ARLINGTON — Arlington-area Girl Scouts danced and donated for a good cause at the Arlington Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, May 30.
Nearly 30 Girl Scouts and their dance partners took to the floor for the second annual Service Unit 215 “He and Me” sock-hop, hosted by the Cadette Scouts of Troop 42168.
The 1950s-themed event drew Girl Scouts from Arlington, Marysville and Lake Stevens, as they dressed up in poodle skirts and ponytails to dance with older brothers, uncles and dads.
The Cadette Scouts offered lessons on how to dance the Stroll, the Hand Jive and the Bunny Hop, in addition to providing a photo booth with a frame craft, a ‘50s-era board game station, a hula-hoop contest, a marbles station and refreshments.
Cadette mom Kim Stevenson credited the Girl Scouts with bringing in 20 cans of fruit for the Arlington Community Food Bank, a number she’d like to see increase for the third annual “He and Me” dance that’s already being planned.
“We’re contemplating a luau theme for that one,” Stevenson said. “I think if we’d picked a Friday night for this year’s dance, we might have gotten a bit more participation, but everything went very smoothly.”
In addition to pitching in for a local charitable cause, the dance was designed to serve as a bonding opportunity for the girls and their guys, as well as a money-earning opportunity for the Cadettes, who were afforded the opportunity to learn about budgeting as they plan for a summer trip to Port Townsend.
“Planning the dance was kinda a big challenge, but it helped me learn about responsibility,” Cadette Hallie Simbeck said.
Although Stevenson agreed that organizing such an event required the Girl Scouts to shoulder some significant responsibilities, she saw satisfaction on their faces by the time the dance was done.
“It felt pretty awesome, seeing the dance all set up and ready for our guests, after weeks and weeks of meetings, discussions, planning, phone-calling and hard work,” said Grace Simbeck, an Ambassador Girl Scout. “It turned out better than I expected.”
