STOUGHTON — Each year at this time, the Girl Guides sell cookies. These vanilla and chocolate treats are a big hit with people, and sales seemed to go well.
Girl Guides were not in the Stoughton area for quite some time. Cheryl Lake was taking Guides to a unit in Estevan, which was the closest at the time.
It was then that a district commissioner approached Lake to start a group once again in Stoughton. Lake thought it was a great idea, and the club was once again started.
Girl Guides began in the early 1900s as a counterpart to the Boy Scouts.
In 1927, the sale of cookies began. Amazingly enough, it was a huge hit and the tradition continued. Around 1936 the cookies were produced commercially and that is how the Girl Guide cookies came to be.
Guides really started to blossom in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, Saskatchewan alone had over 10,000 girls as members, but membership declined in the late 20th century.
The 1st Stoughton Guiding Unit is quite new, and only started in 2019. Things were going well and then COVID-19 hit. The 2020-21 season was completely done virtually.
“It did cause issues as we are a rural area and internet at times can be an issue,” said Lake.
Now they are back to regular meetings. The unit gathers at the Apostolic Church in Stoughton, which is located on the south end of Government Road. Ages five to 17 may join this girls club. Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers attend Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., while Sparks and Brownies go on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m.
Lake is the only leader and of course would love help with the nine members, although she was able to recruit a volunteer just in the last week.
Girl Guides of Canada offer young ladies to try out Guides during April until June for free. That way you get a taste of what this unit is all about.
Camping is a big part of this unit. They get training for this, from rolling your sleeping bag the right way, to making fire starters, and supplies that are necessary to take along.
Along with this, they offer badges that can be earned and crafts. Outings or picnics are also part of girls just wanting to have fun.
But this is cookie season. The Stoughton unit orders cases upon cases, but they will not last long. These cookies are in high demand. It only happens once a year and when they are gone, you need to wait till next year. The cookie sales help with the club’s funds.
If you are interested in volunteering, go to girlguides.ca and follow the links to volunteer. If you want to join girl guides, registration is in June and also done online. They will resume in September once again.
So, for interesting crafts and meeting with a fun group of girls, think about joining the girl guides.
