Girl Scouts of Erie Shores Congratulations to our Spotlight winner - Girl Scouts of Erie Shores in Lorain, Ohio! A special thanks to Amy Volak for sharing the following great article...
Girl Scouts of Erie Shores is proud to announce we received a grant from The Community Health Partners Foundation in Lorain, OH to purchase a Zink the Zebra costume. The first time the costume was used was on May 18, 2003, at Camp Timberland for "A Taste of Camp". This event allows girls and their families to get a "taste" of summer resident camp from the tents to the food to the activities. We took this opportunity to introduce Zink to over 350 people.
Since this first event, Zink the Zebra has been wildly popular. During the summer of 2003, all 29 camp staff members were trained to deliver Zink the Zebra programming to campers. Throughout the summer, the camp staff did a variety of Zink activities to reinforce the ideas of acceptance, compassion, respect, and understanding. On August 5, 2003, fourteen Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts spent the night a camp, learning about Zink the Zebra. The next day, along with the camp staff, they presented the Zink program to over 210 Girl Scouts and 30 Girl Scout leaders. Once again, Zink was present, and the girls couldn't get enough hugs, high fives, and pictures from her.
We have another Cadette and Senior Girl Scout Program Aide training scheduled in November 2003. The program is already over capacity, and we have planned another session to accommodate the incredible interest. In addition, we have two council-wide events for Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts planned in February 2004. In the meantime, troop leaders are checking out Zink the Zebra box kits, which allows them to deliver the program during troop meetings. Zink will be visiting several troop meetings and may even be making some surprise appearances at Service Unit events!
Here's what Girl Scouts of Erie Shores are saying about Zink
One thing I would like to tell Zink the Zebra is:
- "It would be an honor to know you."
- "That I would be her friend."
- "She is not alone."
- "Be proud you're different on the outside."
- "I don't think she is weird."
- "You helped me a lot."
- "I know someone who died from cancer."
Zink the Zebra taught me:
- "That everyone is the same on the inside."
- "Even if people are different, you can still be friends."
- "That if you say mean stuff, people might smile, but they are really very sad."
If you would like your council to be a future Spotlight Council, please submit an article (1 page or less) highlighting the unique and effective ways your council is delivering the Zink program to Liz Garland, National Director of the Patch Program, at liz@zink.org. Please also send a picture of girls participating in the Zink program if possible. Thank you!
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