Girl Scouts acknowledge Earth Day 2016 with tree planting at Camp As Sayliyah

Courtesy Photo | Girl Scout Troop 013. Celebrating Earth Day at Camp As Sayliyah  

QATAR

04.22.2016

Story by james summers 

U.S. Army Central   

“You're doing something wonderful for the camp and for the country of Qatar by planting these trees,” said Col. Jeffrey Merenkov, Commander, Area Support Group, Qatar. “So thank you for planting these trees and doing something positive for the camp and the country. I want to ensure all of you that once you plant these trees, they will be taken care of properly so that you could come back here with your children and say ‘I planted those trees.’”

The girls worked hard as they planted the trees, each meticulously taking a turn planting, fertilizing and watering the new trees to ensure they would have a long life ahead of them and could be enjoyed by generations. While each Scout had different perceptions of the significance of Earth Day, Aila Toivonen summed up the event and the importance of giving back to the community as well as explaining how it tied into the Girl Scouts overall mission.

“I like what we did because it was fun and it also helped the environment. Girl Scouts want to empower change in the world, and activities like this help us carry out that mission,” she said. "It feels really good to be a part of this because you're helping the environment and it's just a lot of fun seeing how beautiful these trees can grow up to be.”

Explaining one of her patches and why she loved Girl Scouts she said, “When we first started Girl Scouts we got to choose what type of animal we wanted to be and I chose the unicorn because it represented kindness and grace. We also do fun things like cook good meals.”

Major Rhana Kurdi, Executive Officer, Area Support Group-Qatar, worked closely with the Girl Scouts and the S9 to arrange the event. She said the goal of the event was to give back to Camp As Sayliyah for all the opportunities they’ve provided for the Girl Scouts here in Qatar.

“Hopefully in a few years when we come back we can see the fruits of our labor,” she said.

• Date Taken: 04.22.2016
• Date Posted: 04.24.2016 08:57
• Story ID: 196351
• Location: QA