texas Roadhouse!

-- Smoke Signals -- Feb 6, 1998

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	Dr. Watson