Local girls from Dougherty, Lee County, Decatur and Thomas counties attended the Girls State Orientation meeting held on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at the American Legion Post #30 on Gillionville Road.  These nine young ladies were selected to attend Georgia Girls State to be held at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., June 10th – 15th.

Selected to attend are: Decatur County’s Mattilyn Winburn; Thomas County’s Leila Hurst; and Lee County’s Rebecca Hughes, Yvonne Ramos, Bernadette Takash, Jada Harvey, Emily Irvin, Chantel Mackey and Kali Taylor.  These ladies will represent American Legion Posts in Albany, Bainbridge and Thomasville.

Girls State is a national program of the American Legion Auxiliary and is a course of instruction in, as well as a practical application of, the fundamental principles and procedures of city, county and state government. A five day event is conducted by each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the top-ranking, up-coming Senior high school girls as citizens.  Under the guidance of counselors and other staff members, the girls learn and then practice through self-government, the duties, responsibilities and privileges of American citizenship.

Georgia Girls State is sponsored, as it has been since 1940, by the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Georgia with local Auxiliary units and interested civic, fraternal and patriotic organizations cooperating.

“We are very proud of the girls selected and we look for them to do well at Georgia Girls State this year” said Marilyn Fowler, Girls State Chairperson.

The girls are encouraged to write a bill for debate in the Girls State House and Senate.  Georgia Girls State General Elections will be held in which the Girls State Governor and other State officials will be elected.

Two outstanding citizens of the Georgia Girls State session will be selected by delegates and staff to attend Girls Nation as Georgia Senators.  The Senators learn how government and democracy work on a national level.  The Senators tour the Washington, DC area, including trips to The White House and Capitol Hill.  Girls Nation will be held at the National 4-H Center, Chevy Chase, MD, in July.