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Girl Scout is dancing to make a difference
(by Karen F. Mrnarevic - January 30, 2008)
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Fast Facts
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- The mission of Girl Scouting is “to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.”
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- Founder Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout Troop on March 12, 1912, in
Savannah, Ga.
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- Girl Scouts of the was chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950.
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- Today, there are 3.7 million Girl Scouts; 2.7 million girl members and 928,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers.
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- Girls at home and abroad participate in more than 236,000 troops and groups in more than 90 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas.
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- Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries.
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- More than 50 million American women enjoyed Girl Scouting during their childhood.
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- Last year, approximately 5,500 girls received the Girl Scout Gold Award. That was around 5.4 percent of the eligible registered Girl Scouts in grades 10-12.
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Source: www.girlscouts.org
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Lately it seems the number of positive role models for adolescent girls is dwindling, as teen pop idols graduate directly from the “Mickey Mouse Club” to unwed motherhood or drug rehab. More than a decade after the Spice Girls popularized the phrase “girl power,” could it be that the sentiment is no longer relevant to the young women of today? Not if you ask Kristen Fanale.
Fanale, a 17-year-old
Township of
Washington resident and senior at Westwood Junior/ Senior High School, has been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten. She is now among two remaining members of her original troop and the only one to pursue her Gold Award. The Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout can earn, and it involves a huge time commitment, organization, leadership skills and creativity.
To achieve the award, Fanale must complete a service project of her own invention, the preparation and execution of which requires 65 hours of her time and untold quantity of personal responsibility. An experienced competitive dancer, Fanale has chosen to incorporate her love of dance into the project, which will culminate in a benefit dance recital on Feb. 9. “My main goal of my project is to give back to my community through my love of dance and also to be a role model for all of the younger girls in the community,” says Fanale.
Proceeds from the benefit will go to the Tomorrow’s Children’s Institute at
Hackensack
University
Medical
Center , a pediatric cancer and blood disorders care facility that also provides counseling and support to families of children undergoing treatment. Fanale’s benefit is being performed in honor of Allyn Lilien, her 8-year-old neighbor who is undergoing treatment for leukemia.
Fanale says that originally she had planned to organize a mother-daughter dinner dance as her project, but when she found out about Allyn’s illness, she was drawn to the cause of children’s cancer charities. “It was specifically Ally who got me involved,” she says. “She lives down the street from me… I have known her since she was very young. Our neighborhood is very close.”
Allyn and Fanale share a passion for dance in common, and both are pupils at Mariann’s
School of
Dance in
Paramus . Fanale is a member of the Terpsicore Dance Company at Mariann’s, with whom she will perform at the Feb. 9 benefit. She says that her dance company routinely participates in benefit performances when not in competition.
In addition to a performance by Terpsicore, says Fanale, other groups from the school will also present dance routines, ranging from ballet and jazz to lyrical and hip-hop. The performers range in age from elementary to high school. Despite her illness and the toll that chemotherapy is taking on her, Fanale says that Allyn is “really excited for this.” Fanale herself is anticipating seeing Allyn again. “I haven’t see Ally since her birthday party, in September,” she says, eager to catch up with her little friend and hopefully put a smile on her face.
In the meantime, renaissance girl Fanale has plenty on her plate. A member of the Honor Society, captain of her cheerleading squad and student representative to the Westwood Board of Education, she has already been accepted early admission to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Although she will soon be moving on, she will hold precious memories of her time with the scouts and Mariann’s
School of
Dance in her heart. “Projects like this really are my best memory from the Scouts,” she says.
Tickets to the “Allyn’s Angels” benefit can be purchased a number of ways. Those interested in attending can send or drop off a $20 check, payable to “The Tomorrow’s Children’s Fund,” with “Allyn Lilien” written on the comment line, to Mariann’s School of Dance, 599 Valley Health Plaza, Paramus, NJ 07652. Tickets will also be available for sale at the door, or may be purchased by calling Kristin Fanale or her mother, Gale, at 201-670-0018. The event will be held at
Westwood
Regional
High School , at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9.
Karen F. Mrnarevic's e-mail address is Mrnarevic@northjersey.com.
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