The girls staying at the MICAH House, an emergency shelter in Council Bluffs, will soon be able to join the Girl Scouts.
Jaymes Sime, the shelter's executive director, read about Girl Scout troops in New York City shelters and looked into the option at the MICAH House. He reached out to the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, and they decided to make it happen.
He wants the children to think beyond their shelter stay, "this doesn't define them, they are greater than that. Maybe they can develop leadership skills and the courage that Girl Scouts instills."
9-year-old Brittney Moore is staying at the shelter with her mom. She cannot wait for the first Girl Scout meeting on February 5. She told us, "when I walked in I saw a sign that said Girl Scouts is coming, and I said, 'Girl Scouts? Yay!' And my mom was like, 'I know, I know, calm down' and I was jumping, I was so excited."
The average stay at the shelter is a month. Sime says school-aged girls will be able to take part in Girl Scouts while they're there and even earn badges. They are welcome to continue once they move on as well.
A grant from the Pottawattamie Youth Council awarded a $1,000 grant to get the troop started. They plan to then raise money to continue operations through cookie sales.
If you have a story idea for Jennifer Griswold to feature as part of her series Your Family Now, email her at Jennifer.Griswold@3NewsNow.com or find her on Facebook.
