Service Unit: SU2630-Glacier’s End
County: Butler
Total Girl Scout Years: 35
Volunteer Years: 30
Current and Former Volunteer Positions: Gold & Silver Award Committee, travel troop leader, Adult Award Committee, National Council Delegate, traditional troop leader, service unit manager, cookie manager, Magnut manager, Council Delegate
Age-Level Experience: Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, Younger Multi-Level, Older Multi-Level, All-Ages Multi-Level, Indie Girl Scouting
Girl Scout Pillars: STEM, Life Skills, Entrepreneurship
Specialties: travel, Girl Scout finances, additional money earning/fundraising, Bronze Awards, Silver Awards, Gold Awards, community service/Take Action Projects, event planning
Adult Awards: Volunteer of Excellence, Appreciation Pin, Honor Pin, Thanks Badge I, Thanks Badge II, GSWPA Volunteer of the Year
Certifications: First Aid/CPR/AED
What do you want volunteers to know about you?
I was involved in Girl Scouts as a girl for five years. I loved all the friends I made and the experiences I had. As an adult, I got involved when my daughter’s Brownie troop needed a leader. I led her troop all the way through until they earned their Gold Awards and graduated high school. The memories we made together and the skills they learned will last a lifetime. Watching the girls grow and become successful adults who care and contribute to their communities was truly amazing. After my troop graduated, I chose to stay in Girl Scouts and work with the older girls on their awards. I also became a co-leader of a travel troop and have taken girls to Europe, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands.
What does Girl Scouting mean to you?
Girl Scouts gives me the opportunity to help girls grow and develop into women with courage, confidence, and character. Helping a girl earn her Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award is amazing. Watching them grow and see that they can do it as they work to achieve their award is so rewarding. When I take girls on trips, I watch them develop confidence as they interact with people in different countries and cultures. They learn to take the lead, develop a plan, and follow through. Girl Scouts gives girls the opportunity to explore and try new things.
What is your Girl Scout leadership philosophy?
My Girl Scout leadership philosophy is the sky is the limit (and beyond). If you dream it, you can make it happen when we lead and live by the Girl Scout Law and Promise. Letting the girls take the lead and explore the world they live in develops amazing young women who will become amazing leaders.
What advice do you have for new troop leaders?
I have a wonderful Girl Scout family that is always there to help and support each other. Remember that amazing family is there to support and help you also, just reach out. Girl Scouts love to share their knowledge with other Girl Scouts. No question is too little. And don’t give up when it seems like it is just too much—reach out and ask for help. The support you give the girls you lead will stay with them for a lifetime, and years down the road when they tell you what they remember and what they learned at Girl Scouts, you will know it was all worth the work you put in.
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