Morgan Hall
The Ashland Beacon
Recently, Girl Scout Troop 1100 did a red eye tour bus trip to the nation's capitol. They departed Ashland Friday evening, spent all day in Washington, DC on Saturday and returned home early Sunday morning.
Troop 1100 Leader Melissa Dillon shared her sentiments regarding the bus ride home, "I am on my way back from a day at DC with our Girl Scout troop. I am in the back seat of a charter bus, tears streaming, listening to girls giggle as I scroll through pictures their parents posted of all the fun they had today."
In DC, the girls had opportunities to see many different landmarks and museums. Additionally, they invited the boys from Troop 1100 to tag along for the roadtrip. This was an opportunity for whole family to experience DC together with their scouts.
"We had so much fun in DC. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, the Declaration of Independence, WWII Memorial, the Boy Scout memorials, the Washington Monument, the White House, American History Museum, National Archives, US Capitol, too many government administrative buildings to mention, and several other memorials/statues that I know I’ve forgotten. I tried bubble tea for the first time, watched” ET near/in the Capital Arena, toured some of Chinatown and ate some super delicious Chinese food, where they pulled and made the noodles right in front of you! Some of my favorite sites were the flag that inspired the National Anthem, as well as original founding documents and Lincoln’s hat," added Dillon.
These girls have been waiting for this road trip for two years. Like most of us, The pandemic threw a wrench in the works with Covid restrictions and travel. But these young ladies were adamant to make the road trip happen this year. The trip was entirely paid for from Girl Scout cookie proceeds. "I am so proud of these young ladies, from working so hard to meet their goals, pushing along even when Covid tried to get in the way, and for their incredible behavior on display today," said Dillon.
"I am entering my sixth year as a Girl Scout leader and my tenth year in scouting leadership. My goal has always been to bring opportunities to youth who otherwise would not have them and to help young boys and girls realize their potential as leaders of tomorrow. Through the years we have done a lot together, but this was the dream. And we did it!” exclaimed Dillon.
Girl Scout Madi Barlow got some of her own fun in on the trip. Madi got on the bus and asked the driver to honk the horn and scare her sister, Delilah. “I liked to see the Washington Monument and when the bus driver honked the horn at my sister,” shared Madi. She giggled for 30 minutes after succeeding in scaring her sister.
Like most organizations, many hands make light work. "I am so grateful for everyone who made this happen. Thank you to my co-leaders, to our parents, to district leadership and to community leaders like Diamond Lewis, who swooped in at nearly the last minute when our previous pickup point was fell through," shared Dillon. It truly takes a village to support this Girl Scout Troop.
Lastly, Dillon wanted to say thank you to everyone who bought a box or more - whether you live here locally or had them shipped. "I wish you could hear the pure joy I am hearing. I can’t wait to share with you some of what we did today. It would not be possible, if not for your generosity."
Girl Scout Troop 1100 began meeting again Monday, September 12. They meet every Monday from 6-6:45 p.m. at Second Freewill Baptist Church, 2121 29th Street.There will be programming for Grades K-8. The Troop 1100 Girl Scouts go to Ashland Independent Scools, Boyd County, Ironton, and home-school. The girls have earned the Girl Scout bronze and Silver Awards. They have spent the night in the zoo, traveled to DC, and partnered with leaders and agencies on hundreds of hours of community service projects. Membership is only $25 and financial assistance for dues and uniforms is available.
"Our focus is leadership and learning by doing, building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place," said Dillon.
In conclusion, it's always a good day when the sun sets on the horizon and all you can hear are the happy giggles of children.