POMEROY–Thirty-eight young girls participated in the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) Girl Camp annual fundraiser held at the Methodist Church on July 8.
Thirty-eight girls joined in activities where they learned ways to build confidence through awareness; accountability to themselves by journaling, exercise, and meditation; entertainment and social skills by building a charcuterie; and personal appearance and presentation through the art of make-up.
The event was an annual fundraiser for the DYW of Pomeroy program.
The girls experienced six "operations" which included:
-Operation Beautiful: Nails, hair, and make-up done by Tai Bye, Chelsey Eaton, and all other volunteers.
-Operation Healthy: Kendra Stallcop guided girls in creating their own charcuterie cups, and Jayci Field helped girls in painting their own charcuterie boards to take home.
-Operation Movement: Gena Severson directed girls in yoga, exercises, push-up form, jump roping, Simon Says with exercises, and more.
-Operation Creation: Janessa Klaveano piloted girls in decorating a new journal. Then, they wrote about things they loved about themselves, their families, their friends, and more. They identified strengths, created pictures, and talked about a positive girl community.
-Operation Teamwork: Isabella Field and Taylor Gilbert channeled the girls on a "get to know our friends" scavenger hunt and then played team-building games with them.
-Operation Self-Esteem: Laura Dixon guided girls in creating an "I AM" jar. The girls labeled a mason jar and then filled it with notes about their positive characteristics.
Each of the girls worked through each center with guidance for volunteers and were served lunch with dessert. As a result, each young participant took home a journal, I AM jar, a charcuterie board, and received a GIRL POWER T-shirt. For fun, two door prizes were awarded to Hannah Craigie and Whitney Lagergren.
Volunteers for this fundraiser included Jennifer Maves, Chelsey Eaton, Jayci Field, Kendra Stallcop, Laura Dixon, Shannon Blickenstaff, and Janessa Klaveano. Co-chairs Tai Bye and Gena Severson, along with 2025 Pomeroy DYW Isabella Field and 2025 Pomeroy first alternate Taylor Gilbert, were there to guide the DYW camp participants through the day.
Funds raised go toward program operations and scholarship money for 2026 participants.
-Contributed by DYW Co-chair Tai Bye.