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HAY RIVER - Some women in Hay River want to keep the spirit of Guiding alive in their lives. So, they are forming a Trefoil Guild.

A Trefoil Guild, part of the Girl Guides of Canada, is an organization for women 30 and older. Mostly it is for women who were Girl Guides and perhaps troop leaders previously, and would like to maintain connections to the movement.

That would be women like Evellyn Coleman and Nancy Makepeace, the organizers of the guild in Hay River.

"It's to maintain that Guiding spirit," said Coleman, who said Guiding has been a positive influence in her life.

Makepeace agreed Guiding was a great experience.

Coleman was a Brownie, Girl Guide and Pathfinder while growing up in Hay River and was later the district commissioner for Guides in Hay River and a number of surrounding communities.

Coleman, who like Makepeace is in her 50s, said a Trefoil Guild is not an attempt by former Girl Guides to relive their childhood. Instead, she said it involves maintaining the essence of the movement.

"For me, once a Guide always a Guide," she said.

The Hay River guild would be the only one of its kind in the NWT. It would actually be the revival of a Trefoil Guild which operated for less than a year in Hay River in the early 1990s. Coleman said organizers have come up with the names of 15 people who might be interested in joining.

Guild members meet for fellowship, service and to help keep alive the spirit of Guiding. Anyone interested in joining the guild would have to register with the Girl Guides of Canada and pay dues, along with submitting to a criminal records check.

Makepeace said the group is already talking about its activities, including a hike and bonfire on Jan. 17.

Other activities in the future may include the restoration of the Girl Guide cabin at Sandy Lake, a fundraising magic show, trail cleanups and acting as spokespeople for Guiding.

Coleman said the guild will become a resource that the Girl Guides can call on for help. Members will not look to become Girl Guide leaders, she said. "We've already been there and done that."