Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 9, 1993 TAG: 9309090479
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This was their regular Wednesday night meeting, and the group of eight girls, ages 6 to 11, listened as Melki described pollution - how it gets in our rivers, oceans, forests and parks.
The Belles knew exactly what Melki was describing. On Aug. 14, they and a few more Belles had met at Preston Park in Roanoke to clean up some of the pollution that touches their city.
What they found surprised them.
Preston Park, before the Belles blitzed it, was home to all kinds of paper, glass bottles and cans - your basic litter, they all agreed.
Much of it was trapped in trees and bushes. And, yes, there were trash cans in the park.
"But they never used them," Lynsey Lyons, a 7-year-old Bluebelle, said of the litterbugs. "They're probably lazy."
If the Belles could do nothing to persuade others to "Give a hoot, don't pollute," they at least learned something for themselves.
"I've learned not to litter. When you go to a park and you see lots of trash, you can tell people, and you can team up and pick up the trash," said Joybelle Sarah Melki, Sheila's 9-year-old daughter.
Their cleanup project, which included an appearance by Woodsy Owl, is only one-twelfth of what the group will give its community this year. On Sept. 11, they'll hold a yard sale at the church parking lot to raise money for the church.
For a year, the Belles will gather monthly for a special project and a social activity. That's in addition to their twice-weekly meetings: they learn something new and share a scripture lesson every Wednesday night, and they meet in Sunday School.
They'll also continue their monthly outings to Camelot Nursing Home, where they sing and tell Bible stories to the residents.
For their hard work, the Belles will earn a Personal Development badge to sew on their sashes - orange sashes for the Bluebelles, green for the older Joybelles.
The point of their efforts is summed up in the Bluebelles'pledge: "As a Bluebelle, I'll try to do my best to let God's light shine through me to others."
And, in the Belle cheer, which sounds out - with arm motions - "We Serve Joyfully!"
While being a Belle is time-consuming, the girls have fun, said 11-year-old Nicole Melki.
But not without "a lot of hard work," added her sister, Sarah.
Their hard work is supported not only by leader Sheila Melki, but also by their Prayer Mothers - church members who pray for the girls, remember their birthdays and other holidays, and serve as "somebody they can go to."
And, perhaps most importantly, they're helped along by their support of one another.
"We learn a lot of fun stuff, about God and manners," Lyons said. "We learn [Bible] verses, and sometimes we play games. . . . And we love, and we want to love each other."
by CNB