Fresh on the heels of their winter formal, the D.D. Club of Anniston/Calhoun County (a community service sorority of local high school girls) put their pretty heads together to plan their annual spring recruiting of new pledges.

In April, club member Ellen Hardy (with help from her mom, Erna) hosted a meet-and-greet tea at her Laurel Trace home; later, Jacksonville's Megan Buzan, along with her mother, Debbie, welcomed prospective pledges with a casual "getting to know you better" barbecue. Megan's dad, Tommy, happily assumed the role of Grillmaster…for 85 girls!

On May 15, D.D. Club members assembled at the home of Taylor Dawson (whose mother, Carol, hosted) for a very long night/early morning "pick up" of the new pledges. Going from house to house, club members snagged the giggly girls in a "come as you are" heist, ultimately returning to the Dawson home, totally exhausted — but excited nonetheless. Outgoing club president Alison Norby and vice-president Jordan McCall had perfectly planned the pick-up down to the smallest detail, and the yearly girl-napping went off without a hitch.

After some serious chowing-down, the girls held their traditional candle-lighting ceremony (during which Alison turned over her presidency to Hillary Henderson, and the club's outgoing seniors were presented with framed photographs of all the D.D. Club seniors as a remembrance of their 3 years together.) Alison will attend Auburn University in the fall, but plans on keeping in close contact with her D.D. Club friends.

And to think that Anniston City Councilman David Dawson slept right through the night, with a houseful of teenage girls, laughing and talking nonstop!

Along with Alison Norby and Jordan McCall, outgoing seniors this year included Megan Buzan, Jillian Miles, Minter Newman, Laura Risse, KK Cassidy, Leah Bell, Megan McCrary, Katie Scott, Mary Wackerle, Frances Barber, C.J. Benton, Caroline Collins, Caitlin Fockele, Haley Horne, Rachel Martin and Chelsae Smith.

New D.D. Club pledges are Christine Ankrom, Sally Barber, Grace Fink (pledge class vice-president), Katie Swinford and Nicole Valle, all from the Donoho School; Lauren Bass (pledge class president), Cassady Bedford, Lana Bell (pledge class treasurer), Katie Buzan, Alex Burroughs, Allender Doggett, Amy Estes, Haley Jackson, Catherine Newton and Morgan Oliver, all from Jacksonville High School; Abby Alger, Hanna Bates (pledge class secretary), Shelli Davis, Kacie Oglesby, Jaime Preston, Kayli Ray, Allie Renfroe, Carlie Sargent, Brooklyn Slick, Madison Thomas, Molly Martin (pledge class sergeant-at-arms) and Morgan Martin, all from Oxford High School; plus Kaelyn Crowe and Ciara Burgess, both from Faith Christian School.

New D.D. Club officers for 2009-2010 are club president Hillary Henderson (who was also selected as United Way's Student Volunteer of the Year), vice-president Susan Grace Catrett, secretary Katherine Casey, treasurer Libby Reese, service project coordinator Hannah Henderson, and sergeant-at-arms Lucy Williams, all of Jacksonville High School; historians Savannah Becotte and Ellen Hardy, both of the Donoho School; and chaplain Katie Jones, of Oxford High School. Pledge advisors are Donoho's Caroline Escue, Jacksonville's Yaasameen Al-Hamdani, Sacred Heart's Maggie Kerper and Oxford's Caitlin Schaefer.

Ellen Bass is still hanging in there, thoroughly enjoying her very important role as club advisor.

The D.D. Club girls have already begun their summer service projects, as they are working each Tuesday at the "Terrific Kids Tuesdays" at Quintard Mall. They will also volunteer at the Cerebral Palsy Telethon, Woodstock 5K, Ride for Life, Family Links and Tenth Street School Enrichment Program this summer. They are also in the early stages of planning a D.D. Club reunion (the brainchild of former club member Megan Cobb, whose father, Franz Cobb, has agreed to host) for club members from the last 10 years.

Somehow, in the midst of their packed schedules, the girls hope to fit in a fun trip to watch a Braves game.

Keep up the good work, girls!