Community Partners: Exploring All That Arlington Has To Offer (Also: Why We Love Girl Scouts)

I enrolled each of my girls in Girl Scouts right when they began kindergarten. I was a Girl Scout and really enjoying my scouting years; I hoped my girls would be able to enjoy their experiences with Girl Scouts, as well.

I love so very many aspects of Girl Scouting, but one of the things I love the most is partnering with providers all over the community to learn about some of the businesses that make Arlington (and the surrounding area) tick. Through the years, my Girl Scout troops have participated in tours and other activities at a variety of places, including the Arlington Police Station, Grand Prairie Police and Fire Department, the Arlington Humane Society, The Emergency Center of Arlington, MedExpress in Arlington, Natural Grocers in Fort Worth, Peter Piper Pizza in Arlington and the list goes on! We've had floats in several Arlington parades, participated in fun adventures at Medieval Times and iFly and learned about how to conserve energy while overnighting at a local hotel (we've also overnighted at Sea World and the Perot Museum!).

Yes, Girl Scouts has provided my girls so many opportunities to get to know businesses in the area. Most recently, one of my troops had the opportunity to check out The Emergency Center in Arlington to learn about the Center's services and how the doctors and nurses there help patients who come through the front doors. The Center was incredibly accommodating. The doctor there performed an ultrasound on one of the girls, showed us how to do an X-ray and an MRI, helped us make first aid kits to keep in backpacks and cars and so much more. The Center did this all free of charge. The staff there wanted to participate in community outreach, helping to engage with community members and show off what they do at the Center. How awesome is that?!

I'm spending some time today researching more local companies that have similar outreach programs, where different groups (school groups, church groups, Scout groups, etc.) are encouraged to come and learn more about the facility's offerings, take a tour and perhaps engage in some sort of extra-curricular activity (such as a needs drive). If you know of any local companies, restaurants, stores, etc., that offer programs like this, please let me know or tag them in this post. I love getting out and about in the area and learning about all the awesome businesses that make Arlington great!