American Heritage Girls Troop 0146 from St. John Neumann Church at the 2018 Hemby Bridge Christmas Parade. (Photo provided by Katie Moore)CHARLOTTE — Parents and parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte are giving girls aged 5 to 18 the opportunity to grow in their love of God, family, community and country through American Heritage Girl scout troops which offer faith-based programs.
American Heritage Girls, a Christ-centered leadership and character development ministry with more than 50,000 members, is offered in churches in all 50 states and internationally in 14 countries.
The family-friendly, multi-level structure (5 levels) means that girls aged 5 to 18 meet together as a single troop at the same time.
During troop meetings, girls and leaders break into units so that programming is tailored to the different age groups and abilities. This structure allows for natural mentorship for younger girls and leadership opportunities for older girls.
St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte sponsors American Heritage Girls Troop NC 0146, consisting of five units which are organized by grade level.
Troop coordinator Katie Moore has three daughters who participate in American Heritage Girls. She has a troop board of five adults and four additional parents who volunteer their time to make it a great experience for the girls.
“While we do have a lot of fun, our time together is primarily spent growing in character and learning about God’s love for us,” Moore says. “The goal of growing a generation of women who put God first in their lives is constantly before us.”
“I love being able to pour into these young ladies, and support their parents in teaching God’s ways instead of the world’s ways,” she adds.
Moore believes that while every parent has the responsibility of choosing what is best for their family, “I choose AHG because faith and character is at the heart of everything we do.”
Lisa Beekwilder has been a part of the American Heritage Girls troop at the parish for the past five years, and she has two daughters in the troop.
“AHG is a wonderful faith-based program that integrates the Catholic values we seek to teach in the formation of our girls,” Beekwilder says. “The AHG creed has 10 components to help form girls of integrity. As Catholic moms of girls know, it is very difficult to be raising girls of integrity and faith in this current culture.”
Girls are constantly being bombarded with images of what the world thinks they should look like or act like, she continued. “AHG is like a breeze of fresh air! The girls can be themselves, strengthen their personal character, form lasting faith-based friendships and serve in the community.”
She also enjoys seeing the girls laughing away and having a great time together.
“I love that there are older teenage girls working with the little ones. It’s adorable!”
“The AHG program is very organized and goal-oriented, so on the leadership side of things it’s easy to follow,” she notes. “I love that there is a wide spectrum of events. One weekend we can be hiking and the next weekend standing on the sidewalk holding pro-life signs with our parish community.”
What do Beekwilder’s daughters say about American Heritage Girls?
Emma, 10, says, “I love AHG because of the group togetherness. I also love the fun things we do.”
Lucy, 8, says, “I love AHG because of the love and kindness we share together. I think AHG is a wonderful group.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
For more information
At www.americanheritagegirls.org: Find out more about American Heritage Girls or inquire about starting a troop at your parish