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Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

A Patch Of Friendship

Stacey Gonzalez, 10, is thinking hard. She is trying to decide what makes her new friend, Anita DeGraffe, 20, special. "Anita is special," she finally says, "because she has a great big Girl Scout smile."

Anita's job is to share that great big smile with girls who sometimes have little to smile about. Every Thursday evening, DeGraffe helps Marion Hellthaler lead a meeting of Girl Scout Troop Number 6052. The group gathers in the recreation room of a homeless shelter in suburban Elmsford, New York.

Through a program called Project Outreach, the Girl Scouts of Westchester and Putnam counties bring the traditions, values and fun of scouting to 1,300 girls who live in the communities' poorest areas. Many of the girls live in homeless shelters.

Girls in the Elmsford troop do not pay dues and cannot afford uniforms. The local council pays for all Project Outreach activities, including snacks, camps and day trips, through fund raising, cookie sales and company contributions.

Scouting provides disadvantaged girls with a sense of belonging, says Cathy Baldwin-Dyckman, who heads the Outreach program. "I have to believe," she says, "that we make a difference in their lives."

One of the biggest and best differences will come in July, when 125 of the girls attend a sleep-away camp. For many, it will be their first vacation ever. Swimming, boating and learning crafts at camp are also a relief from cramped rooms, fast food and family worries.

Last week's Elmsford meeting ended in the traditional way: eight happy girls held hands, closed their eyes and made a wish. What do you think these Girl Scouts wished for?

Next: Top 5 Girl Scout Cookies