CONWAY — Parents have until Friday to sign up their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters for Empower Me, a halfday camp sponsored by the Junior Auxiliary of Conway.
“We cover all kinds of issues - self-esteem, health and wellness. We have a police officer come by and talk about Internet safety,” Junior Auxiliary President Laura Harrell said.
The free camp will be from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Woodland Heights Baptist Church, 4215 Prince St., and parents may register their daughters by going online at www.jaconway.org.
In addition to the girls hearing from a group of professionals, an optional panel for parents will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The panel will include Dr. Brandie Martin, obstetrician/gynecologist; registered dietitian Charity Ashworth; and Capt. Matt Rice of the Faulkner County Sheriff ’s Office.
Harrell said that during last year’s inaugural camp, parents said they learned a lot from the panel about Internet safety.
“A lot of the parents were completely oblivious,” she s aid. “ The y were not on Facebook, and they weren’t aware of all the things they needed to be doing to make sure the girls were protected - the privacy settings - so no one else could look attheir daughters’ pages.”
Other safety precautions will be discussed, such as staying home alone in the afternoons and “any safety issue they may encounter, having more freedom” as they grow older.
Harrell said the Junior Auxiliary saw a need for a project for girls in the fifthand sixth-grade age group.
“So much that happens in those years - we’ve just noticed a huge difference, f rom the way girls dress to the way they act. That just seemed like a pivotal age for us to jump in there and start impacting them,” she said.
Miss Arkansas Kristen Glover will be this year’s special guest.
“That’s a biggie for the girls; they’re going to have their picture taken with her, and she’ll give her presentation on inner beauty,” Harrell said.
Also, the girls will participate in a Zumba session led by Tiffeny Crow, a personal trainer and group-fitness instructor.
Harrell said that last year, 50 girls attended the camp.
Participants will receive Tshirts and goody bags, which will include hand sanitizers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant and “a few girlie things, like pens,” Harrell said.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 62 on 04/12/2012