Kennett Girl Scout Troop wins poster contest

Girl Scout Troop 402 of Kennett, recently entered a poster in the "Homelessness is Everywhere in Missouri" poster Contest in observance of Homelessness Awareness week, which won first place in a statewide competition.

The troop was informed Friday, Nov. 2, that its poster had won first place in the middle School Division and that it would be taking a trip to the State Capital Rotunda on Nov. 15 to accept their award.

The troop's poster idea came after the troop's Senior Girl Scout Cheyenne Crawford made a presentation on what she had learned while working on her "Home Is Where The Heart Is" interest project. Crawford worked with her leader, Laura Whitfield, who is an employee at the new Family Counseling Center's Safe Haven, on this project.

After hearing what Crawford had learned at the Safe Haven, the troop came up with an idea, and with help from Anthony Smith, director of Safe Haven, the poster was sent to Jefferson City to be judged with entries from all around the state.

The girls titled their poster "What Does Homelessness Look Like in Missouri?" They found several pictures of what they thought homelessness might look like in Missouri and compared them with facts they received from various agencies, and they quickly realized that homelessness could happen to anyone from anywhere at anytime, even them.

After matching up facts with pictures, they wrote under the title, "The Stereotype is No Longer Accurate for the Current Situation." A mirror was used for the centerpiece of the poster and under the mirror, "Homelessness can look just like YOU!" was written.

"The girls worked very hard on this project and they learned a lot," Whitfield said. " They learned that education is very important to succeeding in life as well as planning and preparation."

Whitfield said the girls had no idea that they would win first place. "There was so much to consider in such a short amount of time," Whitfield said. Whitfield contacted Myra Callahan, Chief Executive Officer of Family Counseling Center, for help.

Callahan expressed her sincere pride in the girls and offered to help in any way that she could. "Myra offered to let the troop use a company vehicle for travel and she also pledged a large donation on behalf of Family Counseling Center and said that she would personally match the donation," Whitfield said.

"Mrs. Callahan is an excellent role model for these young girls," Whitfield said. "She is truly a hardworking leader with a heart of gold. That is exactly what we want our girls to grow up to be," Whitfield said.

In addition to Callahan's contributions, Whitfield said Wal-Mart of Kennett donated a $50 gift card, which the troop used for gas. Wallace & Owens donated sodas and fresh fruit for the girls' long trip. Junior Girl Scout Kailan Whitfield's Great Grandmother Carrie Lewis also donated to the troop's funds for the trip, and Martha Fowlkes of the Gayoso Chapter of DAR offered to send a check to donate to the troop's efforts.

Once at the Capitol, awards for the poster contest were given out after Anthony Smith, Director of Safe Haven, gave a presentation of the troop's poster. Each girl received a certificate with her own name on it from The Governor's Committee to End Homelessness for the 2007 Homeless Awareness Week Poster Contest.

After the awards, Emily Scheulen, with Rep. Terry Swinger's office, took the troop up to the the dome of the building which is called the Whispering Wall. "The room is named because you can turn and talk into the wall and from anywhere in the room another person can hear you," Whitfield said.

Next, the girls were taken to the House Chambers , where they were given a tour. Later, they were taken to visit the Secretary of State's office, (Mrs. Robin Carnahan), where they each were able to make a State Seal of their own. Before they left, they were each given a packet from Carnahan's office, with lots of information and facts about Missouri.

Whitfield said the troop learned a lot on their trip and worked very hard to get there. "This was a great opportunity and they appreciate being given the chance to go to the State Capital," she said.