Although just barely a month old, Caribou’s newest Girl Scout troop is already bustling with activity and hopes to provide ways for area girls to have fun and serve the community.
Spearheaded by co-leaders Connie Anderson and her mother, Mary Huston, Troop 2257 boasts 29-30 girls of both Daisy and Brownie levels, a membership size due in part to the fact that there has been a waiting list for some time — girls ready to join but without a troop to call “home.”
Huston explained recently that Anderson wanted to introduce her own daughter to Scouting, but there were no available opportunities for younger Scouts in Caribou. “There weren’t any available troops in town, so we started one,” she said.
Right now, there are 18 Daisies and 13 Brownies registered. “We wanted to do a Daisy troop, but there were some girls with siblings who wanted to do Brownies, so we did both,” noted Huston.
While Caribou has troops active with older Scouts, there has long been a need for service to the younger set, with 30-plus girls being on a waiting list for some time. Daisies are the littlest Scouts, with girls ages kindergarten and first grade, and Brownies focus on those in second and third grade, according to information from the Girl Scouts of Maine. Other levels are Junior, grades 4 and 5; Senior, grades 6-8; Cadette, grades 9 and 10; and Ambassador, grades 11 and 12.
Huston said the new troop is already very busy. “This is very, very new for my daughter and I. She is the main leader, and I am the helper,” commented Huston. The two are training some interested parents to help, as well, so there will be enough adults to allow the girls to complete their separate Daisy and Brownie activities.
Enthusiasm has been high for the new venture. “The girls are very excited. A lot of girls have said, ‘I’ve been waiting for this,’” Huston noted. “We’re still just starting and working on getting organized.”
Troop 2257 has already been very busy and has a full slate of upcoming activities planned. Their very first project was the creation of dinner tray placemats for residents of the Caribou Veterans Home for Thanksgiving, said Huston.
Currently members are planning to work on their philanthropist badge by holding a food drive, and there is a possibility of having someone come in to talk to the Scouts about Toys for Tots. They will sing at the Caribou Nursing Home and Rehab Center on Dec. 14 and will have a group roller skating event on Dec. 16. After that, Huston added, they will have a brief hiatus before meeting in the new year.
“What I’m hoping for them is that we can get them to do some activities and get out in the community,” said Huston. Plans are already under way for the Caribou area to host a Camporee next fall for all county Girl Scouts.
Huston and Anderson completed a three-hour session as well as some online training offered by the Girl Scouts of Maine prior to becoming co-leaders. Huston said the training is “fairly easy to do” and some time commitment is naturally required to plan troop meetings and events and administer funds, but the outcome is well worthwhile.
“There is still a need for a Junior troop in Caribou,” she noted. “Two leaders are needed. There are some girls out there that are still needing a Girl Scout home.”
Daisy/Brownie Troop 2257 meets regularly on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at Holy Rosary Church in Caribou. Anyone interested in learning more about the local troop may contact co-leaders Huston at 498-2282 or Anderson at 540-6961. Those interested in becoming a leader or volunteer may visit the Maine Girl Scouts website at girlscoutsofmaine.org.
