AMHERST – Girl Guides broke their bread Wednesday at their pot luck at the First Baptist Church with the Scouts to celebrate World Thinking Day and the birthday of Lord and Lady Baden Powell, the founders of the scouting associations.
“It’s celebrated through out the world the week of Feb. 22, which is thinking week,” said Ruth Pond, community contact for Amherst and area Girl Guides. “This year’s theme is ‘Together We Can Save the Lives of Children’.”
Pond said the money raised through the fundraiser goes into the world organization fund to help children in other countries.
For the special pot luck in honour of the special day, the Guides invited the Scouts to join them.
“This is the first year in many years that the Guides and the Scouts have gotten together,” she said. “Hopefully we can do this more for different events. I think Lord and Lady Baden Powell would be pleased to know years later, (Guides and Scouts) have gotten together and stayed together.”
Scout leader Tom Somers said it was a marvelous opportunity to bring the two associations together and celebrate a common theme.
“It’s the birthday of Lord and Lady Baden Powell,” he said. “I think it opens the door to a lot more collaborative effort.”
Also at the dinner was Catherine McKay, a member of the Trefoil Guild.
“I think it’s wonderful that they all get together,” said the former Girl Guide. “We used to get together separately. It’s much better when everyone is together.”
The former guide has seen several Thinking Day celebrations and said in the past, they were very formal.
“We all marched in with the flags and everything,” she said. “It was great because we had wonderful leaders and they taught us manners.”
McKay said she preferred the laid back Thinking Day celebrations that are held today.
“It’s wonderful (to see so many children),” she said. “I only hope they will keep going.”
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