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Scouting For New Members

Kevin Howe/stringer photo

Ellen King, Leader for Girl Scout Troup 767, makes friendship swaps with Cathy Pahl, age 11, Laura Arose, age 11 and Anna Pultorak, age 11, all three girls from Girl Scout Troop 732 during the Everything but Cookies Event hosted by the Girl Scouts in New Tampa. The event showcased various Girl Scouts activities in an effort to recruit new participation by girls and adults.

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By PAUL CATALA, Tribune correspondent

Published: September 29, 2007

Updated: 09/27/2007 06:33 pm

NEW TAMPA - There was sand sculpting, jump-rope, greeting-card making, arts and crafts and a health-awareness table.

But not a box of cookies was to be found.

The parking lot at LifePoint Church bustled with activity Sept. 22, as girls and their parents from the New Tampa area found out just what Scouting was all about.

Through interaction with Scout leaders and girls in the organization, Everything But Cookies was a fun-filled event designed to recruit area girls into the Girl Scouts.

The day was geared to getting girls and adults involved with one of 32 troops in the Sunset Scouts Neighborhood, which consists of about 250 Scouts from the New Tampa area.

Anna Sears, the Sunset Scouts' assistant service manager, on Tuesday said about 80 girls signed up, along with eight adults.

Sears, who has two 9-year-olds in Girl Scouts - Stephanie and Kelly - said the goal of the event was to 'show the public that Girl Scouting is more than just selling cookies.'

The Girl Scouts of America is open to all girls from 5 to 17 years old; leadership positions are open to adults.

During the day, adult leaders were available to answer questions about Scouting and give information on how to help Scouting in their neighborhoods.

At a table where girls were making greeting cards with crayons and stickers, Troop 724 leader Jennifer Day put glue on construction paper, helping girls make cards for survivors of breast cancer.

'I think it's a great idea to get the girls out here and get them interested,' she said. 'They get out, signed up and see it's not all about the cookies.'

Besides interactive booths, the Tampa Fire Department brought a ladder truck out for display, and a health care table was set up with free health maintenance literature.

Down from the firetruck, other girls got involved with making braided key chains, custom T-shirts and backpacks.

Heather Montgomery, 13, a member of Troop 1714, has been in Scouting for six years. Helping girls braid key chains, she said she would like to see all the girls at the event get involved with a troop.

'It's good to get younger girls into Scouting because, besides all this, they learn teamwork and independence,' she said.

For information on the Sunset Scouts, other Tampa Bay area troops or Girl Scouts in general, call (813) 281-4475.

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