THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9602280136
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
It's a place where little girls can giggle and fingerpaint; where big girls can dance and learn about careers; where mothers can watch their daughters grow intellectually and emotionally.
It's called, appropriately, A Place for Girls, and it's opening on an 11-acre site on Cedar Road in Great Bridge this spring.
The new Girl Scout center will become the regional headquarters for the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, which oversees troops scattered over 25,000 square miles, from as far north as Gloucester, as far south as Ocracoke Island, N.C., and as far west as Franklin.
All told, about 16,000 girls and 5,000 volunteers will call the place their own.
``Having a center where volunteers can come with girls and participate in activities on site - it's kind of like giving Girl Scouts a home in the area,'' said Ann B. Lester, media and marketing specialist for the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast.
Until now, the council has owned a few camps in the region and has leased office space in Virginia Beach, but has had no central activity center.
``It's the first time we've had a facility where our office will be there for supporting volunteers, and we'll have programs for girls right on the site,'' Lester said.
Thanks to donations of money and services from businesses and individuals, construction on the $2 million building began in August. Girl Scouts throughout the region raised about $8,500 toward the effort by purchasing personalized certificates that will be placed inside the cornerstone bricks.
Inside the nearly 20,000-square-foot office and activity center, there will be a troop overnight room, where girls from out of town can come to the center for activities and spend the night. There will be rooms for arts, crafts science projects and computer classes. Older Girl Scouts will have their own room, where they plan to host activities ranging from dances to career counseling and tutoring sessions.
``There are going to be many opportunities,'' Lester said.
Outside, there will be nature and exercise trails. Eventually, Girl Scouts would like to have a pool.
The facility will be dedicated in May, Lester said.
Meanwhile, though, the council will begin using the building for a few activities.
Saturday, for example, 100 Girl Scouts from Hampton will get a reward for raising the most cash for the building. The Scouts will participate in a ``Reality Store'' set up at the new center.
The girls will get to mimic real life, choosing a profession, drawing a salary - complete with fake money - and using the money to pay their monthly expenses. They'll be coached by real professional women. by CNB