Girl Scouts on the Southside

By Susan Pierce, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

Aug. 25–At the first of this year, 10 women living in Alton Park, most of them single mothers of boys, wanted to increase the opportunities for girls living in The Villages at Alton Park. The Villages is Chattanooga Housing Authority’s new Hope VI community.

Calling themselves “Sistas on the Move,” the moms began a neighborhood girls club, named it the Angels, and canvassed the neighborhood talking it up to the girls. By the end of school in May, they had 76 girls enrolled in their after-school club.

“There are a lot of stereotypes on this side of town,” said Tiffany Kyles, who organized the group with LaShell Witherow. “Everybody has something to say, but nobody’s stepping up. This is a passion of ours because most of us come from this community.

“We all have full-time work schedules, and some of us are also going to school, but we make time because these young ladies are the next generation to lead this community,” Ms. Kyles said.

Due to the perseverance of the Sistas, three new Girl Scout troops will start meetings in The Villages at Alton Park this fall. Ms. Kyles said membership in the Angels is now contingent on participating in Girl Scouts as well.

Enrollment for these troops, as well Southside troops 888 and 887, will be today from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Bethlehem Center on West 38th Street.

Brenda Bell McAdams said troops 888 and 887, formed last year, will be open to girls living in South Chattanooga.

The Southside enrollment is part of the Moccasin Bend Council’s membership drive for girls 5-17. The council office will send fliers home from schools that give the date and time of a sign-up night at each school. The Moccasin Bend Council serves 6,700 girls in 11 counties in Tennessee and four counties in Georgia.

The Sistas approached the council with a request to form a Scout troop in the Villages.

“That’s not typical; but it is wonderful when somebody contacts us to start a troop,” said Linda Rath, Moccasin Bend council executive officer. “We usually do the recruiting. We don’t often have a group of adults who come to us and say this is something we’d like to do.”

Teletha McJunkin, site manager at The Villages, said the neighborhood women volunteered for an all-day Girl Scout training held in March taught by Sonja Emziah.

Volunteering as a leader involved three references and criminal background checks for each woman before training, standard Scout procedure for all new leaders Ms. Rath said.

Also working with the Sistas is Brenda Bell McAdams, Girl Scout membership outreach director, who also is troop leader for 888 and 887.

“Ms. Brenda has been a big inspiration,” said Ms. Kyles.

Watching the Sistas start their troop is history repeating itself for Ms. McAdams. Thirteen years ago, she began a Southside troop in the Emma Wheeler homes.

“I was eager for my daughters to get into something that was worthwhile after school,” said Ms. McAdams. “Marsha Salter (a former Scout executive) came out and recruited girls for a troop.”

Her daughter, Patty Presley, stayed in the troop from age 6 until she aged out. Ms. Presley, 19, is now a troop leader.

“Scouting helps girls,” said Ms. Presley. “It gives them something better to look forward to than just hanging around on the streets. A lot of girls don’t have good role models at home. They come to Girl Scouts and we have role models there waiting to give them good advice on things they encounter in daily life.”

Ms. McAdams said that Girl Scouting has had a presence in the Southside for several years. Scouting has brought arts programs to Southside elementary schools, College Hill Courts, Poss Homes and Harriet Tubman housing development. A Girl Scout program in East Lake Elementary School made math and science something to look forward to with a visit from Channel 9′s Science Theater teacher.

“Girl Scouts are all over the inner city. A lot of people just don’t know what we’re doing in the inner city,” said Ms. McAdams. “Our problem has been getting the word out.”

E-mail Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com

NEW TROOPS

Troops 887 and 888: Will meet two Saturdays a month from 4:30-6 p.m. at Bethlehem Center. Open to girls ages 5-17 who live in South Chattanooga. Troops will be led by Brenda Bell McAdams and her daughter, Patricia Presley.

Troop 937: Will meet two Fridays each month in Villages at Alton Park, time to be announced. This is a Juniors troop for grades 3-6 led by LaDonna Bugg.

Troop 222: Will meet two Fridays each month in Villages at Alton Park, time to be announced. This is a cadet and senior troop, ages 11 and up, led by Tiffany Kyles, Angel Glass, Patricia Fennell and Patricia Robertson.

Troop 809: Will meet two Fridays each month in Villages at Alton Park, time to be announced. This Brownie troop, grades 1-3, led by Jinell Hunter and Linda Moses.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

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