Cooking out, tie-dying shirts, camping, and enjoying the outdoors—it’s easy to see why exploring Camp Redwing with her girls is one of Kim Hockman’s favorite Girl Scout memories. “Being with the girls and learning new things with them,” she says, “is the best part about volunteering.”
Kim became a volunteer with Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania for her daughter and because a troop was needed in her area. Plus, she loved being a Girl Scout herself when she was younger. She has volunteered for four years now as a troop leader and finance manager for her service unit, along with roles such as troop cookie manager, troop MagNut manager, troop treasurer, council delegate, and day camp volunteer. Kim is a stay-at-home mom and a parent coach for her daughter who does homeschooling.
Kim says her biggest challenge as a volunteer has been getting girls to attend meetings. Knowing that the girl-led process is critically important to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, she tried something new. “We started to change up what we were doing and getting the girls more involved by asking them what they wanted to do,” she says.
She hopes if the girls have learned anything from her as a volunteer, it’s to be respectful and have self-confidence in everything that they do.
The one thing she wishes everyone knew about being a Girl Scout volunteer is, “how much fun it is to volunteer! It is not always easy, but the joy on the girls’ faces makes it worth every minute of time spent.”
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