Have you heard about American Heritage Girls?

I grew up in Girl Scouts and I enjoyed the time I did. However, as a mother of a young girl, Lily B, I was very disappointed in her Girl Scout experience. I considered changing troops only to realize the problems I saw were not isolated to a single troop, rather they were the result of the local scouting culture. Lily’s local troops were horrible. Her scout leader verbally abused her daughter in front of other scouts and put the health and safety of the girls in jeopardy. I personally reported the issue to the local scout council, only to see this lady promoted within to become the local trainer.  I realized there had to be a better option. In my search, I came across American Heritage Girls.

January of 2011, while at a Superbowl Party, I was asked by Gary’s Boy Scout Leader if I had heard of American Heritage Girls and if I would consider starting a troop. Well that was the push I needed, and long story short I am now a proud AHG Leader.

So What is it?   Well, everyone that answer is different.

• For Lily, it is the opportunity to spend time with other girls and having while learning new things. She is excited about the camping and time she gets to spend outdoors, along with the many merit badges she can (and does) earn. Lily enjoys the many service projects, where she can make a difference in the lives of others.
• For me as a parent, it is a Christ-centered group. I love the Christian emphasis. We aim to teach our girls to be women of God. AHG does this through devotions. Our troop sets aside a small amount of time at each meeting for devotions and prayer. The leaders are committed to praying for the girls and families. I love the environment! Where can you find this many girls without the drama that goes with girls of any age.
• As a leader, I can tell you all of the organization lines, but it has become my passion. I love seeing the girls grow. In the year and a half since our troop started, I have seen the girls blossom. I have also grown in this time and am excited to see how God will use me on this journey with American Heritage Girls.

Now go to www.ahgonline.org to learn more. Then head back here and read more of my story.

As a momma, I realized that there are few badge work helps and resources for the girls to use to earn their merit badges. So I started developing some for our troop, and will be posting a new one each week. Check back next Monday for the first of many.