This week, the ALA Girls Nation senators will
get to know their Government Staff pretty well. They will see us every day in
party meetings, in Senate sessions, and waiting in line for ice cream. For this
blog, I wanted to introduce us through the lens of our Auxiliary membership and
why we sacrifice 10 days of our summer to serve on ALA Girls Nation staff.
Our Government Director Andy Dobson is excited to
be back at ALA Girls Nation. She is honored to be a part of the staff and to be
a member of ALA Medical Lake Unit #196 in Washington. Her father, Carl, served
in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and her ALA membership is through him. She
really believes in what the ALA stands for and its support of veterans. One of
her favorite activities is the ALA Evergreen Girls State program where she
serves as director. Also close to her heart is the ALA Girls Nation program
because it allows young women to see all the possibility within them. She hopes
to lead the Federalist Party to victory this year!
Patty Griffith, the Nationalist party leader, is
a proud member of ALA Unit #97 in the great state of Washington. She is
eligible for her Auxiliary membership through her father, Jimmy, who served in
the U.S. Navy. Patty joined the Auxiliary because she appreciates all the
dedication the ALA has to veterans and their families. She enjoys working with
the ALA Evergreen Girls State and is looking forward to a great ALA Girls
Nation 2017. (Go NATS!)
The assistant Federalist Party Leader Lauren
Hillebrand can remember going to ALA meetings with her grandmother many years
ago. Her grandmother instilled in her the desire to help others and to
volunteer whenever possible and that dedication led Lauren to join the ALA
almost twenty years ago. Her membership is through her stepfather who served in
the U.S. Air Force. Lauren now volunteers with a unit in Grand Forks, ND, and
serves on the Flickertail ALA Girls State staff. This will be her first ALA
Girls Nation rodeo and she is thankful for the opportunity to be here. She
hopes to graduate from her “probie” status this year on the Government Staff.
If it wasn’t for the ALA Girls State and ALA Girls
Nation programs, I would likely not have joined the Auxiliary. My membership
comes through my daddy, Kirk, who served in the U.S. Army during the
Vietnam-era. I joined the Auxiliary because I believe in our larger mission,
but also because it was a way to give back to the organization that presents
ALA Hoosier Girls State and ALAGirls Nation – programs dear to my heart. I am a
member of ALA e-Unit 438 (Department of Indiana) and serve on ALA Hoosier Girls
State staff. I know this week is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to meet
this year’s senators. As Senate parliamentarian, I hope that Senate goes well
this week and that I don’t have to gavel too many girls out of order.
Together,
the government staff is dedicating this week of our lives to providing what we
feel is one of the most enriching programs imaginable for high school students.
The long days and short nights are nothing compared to what so many of our
veterans have experienced. We hope we honor our family members who have served
in the military and that they are as proud of us as we are of them.
Raising our gavels to a great week of ALA Girls Nation!
Katie Hendricks
Indiana / Missouri
Government Staff
From left: Lauren Hillebrand, Katie Hendricks, Patty Griffith, Andy Dobson
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