Girl Scouts flocked around Centralia on Monday night, unleashing a flamboyance — the term for a group of flamingos — upon the city.
In the waning daylight, the six girls in Centralia’s Girl Scout Troop 41050 placed approximately 72 flamingos throughout Centralia.
“We’re flamingo ninjas,” said Susannah Berry, 16, a member of the troop.
The purpose of the flamingo placement, called “Flock your Friends,” is to raise money for future trips by the troop. Area residents can pay the troop to place the plastic flamingos on the lawn of someone they know. The person who gets flocked can pay the troop to have them removed (or the troop will remove them for free the following night).
While events such as summer camp are covered by the cost of selling Girl Scout cookies, the troop’s other adventures require separate fundraising.
One such adventure was a recent four-night trip to Idaho where all six troop members had a chance to try a variety of activities.
“We all did something new,” said Megan Berry, the adult leader for Troop 41050. “Each girl did at least one new thing.”
The troop’s Idaho adventure provided the girls experiences ranging from aquatics to equestrianism.
“We went on a 15-mile bike ride, horseback riding and we swam,” said Peyton Hille, 16.
Though the trip was primarily an outdoor affair, some of the girls made clear the troop didn’t spend all of their time outside.
“There were lots of trips to Walmart,” said Kimberlie Brunner, 16.
For the girls of Troop 41050, opportunities such as the trip to Idaho present them with chances to do the types of outdoor activities they enjoy doing.
“That’s the great thing about Girl Scouts. It’s flexible. We evolved as they evolved. I think that's why so many of them are still in it,” Berry said. “It’s supposed to be girl-led. I think that’s why they stick with it, because it’s engaging and it fits with their schedule. It is what you make it really.”
What’s next for Girl Scout Troop 41050? After their trip to Idaho, the girls are using this month’s Flock Your Friends fundraiser to go on a new trip in two years. Asked by The Chronicle where that trip would potentially be, the girls had a variety of ideas but no settled plan.
“Anywhere and everywhere,” one of the girls said, before other girls began listing places like Hawaii and the East Coast.
The Flock Your Friends Fundraiser will be going on throughout the month of August. To request a flamboyance in the lawn of someone you know, go to Flock Your Friends-Centralia on Facebook, email girlscouts41050@gmail.com or call 360-807-5091.
The cost depends on the size of the requested flamboyance. A flamboyance of 24 flamingos costs $25, 36 flamingos cost $40 and 48 flamingos cost $50.
