NATCHEZ — Shelia Evans started out as another mother who put her daughter into the Girls Scouts organization, but 15 years later, Evans is the one who is still heavily involved.

Evans’ daughter, Shanteria Williams, started Girls Scouts at age 9, and just two years later, Evans was as involved as Williams.

“When she was 9 years old, I became an assistant in the Girls Scouts, and then I became a troop leader on my own when she was 11 years old. She’s 25 now,” Evans said.

Evans decided to stay a troop leader even after Williams moved on because of how much the experience helped her daughter.

“Kids out there need that experience, and I feel like I can help them,” Evans said. “They can always say I learned this and I experienced that. Colleges will look at that resume, and Girls Scouts will be the first thing they see.”

Evans’ group, Troop No. 5357, consists of girls ages 9 through 11, and they have already learned several things from setting a table, how to cook, camping safety and even how to play tennis.

But one of the most important things Evans said they will learn is manners.

“By the time you leave, you should learn how to be respectful and honest and learn to treat people the way you want to be treated,” she said.

The girls have learned a lot about treating people nicely, as they made trips to the Stewpot and the Adams County Humane Society shelter to drop off food and supplies for the Thanksgiving holidays. Evans said there is a lot more planned when Christmas rolls around.

“We’re going to let each girl pick three people and send them a gift for Christmas,” she said. “It could be relatives or friends or even a stranger. We’re also going to go to the nursing home and sing Christmas carols.”

Evans’ goal for next year is to get Troop No. 5357 back into the tradition of visiting Camp Wahi in Brandon.  Evans said the trip will be beneficial to the girls to learn how to survive in the outdoors while being able to participate in fun activities as well.

“We used to camp out on the weekends, and I wish we could get back to that, but every year the weather has always been bad,” Evans said. “We teach them how to cook outside and do things like get a tuna fish can, fill it with wax, burn it in place and use it to cook with.”

It’s the little things that keep her leading the troop each year, and Evans said she doesn’t see herself retiring soon because of the fulfillment she gets with working with young girls.

“Once you see that smile, you know that you have touched a child,” she said.