Wear green and check your spine

LOUDON, NH – June was Scoliosis Awareness Month and Dalia Corbett would like you to know that as she works toward the highest honor a Girl Scout in grades 6-8 can attain, the Girl Scout Silver Award. Green is the awareness color for scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine.

Dalia, 13, is a Cadette in Loudon Troop 60180. She has a personal reason for wanting the public to understand the condition.

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“She was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and wears a body brace an average of 20 hours per day,” said her mother, Sheena Corbett, who is also a leader of that troop. “She’s been trying very hard to spread the information.”

To do that, she created a social media graphic that ran on Scoliosis Awareness Day, June 26; created and distributed flyers to schools and libraries; set up a testing day at her school; and more.

“She partnered with the health teacher and nurse,” said Sheena Corbett,” sent home permission slips and the nurse tested those students. She presented to her health class on what scoliosis is and how to test. She distributed the flyer and a goodie bag with the flyer she made, a bendy pencil, and a sticker she designed with her spine curves as the spine of the butterfly, to the 350 kids at her school.”

Girls are more likely than boys to get scoliosis, and Dalia’s type tends to happen during growth spurts, she said.

Those who attend Old Home Day in Loudon this August will likely find Dalia there educating people on scoliosis and how to test for it at home.

“Even if one girl finds it early, it’s worth all the hard work,” said Dalia. “I want people to understand how important it is to take care of it, because if they don't, they could get lung and heart issues and have to get surgery. So it would be better if they took care of it now.”

Dalia Corbett expects to finish her work and earn the Girl Scout Silver Award soon. She has been a member of Girl Scouts since kindergarten and will be a Girl Scout Senior this fall.

Girl Scouts like Dalia work hard to make the world a better place. To find out more about Girl Scouts, see www.girlscoutsgwm.org.

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We are Girl Scouts of the USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building girls of courage, confidence, and character.

Girl Scouts discover who they are, tap into the power inside them, and build the confidence to let it shine. Through programs from coast to coast and overseas, girls of all backgrounds and abilities come as they are to explore their passions, meet new challenges, and develop hands-on skills. They find their strengths in science labs and on hiking trails, at cookie booths and in front of city councils. Backed by millions of alums and a network of dedicated adult volunteers and mentors, Girl Scouts drive change to make the world a better place. Along the way, they uncover the tools they need to lead with joy, on their own terms. Join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate.

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.