Girl Scouts resplendent in uniforms
The new Girl Scout sashes and Daisy Girl tunics lay on the table in their cellophane wrappings at the community center in the Phoenix Park neighborhood.
Soon, they would be fitted to each girl in Girl Scout Troop 107, a new group in the low-income neighborhood in south Sacramento.
"It's awesome. The kids are going to have a ball," said Renessa Armstrong, the troop's leader. "Now they can go out and represent us as a unit in complete uniform."
Book of Dreams readers donated money to buy uniforms, Girl Scout pins, sashes, handbooks, troop leader workbooks and other scouting items. The purchases are much appreciated because many of the families whose children joined the troop do not have enough money to pay for the items.
Shannon Cheyne, director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts of Tierra del Oro, said the only item a Girl Scout is obligated to own is the Girl Scout pin. Uniforms and other items are common for most troops. They also help instill a sense of pride, she said.
"To feel like a real Girl Scout, they want to wear a uniform. It's not required," she added.
Maya Littlejohn, 13, president of Troop 107, said Girl Scouts is a positive element in her life.
"It gives me something to do every Saturday, and I'm helping the community out," she said.