HIGH IMPACT INSIGHT

Elane Sims has been a volunteer with IL4605 since 2020. She has been the Event Coordinator since late 2021 for local Troops in the Chicagoland Area Team of Illinois.

Program Year Themes are a connecting thread to any Troop. If you’re wondering what you have in common with other local Troops or Troops across the country, start with the Program Year Theme. Each local Troop is a unique blend of individuals, ideas, events, faith, service, and fun! Whether you’re guiding your Girl Members to make connections with distant pen pals, if you have a family transferring into your Troop from another state, or you’re looking for mutually beneficial activities for a Multi-Troop event, the Program Year Theme is always a great common denominator that weaves all American Heritage Girl Troops together.

The focal point of the WOVEN Program Year Theme is that until God calls you to glory, He is constantly at work in the tapestry of your life. He knew each of us, and who we would be while He knitted us together in our mothers’ wombs. He saw each of us as a completed masterpiece before we were born. He created us fearfully and wonderfully, but He didn’t stop there. He weaves our lives together. He anticipates the frayed strands and thinning fabric, but in His infinite grace, He bolsters us through Scripture and brings us comfort with the Holy Spirit. He strengthens us and gives us color and texture through experience, people, country, community, church, and our Troops.

I think of the Body of Christ, and how each member has differing gifts and is created for a purpose. A body does not function optimally without all its parts.

Each Girl Member and volunteer has something unique to contribute to their local Troop, their Area Team, and to their community. Leaning into this truth, I would hope that Troops would embrace the BELONG Recruitment Program, understanding that it is through new members being WOVEN into our Troops we can accomplish much more to honor and glorify God. There is another girl, another young woman, another mom, an empty-nester, a widow out there who BELONGS in the fabric of your Troop.

Learn more about the BELONG Recruitment Program on AHGfamily.

In my local Troop, our Board schedules its annual planning meeting after the Program Year Theme has been announced. It’s that important! The theme influences many of the opportunities we will weave into the year from Patch Programs such as Respect Life, True Girl, and Presence Point’s Shepherd Leadership Program to badges such as Textile Arts and Identity. I’m particularly excited to explore Project Lydia for fundraising.

Switching up the theme means new decorations, fashion opportunities, and ways for girls to be innovative. I haven’t met a girl who doesn’t like to shop or peruse new merch! Each year the AHGstore comes out with beautifully designed t-shirts, bracelets, and stickers centered around the Program Year Theme. Any of these items can be gifted to Girl Members or volunteers for their efforts and service provided to your local

Troop. If you haven’t had the opportunity to browse the WOVEN selection, I would highly recommend it! If your Troop is operating on a smaller budget, check out the Free to Grow Patch Program. Girls are able to design their own shirts highlighting attributes God has WOVEN into their identity. For me personally, I have been looking forward to meeting EWE-nique, the WOVEN Program Year Theme mascot!

One particularly creative idea comes from a Multi-Troop event I was able to attend in early 2022. Then-Pioneer Dana in IL1412 hosted a service and social opportunity incorporating “plarning”. “Plarning” is the art of weaving plastic bags together to create mats used by community programs aiding the homeless. Girls also made hand-tied blankets for children in hospitals through the Linus Project. Efforts were multiplied by inviting other Girl Members from the area. Not only did girls have a marvelous time meeting and greeting, they upheld our Oath by serving their community.

Further, there is an abundance of “EWE-nique” ideas in the Program Year Theme Guide for each of the different program emphases. I also recommend Troops reach out to each other, their Area Team Members, and Troop Support Specialists. I strongly encourage you to forge those relationships. Seek to weave in those opportunities for connection. Let’s see what God does when we’re WOVEN together.