The Times-Picayne, August 13, 2003; By Ann Barks

A special Girl Scout troop for vicitms of sexual assault has been formed on the north shore thanks to the combined efforts of the St. Tammany YWCA, the Sgt. Earl Alfred Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 13 and the Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana.

Sponsored by the FOP, the YWCA this summer formed a troop for girls ages 4 to 13 that follows a national Girl Scouts of America-sanctioned program modified for their specific needs.

Its organizers say it has already been so helpful for troop members that they'd like to expand it to benefit many other girls.

"This helps the girls by seeing that they are not alone," said Beverley Connor, YWCA Rape Crisis Program therapist, who is also the troop leader. "There is definitely a need for this in the community."

The scouts are divided in two groups, with Connor as their troop leader. Girls attend troop meetings in Covington or Slidel; one group has girls ages 4 to 8, and the other group has girls 9 to 13.

They employ a tool the Girl Scouts of America uses to teach girls about respect, compassion and acceptance of themselves and others who may be different from them. Connor had modified the tool so that her troop will better cope with their feelings of "being different."

The tool is known as Zink the Zebra. It is based on a story written by an 11-year-old girl dying of cancer who was deeply dismayed as her friends began treating her differently when they found out her cancer was terminal.

Kelly Weil, who died in 1993, wrote the story to tell how it felt to be someone who might have looked different on the outside but had the same emotions as everyone else. In her story, Zink is a young zebra born with spots rather than stripes like other zebras. After her death, her father had the story published and began a national foundation by the same name to help children who may feel less worthwhile than others because they're different.

"Girls who are survivors of sexual assault feel very different from their peers," Connor said. "The Zink the Zebra program is a very creative tool that highlights for these girls that it's OK to be different. It's a good message of empowerment for these girls."

The troop's Zink program, which includes exercises similar to those used in group therapy, will be finished by Labor Day, but FOP organized an early graduation party for them today to allow U.S. Rep. David Vitter, R-Metairie, to hand out certificates of completion of the program.

Connor said the program's impact on the initial group has made her, the FOP and the Girl Scout council determined to make it an ongoing program in an attempt to reach more girls.

"I've already seen that one way it helps them is to become more comfortable in social settings," Connor said.

In the United States, one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually assaulted by the time they're 18 years old, she said.

Reaching these children is important, according to St. Tammany Sheriff's Office Detective Charlie Craddock, FOP's vice president. In his job in the Juvenile Sex Crimes division, Craddock said he's worked with Connor and others who help the victims and knows how critical the need is. "There are more out there than most people realize and a lot of these kids don't have the support they need," Craddock said. "If this program grows, we can find the kids who need the help and get it for them."

Craddock said the YWCA's therapy services to aid sexually abused children has long been one of the projects the FOP has helped support with community fund raisers.