MADISON – Girls can sign up for a year of adventure and camaraderie during Recruitment Night for Girl Scouts.

The open recruitment will be held in the Asbury Church gym on Aug. 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. Local troops will host activities for the girls while Scout leaders talk to parents.

As of May 2024, the City of Madison had 36 Girl Scout Troops with 413 Scouts.

“I’m very proud to be a Girl Scout leader,” Beth Crocker said. “When I found out I was having a little girl, (Girl Scouts) was the first thing I thought of.”

“Girl Scouts isn’t just snacks and crafts,” Crocker said. “Over the last eight years, my troop has attended cybersecurity classes three times at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. We’ve been whitewater rafting on the Ocoee and taken two rock-climbing classes at High Point.”

“At Camp Trico every year, girls do archery, canoeing, hatchet-throwing and all cooking,” Crocker said. “Jean Downs’ troop is a few years ahead of us and has hiked at the Grand Canyon and taken classes for self-defense and car maintenance.”

Currently, girls have four ways to join Girl Scouts:

* Traditional route with a troop – “The one we all know about,” Crocker said.

* Trefoil troop – Good choice for families whose schedules don’t allow for joining a traditional troop. “With this option, there’s no troop available at a time that works for the family. This type of troop will only meet once each month. Several troops in the city will volunteer their time to run the troop,” Crocker said.

* Individually registered girl or IRG — This child will not be attached to a troop but will be an individual scout who can still participate in large, group events. The Scout can complete badgework at home. This choice works for girls who aren’t interested in associating with a group.

* Girl Experience Pass – A new option. “For $150, an adult and child will be registered with national Girl Scouts USA and will have access to four events put on by our council, which is called ‘North-Central Alabama,’” Crocker said.

These options also are open to girls in home school, who can benefit from the multiple paths to membership. Leaders encourage girls who are home-school students to attend Recruitment Night and consider joining a local troop.

In another venue, Scout recruitment will be available at registration tables at all Open Houses for Madison City Schools: elementary, July 30; middle schools, Aug. 6; and high schools, Aug. 8.

Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama will soon conduct the grand opening of another asset, the Girl Scout DreamLab near Birmingham suburb on Aug. 17. The DreamLab is one of only five in the country and the only one with a massive auditorium. (bhamnow.com)

In Vestavia Hills, the DreamLab is the first in Alabama and the Southeast and is the largest facility of its kind in the United States.

“What exactly is a DreamLab? It’s a girl-centered space where Girl Scouts can achieve their full potential. The new center in Vestavia Hills will offer 11,300 square feet of space,” Crocker said.

The DreamLab has different components:

* Six STEM labs and a section for the arts.

* Full-space auditorium, unique to dream spaces across the state.

* ‘Girl huddle’ spaces to sit and relax, which encourages communication.

* A large media center to create podcasts, college video applications and other tasks.

* Mock campsite with a climbing wall.

* Retail space.

For more information, email Crocker at betty82402@gmail.com or visit girlscoutsnca.org.