Women and girls get moving to help local scouting

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| Sunday, May 22, 2005 12:02 AM CDT | () comments

Mary Louise Speer

Waves of women and girls pounded the pavement of downtown Rock Island on Saturday during the third annual Women and Girls on the Move race. The event celebrates the accomplishments of women and young women of today.

The proceeds will benefit the Girl Scouts of the Mississippi Valley that cover five counties in Illinois and 10 in Iowa. The 450 participants raced or walked in the 1-mile Cookie Chase, 1/4-mile Daisy Dash for girls ages 4-6 and a 5K event.

Gidget Plumley, a leader for Troop 2344, Rock Island, likes encouraging her children to get out and stay active � and the best example they have is her. "If I'm sitting in front of a TV, they will be. They model us," she said.

The event featured information on healthy activities and habits from local organizations. Dee Anderson, a member of the Col. Davenport Historical Foundation, invited scouts to attend the foundation's second annual Girl Scout Day on June 25.

Race organizers hope to raise $10,000 and the council gives out about $70,000 a year in assistance to help support the program, said Shannon Hans, the fund development manager. Some of those dollars will help girls attend Camp Conestoga in Dixon, Iowa.

"We are the only organization that has strictly a women's and girls race. We offer financial assistance to those girls who are unable to pay because our motto is we want every girl, every where to be part of scouting, " she said.

Mara Stewart, 9, of Troop 1655 Iowa City, hoped to better her time in this year's 5K after coming in sixth in her age group last year. She especially likes camping and scouting "is a really good experience," she said.

Patti Lahn wore two hats as a troop leader and executive director of the Quad-City Animal Welfare Center, as she and her troop of Daisies and Brownies participated in the Cookie Chase.

"I can see why they call it that because I was chasing the girls. They're quick," she said. Lahn also brought a litter of Labrador mix puppies from the center and small hands made the seven-week-old pups feel at home.

Troop leader Mikki Vrban and Brownies from Logan Elementary School, Moline, enjoyed having an opportunity to demonstrate their Girl Scout spirit. The Brownie's motto is "Just try it," said second-grader Payton Hostens.

"We came up with a theme that we don't have do it perfectly, we just have to try. Today we're out here trying the race and meeting other girl scouts," Vrban said.

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