Admiration for Abby
“She’s really
excited about this,” Franchon Rasco tells me the day I call to talk to her
daughter, Abigail. Listening to her mother talk about Abigail’s involvement in
Girl Scouts, it quickly becomes clear that she doesn’t just love her daughter—she
admires her.
Abigail has
cerebral palsy, which affects movement, muscle tone, and posture, and on the
surface, this seems like something that would make her experiences as a Girl
Scout different from that of her Girl Scout sisters—but in fact, it’s quite the
opposite. Like any Girl Scout, Abigail loves to help others. She tells me about
how she enjoys giving manicures to residents at the nursing homes that she and
her troop visit. Doing activities with the patients at Dell Children’s Medical
Center is among her favorite Girl Scout pastimes. And then there’s camping, of
course. I can almost hear her smiling over the phone as she describes kicking
back with her troop at Camp Champions.
Love for Girl Scouts
The fun that Abigail
has been having since joining Girl Scouts as a Brownie didn’t seem likely at
one time. Franchon wanted Abigail to be involved in something outside of
school, but says she was too young to participate in Special Olympics, and
other youth organizations weren’t able to accommodate Abigail’s needs. She
figured they would give Girl Scouts of Central Texas a shot. “It’s been like
one, big extended family,” said Franchon.
“All the moms always ask about Abby and the girls always include her and
make her feel like she’s welcomed. The girls are always a big help.”
Excited for the new year
When I ask what
Abigail is looking forward to most this year, she doesn’t hesitate. “Community
service,” she says. “I like Girl Scouts because you get to help other people
and make them feel like you care. It makes you feel good inside once you get to
help others.” When we talked she’d already begun brainstorming some community
service ideas and couldn’t wait to share them with her troop. The troop is also
thinking about taking a trip; both Abigail and Franchon are excited about
planning and fundraising. Fighting back tears, Franchon tells me toward the end
of our conversation why she is also looking forward to another of Abby’s Girl
Scouting Experience. For Franchon, it all comes down to one simple, yet
powerful fact: Abby loves the girls, and the girls love Abby.
Toward the end
of my interview with Abigail, I check to see if there’s anything else she’d
like to share about herself or if she has a message to share with other girls.
She thinks for a moment and says, “I’d just tell them no matter what condition
you’re in, you can still have fun. It doesn’t matter who you are. You deserve
to have fun and live a normal life.” I tell her goodbye, hang up the phone … and
the light bulb goes on. I understand why the moms always ask about her, why the
girls want her around, why her name sounds like pure happiness and joy whenever
Franchon says it. She’s a remarkable girl worthy of admiration.
