Oconee girls finish empowerment camp

Sixteen Oconee girls have successfully completed a girls’ empowerment camp, sponsored this week by the county sheriff’s office.  These carefully chosen campers enjoyed four days of activities that were fun, educational, and character-building.  And this afternoon there was a graduation ceremony at which all of the girls received mementoes and, perhaps, more important compliments from their counselors, a group of adult female sheriff’s officers.  Helen Westmoreland, the sheriff’s office community outreach coordinator, gave 101.7/WGOG NEWS an inkling of what could be expected when she told us:  “I just want everyone to know that this is a great program.  This is our 4th year for the girls’ camp.  The boys’ camp has been going on about 9 years.  This is a camp done strictly by donations.  We do not have this built into the county budget.” Sheriff’s Sgt. Jordei Jameson ran down this week’s activities that had the girls enjoying water and other outdoor activities, interspersed by some valuable pointers on how the girls may protect themselves from some of life’s bad avenues that can impact a girl between 11 and 15 years old.  Jameson and a number of her fellow female officers served as camp coordinators, but it’s easy to see them as role models.  And that’s something we spoke to Sgt. Nina McKee about