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Thousands of Girl Scouts in San Diego and Imperial County joined the army–The Salvation Army, that is! As part of the “Be Your Best and Do a Good Turn” project, Girl Scouts in San Diego joined forces with the Army to stage their first-ever community-wide used clothing drive that resulted in the collection of 27 tons of clothing to benefit the Adult Rehabilitation Centers.
Not only did these scouts distribute 120,000 special donation bags in the community, more than 1,000 of them toured the San Diego ARC throughout March in a series of forums that tied in with their substance abuse education and recycling programs. They saw how donated goods are recycled and readied for thrift store sales which support the rehabilitation program. Graduates and beneficiaries in recovery gave moving testimonies about how drug addiction devastated their lives.
A festive kickoff at the Center featured a pancake breakfast and open house. A clown in recovery entertained the kids, and representatives from the Police Department’s D.A.R.E. program were on hand. Ron Roberts, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, addressed the gathering and a camera from a local CBS affiliate covered it for the evening news.
“We are grateful for the enthusiastic support of the Girl Scouts in this terrific event,” said ARC Administrator Major Don Mowery. While the clothing drive marks an end to the project, it signals a new beginning for thousands struggling to overcome drug and alcohol addictions, he added.
In Orange County, Girl Scouts participated in a clothing drive for the second year. It was a great success as well, with more than 200,000 pounds of clothing collected in one day for the Anaheim ARC. Other centers participating in clothing drives included the Van Nuys and Canoga Park ARCs.
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