GIRL SCOUT PROJECT CATCHES JUDGES' EYE

Six months ago, members of the Girl Scouts of the Otahki Council each mailed out two home-made post cards as a project for the 10th annual Make a Difference Day program.

With more than 2,900 Girl Scouts from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, ages 5 to 17, and some 1,000 adult volunteers, the council sent 7,800 post cards, said Laura Hinkebein, communications and development director for council.

The local project is one of more than 500 which were acclaimed as outstanding by the Make a Difference Day program sponsored by USA Weekend magazine and its subscribing newspapers, including the Southeast Missourian.

The newspaper and the Girl Scouts of Otahki Council are listed in the magazine today as local winners in the Newspaper Awards category.

Scout Katelyn Holcomb of Cape Girardeau sent one of her cards to a special aunt, Kim Kubic of Des Moines, Iowa, for always offering "support and love." She also sent a card to her grandmother, Judy Holcomb of Cape Girardeau, for her patience in helping with piano lessons.

Troop 98 of Anna, Ill., made cards for residents of that city's veterans home, thanking them for their sacrifices for the nation.

Scout Natalie Ligon sent a card to a former 4-H exchange student from Japan who had lived in Southern Illinois. The card resulted in an answer from the Japanese girl, and she and Ligon exchanged Christmas gifts last year, said Brenda Phillips. Phillips and Martha Clover are Scout leaders for the Junior Scout Troop of fifth graders.

Nationally, the 10th annual Make a Difference Day was a big success. More than 2.2 million people reported their participation in thousands of service projects.

Plans are already being made for the 11th annual program this year, to be held Oct. 27.

Outstanding projects are listed in USA Weekend in four categories: five National Awards, 104 State awards, two in each state plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, five Encore Awards and 529 Local Newspaper Awards.

Other Newspaper Award projects in Southeast Missouri recognized by USA Weekend were:

* Daily Dunklin Democrat, Kennett. Sixty Campbell, Mo., employees collected and recycled aluminum cans, raising $800 toward a new dishwasher for the Campbell Nutrition Center.

* Daily American Republic, Poplar Bluff. The Malden Senior Citizens Nutrition Center rounded up 15 volunteers to do yard work for elderly or disabled neighbors.

* Standard-Democrat, Sikeston. The Sikeston Area Chamber of got more than 300 people to help haul away 1,340 cubic yards of trash, concrete, dirt and plant waste. They also did yard work and helped repair a dozen houses to bring them up to city code.

Other groups that submitted entries:

* The Council of Catholic Women and Christian Service Organization of St. Vincent's DePaul Parish, Cape Girardeau teamed up to make quilts for the homeless. 72 were distributed throughout the area.

* The Perry County Teacher Association sponsored Buck for Books. The effort raised $1,250. The PCTA decided to award a $500 textbook scholarship to a graduating senior and donated $750 to the regional library.

* Jackson School District's North Elementary School second-graders made books for kindergarten classes.