Today's Girl Youth Organization will perform a community service activity benefitting Lampasas Mission by collecting non-perishable food items at the Lampasas Today's Girl competition on Nov. 22 at Grace Fellowship Church.

All Today's Girl Youth participants are required to complete eight hours of community service each work year, and Today's Girl is a certifying organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award.

Girls who complete at least 50 hours of community service activity are awarded a bronze award, and a silver and gold award also are offered at various hour levels.

Over 7,000 volunteer hours were logged by Today's Girls during the 2006-07 competition year.

Girls who participate in the local preliminary will be eligible to attend the Texas State Today's Girl Finals set June 11-15 at the Southfork Hotel in Plano. The national finals will be in late July.

Girls up to 18 years old are invited to compete in six age divisions: Today's Baby, up to 3 years old; Today's Doll, 4-6; Today's Junior, 10-12; Today's Teen, 13-15; and Today's Girl, 16-18. Girls compete in party dress/evening gown, casual wear, interview, beauty and talent. Younger age divisions through age 6 are not required to present a talent.

Participants can enter the beauty competition only if they have not yet developed a performance talent.

Today's Girl is a youth organization that provides guidance for the development of tomorrow's leaders. Its goal is to offer a positive environment which allows girls to develop poise, self-confidence and character, said an organization spokesman.

The scholarship-based program allows girls to develop talent, academic achievement and awareness of the need to improve their social environment through community service, the spokesman continued. Over $5,000 in educational scholarships were awarded last year.

For information or an entry form into the Lampasas competition, phone Kay Lynn Scott at (325) 372-8600 or email performancetalent@yahoo. com. More information and a schedule of events is available at www.todaysgirlonline.com.