Weyburn Girl Guides celebrate their accomplishments

(L-R) In back are Weyburn Girl Guide members Angela MacCleary, Tracy Lequere, Lorraine Musk, Marcy Labbie, Vi Leclair, Heather Stronge, Amy Kenway and Jill Thorn. In front are Carol Story, Susann Patterson, Sylvia Danyluk, Soraya, Tina and Cali Krahn and Amber Patterson.


(L-R) Weyburn district guider Sylvia Danyluk received a 30-year pin from district commissioner Susann Patterson at the Weyburn Girl Guides annual Thinking Day celebration.


The Girl Guides new mantra.

By Jennifer LaCharite
The Girl Guides of Canada are commemorating "100 years of girl greatness" this year and the Weyburn branch is celebrating its own achievements. With three quarters of a century as a local club, the Weyburn Girl Guides have a lot to celebrate.
Recently, the local club celebrated Thinking Day which honours the joint birthdays of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts founders, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. The Weyburn branch also honoured two of their own members during the event.
Sylvia Danyluk was presented with her 30-year pin for devoting 30 years to the Weyburn Girl Guides.
"She has been involved in all areas of Guiding," said district commissioner Susann Patterson. "She is always willing to help and fill-in wherever and whenever she can."
Currently, Danyluk is a district guider, district camp advisor and member of the provincial council.
Danyluk said her first love in Guiding is camping and in 1994 and 1997 she ran an area camp at Little Kenosee. She has also travelled across Canada and the globe with groups of Weyburn Guides, travelling to the Maritimes in 2003 and to London, England and Paris, France in 1996.
Danyluk said the reason she loves Guides is because "It's a chance to have lots of fun with girls" and "Make new friends all around the world." Danyluk said that Guiding allows girls to challenge themselves in a comfortable atmosphere.
"It gives girls an opportunity to try new things, try things on their own and increase their self-confidence," said Danyluk.
Third-year Ranger and Grade 12 student Katie Lee was also honoured during the Thinking Day ceremony with the Sadie Bowerman award. The award is given to a girl who best represents the values and principles of Guiding such as maturity, leadership potential, adaptability, getting along with others and community involvement.
Lee has gone through all of the Guiding units, beginning in Sparks in 1996.
"Katie is a very special young lady who not only has time for Guiding but also takes part in drama, choir and dance," said Patterson. "Katie is well deserving of this award."
Sadie Bowerman was the driving force behind Weyburn Guiding. She was a Guider for many years and even had a Guide uniform store in the basement of her home.
"She would invite the girls into her home to try on the uniform and make sure that each girl went home with the proper size and appropriate pieces," said Patterson.
The local branch is still ensuring that all interested girls have all the tools they need to be in the club. Their Lend a Hand program ensures that girls from low-income families who can't afford the $115 annual fee or uniform costs can still participate. Kidsport is also a supporter of the club and has helped fund girls over the years.
"We do not ever turn down a girl because she can't afford it," said Patterson.
The girls at Guides know all about giving. Each of Weyburn's members contributed money to the Canadian World Friendship Fund, totalling $340. The money goes towards the groups World Association projects such as establishing Guiding in developing countries and assistance for countries suffering from natural disasters.
The Girl Guides of Weyburn have 56 members in their units from Sparks (Kindergarten and Grade 1), Brownies (Grades 2 and 3), Guides (Grades 4, 5 and 6), Pathfinders (Grades 7, 8 and 9) to its senior branches - Cadets, Rangers and Junior Leaders - (Grades 10, 11 and 12). A new season of Guides begins in mid-September.

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