Awards Ceremony

Tonight was the end of a really busy scout season for me... well, it's ALMOST the end. At least the hard part is over for a couple months. I am so thankful that Tony and Amanda Black stepped up to put the end-of-the-year ceremony together because it really is a lot of work. My end of it included getting all the badges and patches ordered from AHG plus a few other companies, figuring out the seating and standing arrangements for the girls and leaders, and writing the script as I was the master of the ceremony. Tony polished the wording, helped the girls practice and line up for photos, clean up from the senior dinner at church the night before, set up a couple hundred chairs, set up and run the sound system, decorate exquisitely, clean up, and SO much more. Amanda called me last night to come see if I "approved" of how they were setting up the auditorium. I thought it was an odd request since I thought they understood I trusted their judgement. When I arrived at the church, I realized Amanda had set it up so that Tony would be there when I got my first look at the amazing stage. (He would be at work when I planned to arrive this morning). Tony had a 6-foot diameter AHG logo made that was beautiful... and a HUGE surprise that I loved!

 Maddie was a Tenderheart scout until tonight. Her unit sang some songs for the ceremony and earned the PRAY award -- a Protestant religious award for scouts (not just AHG). She also earned her Sacagawea level award with eight other girls. Here she is beaming as one of her leaders, Karen Graves, stands with her after giving Maddie her badges.

The ceremony went very smoothly, the girls were all so proud of all their badges they earned, and our leaders and volunteers did a great job with this year.

I am ready for a rest, but I have loved working with this families and their daughters!