American Heritage Girls: Learning Christ-Centered Service And Leadership

It is God’s desire for us to respect and enjoy the natural world, and to get outside and experience it. And here in our faith community, the American Heritage Girls program, or AHG, helps train girls to be Christ-centered leaders and to learn those all-important outdoor skills.

Carlye Thacker was a Girl Scout troop leader for 14 years but has really enjoyed her time with the AHG program because of the emphasis on faith and building confidence through acquiring skills.

“It teaches girls that it is great to be a girl, and you can do it all,” Carlye says. “I love the program in that way and how it is set up.”

The group at Cathedral of Christ the King is for girls ages 5 to 18. The oldest girls in our program are in ninth grade. All of the age groups gather for monthly activities — for Carlye, it is encouraging for the younger girls to look up to the older girls as role models. The older girls meet twice a month to work on badges including Theater, My Style, Family Helper, World Heritage, and Citizenship and Government.

Carlye has enjoyed seeing three of her girls experience AHG and all there is to offer. Carlye also has a son who has participated in the Trail Life USA program.

“So much of education is not in a classroom,” she says. “It’s learning how to interact with people, trust people, and develop friendships. These are fundamental skills that are as important as learning how to read, write and count.”

The AHG program isn’t just for Catholics, but there are some Catholic badges, like learning about a specific saint. Carlye also makes sure the girls celebrate important days and seasons like All Saints Day and Advent. To fundraise, the group has its Chili Cook-Off at the cathedral each year, but this has been put on hold until after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The groups have been meeting, as able, during the pandemic via some outside meetings and virtual get-togethers. For Carlye, it’s important to keep that connection with each other, as the girls have grown close through this program. The group also works on service projects. For example, they did a canned food drive for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

Beginning next year, the program emphasis will be shifting to highlight camping and outdoor skills. For most in this program, Carlye included, the outdoor activities and camping are the highlights. In addition to this outdoor emphasis, the program will continue to offer the girls all sorts of skills, including being a good citizen, family life, the arts, and science, all within the context of our faith.

“This program gives girls a chance to try new things and get comfortable doing them,” Carlye says. “It’s important to be able to make a fire and be comfortable outdoors. The more comfortable you become with new skills, the more confident you feel.”

Carlye has witnessed firsthand the difference AHG has made in her daughters’ lives. The faith aspect of this program has been so important to her and her family, and she looks forward to many more years of fun and learning through AHG.

“My girls have learned to think about other people and care about them," she says. "They are learning how to work to help other people. That is very valuable. It’s the most important thing for their future.”

If you would like to learn more about American Heritage Girls, please contact Carlye Thacker at 859-619-1690 or carlye_annie@yahoo.com or visit cathedralctk.org/american-heritage-girls.

Girls gather for the American Heritage Girls Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser in 2020.