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 Girl Scout Aubrey Parker of Newbern's Troop 40241 poses with completed ribbons for the Girl Scouts Heart of the South White House Ribbon Project. The ribbons will decorate a tree at the White House this Christmas. Inset: The Scouts hand embroidered the words 'Reflect,' 'Rejoice' and 'Renew' on these blue grosgrain ribbons. [Click to enlarge] |
Ribbons hand-embroidered and embellished by members of Girl Scout Troop 40241 of Newbern were chosen to decorate a tree on Capitol Hill through the White House Ribbon Project.
Girl Scouts Heart of the South, which includes 14,000 girls from troops in 59 counties in West Tennessee, Northern Mississippi and Arkansas, was one of only three in the nation chosen for the project. The other councils selected to create ribbons were Girl Scouts of the Nation's Capital in Washington, D.C. and Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast in Chesapeake, Va.
Troop Leader Ginny Parker received an e-mail from Girl Scouts Heart of the South asking for participants and jumped at the chance to offer the opportunity to her scouts. She accepted the mission and called a "top-secret meeting" for the older girls in her troop.
"I didn't tell them about the project," said Parker. "I just called a 'special top-secret' meeting. There are (about) 16 million Girl Scouts in the nation and only 3,000 were asked to do this. We were the only troop (to participate) in Dyer County."
With only a few days to complete the project, Parker ordered pizza and prepared for a long meeting.
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| Vickie Cross helps Girl Scouts Skyla Hardy, Kimberly Grief and LaShae Lake with the ribbon project. |
The Scouts had no idea what to expect when they arrived at the meeting.
"I felt very surprised," said Anna Cavness.
"It's an honor to have our decorations hung up in the White House," said Aubrey Parker. "Because they can notice we did it ourselves."
 The Scouts hand embroidered the words 'Reflect,' 'Rejoice' and 'Renew' on these blue grosgrain ribbons. [Click to enlarge] |
"I think it's really cool," said Kim Grief. "Because something we made is going to be hung up in the White House."
Although Parker's troop ranges from Brownies to Ambassadors, the project was open only to Cadettes, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts, ages 11-17. Participating Scouts were asked to hand-embroider blue ribbons with the words "Reflect," "Rejoice" and "Renew."
 Krislyn Daniel, Erin Hudson and Rachael Davis show off their completed ribbon. [Click to enlarge] |
Parker said there were very strict guidelines to follow for the project, but the girls were free to choose a language, design and embellish the unique ribbons.
"We made an American Flag with tiny beads," said Cavness, who worked on her ribbon with Gass. "We placed each bead."
"We used a peace sign with golden beads and swirly lines," said Skyla Hardy.
 Anna Cavness and Kaitlyn Gass work on their design. Scouts were free to choose the word, language and embellishments on each ribbon, creating a unique work of art for each ornament to adorn the White House tree. [Click to enlarge] |
"We used little gems and swirly lines," said Paige Daniel, who partnered with Aubrey Parker.
"We also had the option of doing the words in Chinese or Arabic," said Hudson. "We chose English, but I think we could have done (another language) if we would have had more time."
"I think they all turned out beautiful," said Ginny Parker. "I'm very proud of them, because they did them with their own hands."
"I think it was a great honor," said Jess Grief.
"I think it was cool because when people think of Newbern, they think of a real small place," said Erin Hudson. "But it actually got picked and our decorations are going to be in the White House. That's real cool."