Madison was born by C-section due to breech position. Her weight at birth was 7lbs.12.6oz. She had multiple problems at birth, Hip dislocated, bruised from the waist down, head was crushed, could not see her left eye.

Madison was in a harness for the first 4 months of her life. Unable to roll over, sit up or crawl during those 4 months.

She underwent corrective eye surgery and now wears glasses.

Madison started at Forrester Davis Dev. Center November 15, 2005 at 27 months of age. She could not feed herself, would not interact at all with others, was unable to say 10 words and wore diapers. She pulled her hair out when she got upset and would only eat certain food that was brought from home. She began to receive day habilitation training, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

Madison is now 3 years and 4 months and has made tremendous progress. She is now feeding herself, plays with others and talks in sentences. She no longer pulls her hair out when upset and will eat what the center provides. She can spontaneously relate events and express her likes and dislikes. Madison runs with out falling and is in process of potty training.             

At this time Madison continues to receive day habilitation training, and all therapies.

A Lifetime Of Memories...

I have very fond memories of Girl Scouts - from 2nd grade through 12th - in fact, too many to count.  I was very shy and insecure as a child.  Girl Scouting has made a huge difference in my life - as a child and now as an adult. 

My mother, Betty Yates, was the leader of my troop. Over the years, we had a few different assistants who helped Mom.  My favorite two were Marie Campbell and Pat Ebling.  These three women gave so much of themselves and always without complaining.  They encouraged and made us think and stretch our minds beyond what we thought we could do.  Each year our troop chose different places to go to - from as close as Lake Dardanelle, to Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma to Washington DC my sophomore year, and many other places in between.  And each year, we had to figure out how we were going to get there - what we needed, how much it would cost, was it reasonable or did we need to reconsider - not once did we reconsider - together, we all made it happen!  Then the summer between my Junior and Senior years, Girl Scouts sponsored me on a Wider Opportunities trip called the Arkansas-Bavaria Cultural Exchange.  Thirty-two students from Arkansas who were involved in different organizations - Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs - went to Bavaria.  We each lived for 4 weeks with a family in that country.  We learned about their culture and made friends that we'll never forget.  Then one person from that family returned to Arkansas and lived with our families to learn about our culture here for about 4 weeks.  It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  Girl Scouting gave me an opportunity that I otherwise would never have had.  Some of my other favorite experiences included working with others in my troop to teach outdoor camping skills to younger troops.  Another was helping Mary Ann Ketcheside, another leader and favorite of mine, teach horse basic skills to younger girls.  Girl Scouts gave me a sense of security and belonging. 

Over the years I grew from being a shy, self-conscious child to a self-confident young lady who graduated in the top 3% of my class.  Girl Scouting gave me the skills I needed to succeed.  It provided me with experiences that helped me gain confidence and be who I am today.  And now, I work full time, have 5 children, have a Junior troop (this is our 5th year together), am the Service Unit Manager for Trefoil (Pope County) and hold other positions in Girl Scouts that I never would have thought I would hold.  I've never been good at public speaking, but if you ask the leaders who I help today - you'd never be able to guess!  And most of this is thanks to the Girl Scout program.   

Now, I have girls who look up to me for guidance.  The ones who are shy, the ones who are insecure, the ones who want to try new things, some who are confident but need the guidance to help them make decisions and set goals.  One of the most rewarding experiences I've had so far as a leader involves one of the girls in my troop.  This particular girl joined my troop the second year I was leader.  She was so shy that she wouldn't even speak at a meeting much less look at anyone.  She would hide her face and retreat into herself.  As the years have gone by, she is becoming more confident and not only does she speak, she's becoming a leader.  She's becoming a confident individual who isn't afraid to say what she thinks.  She helps make troop decisions with the rest of the group.  And when she reads this, she'll know who she is and how proud I am of her.  The funny thing is, I learn from my girls all the time - I think I learn as much from them as they do from me. 

Girl Scouting has taught me so much about what matters in life.  And one thing that matters so much to me is helping others the way Girl Scouting has helped and continues to help me be the person that I am.