The Every Girl, Every Where Event held Thursday morning at the New Iberia Ramada Inn brought scout leaders, Scouts and the public together to show that there is more to the Girl Scouts of Louisiana than thin mints and badges on sashes.

Today’s Girl Scouts are members of an organization focused on helping them become independent, active and knowledgeable members of their local communities, said Susan Sewall, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to The Gulf Council.

“We invited folks in the community this morning to learn about what’s happening in girl scouting and about our focus on leadership development,” Sewall said.

Girl Scouts Yves Hamilton, from left, Elysa Dominique, 14, visiting from Peoria, Ariz., and Kiara Paris, 9, participate in Thursday's Every Girl, Every Where in New Iberia. INNESS ASHER / THE DAILY IBERIAN Advertisement

Junior Girl Scout Kiara Paris, 9, is a student at St. Charles Elementary School in Jeanerette. She loves being part of the Girl Scouts, especially joining with other Scouts in the community projects. Her favorite project took place earlier in the school year.

“We went to schools,” Paris said. “We helped a lot of people because we had a drive for canned goods.”

Her fellow friends and Junior Girl Scouts Yves Hamilton, 11, Destinee Leger, 10, crowd around, talking over one another to be the first to tell about the scouting activities they have completed together in the past several months.

“We picked up trash around the West End Park pool,” Leger said, while Hamilton, who attends Johnston Street Elementary, recalls her own most memorable activity.

“We visited shut-ins, the elderly,” Hamilton said. “We spent time and prayed together.”

The Girl Scouts of America’s focus has always been on leadership, Sewall said, but the Girl Scout Research Institute has now established three main goals for scouting activities.

“We have a more concerted effort so that the girls can learn about themselves,” Sewall said. “We want them to take action in their communities and to connect with others and we want them to build relationship skills and learn how to deal with negativity by appreciating diversity.”

Sewall said Thursday’s event was informational and not focused on fundraising, but the hopes are that once the public becomes aware of the enormous benefits to both the girls and the community, more people will be willing to sponsor the local troop in some way, whether financially or by volunteering their time and resources.

Michelle Scott is a membership specialist from Lafayette who attended the meeting. She said membership in Iberia Parish is strong and the number of troops allows for a variety of activities for the girls.

“We have 27 troops in Iberia Parish,” Scott said. “There are 309 girls and more than 100 volunteers.”

The next event scheduled for the scouts is Camp Bon Temps, a day camp in Breaux Bridge held in July. Annual recruiting is held in the schools August through November, Scott said.

For more information about the Girl Scouts, upcoming events or to volunteer, call (800) 960-2093 or visit www.girlscoutspinestogulf.org.