BOUND TO MAKE MEMORIES

August 8, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Contest results in prize-winning effort

By SEAN BARRON

BOARDMAN

The judging result of a colorful scrapbook filled with snapshots and memories will likely produce a special memory that the children and teenage girls who put it together won’t soon forget.

“I’m excited we won. We spent so much time on it,” said 15-year-old Christine Kerrigan of Youngstown, referring to the first-place finish the project received in a recent national scrapbook contest.

Christine was one of about 18 members of the Junior Division of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Chapter 6 who accepted the honor for assembling the 124-page book, which is a pictorial and narrative record of the junior division’s accomplishments during the last two years.

The book is broken into sections that explain the group’s religious and social activities, missions service and community work. A portion also is designed to promote Irish history and culture.

Christine and several members of the group spoke recently at the AOH Hall, 5110 Southern Blvd., about the contest and their contributions to the scrapbook.

Eighteen-year-old Lauren Kepley, a 2010 Canfield High School graduate and nine-year member, put together her own graduation page. At one point, many of the girls worked on the book for eight straight hours, she recalled.

“We worked on it for the past year or so,” she added.

Kepley’s 16-year-old sister, Rachel, added her design touches to many of the pages, including one showing a family tree.

Also handling a high-school graduation page was Breanne Donoghue, 18, of Boardman, an eight-year member.

Several pages depicting a St. Patrick’s Day parade were handled by sisters Ashley and Brianna Thompson of Struthers, 9 and 12, respectively.

Of course any scrapbook needs someone to perform the leg work, and that meant, in part, pasting pictures onto the pages and coming up with ideas regarding how certain pages should look. Taking care of those tasks to a large extent were Mary Kate Kelty, 8, of Poland, and 12-year-old Lexi Jacobs of Youngstown.

Despite the diversity of their duties and contributions, uniting the girls was the feeling of excitement and accomplishment that came from their first-place finish, as well as their ability to work as a team throughout the process.

The local chapter, which has girls 8 to 18, competed against 363 juniors in seven states and took home a $200 prize, which will be used to buy new membership medals for the Division 6 girls, noted Connie Thompson, assistant junior coordinator. Some of the money also will be donated to a local Relay for Life event, she added.

The scrapbook is dedicated to the late Bessie Spangel, a former LAOH president who helped start Division 6 in 2001. Spangel died in 2008, Thompson said.

The girls have raised more than $8,300 for area Relay for Life events, she continued.

Chapter 6 members’ service includes singing and dancing at local nursing homes, sending holiday care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and promoting Irish heritage.

Recently they helped bring to the area the Omagh Choir, a peacemaking group of young Irish Catholic and Protestant men and women who perform all over the world, Thompson explained.

“I’m so proud of [the girls],” added Sally Pallante, who has served nine years as Chapter 6’s coordinator.

To become a junior division member, call Pallante at 330-533-7542 or e-mail her at nana10eire@aol.com.