“Dee and Henrietta, my troop leaders when I was a Cadette, predicted that I would be a Girl Scout volunteer someday,” Amy laughed.
They recognized Amy’s love of Girl Scouting and knew she would be back after high school graduation. They were right, but Amy did not return right away.
Amy reconnected with Girl Scouts years later, when she stepped up to lead her own daughter’s troop. That was 14 years ago, and though her daughter has since graduated from high school, Amy is still involved the organization she loves today.
In addition to leading her daughter's troop, Amy has had other roles in Girl Scouts, too, including managing product sales programs and organizing phone-a-thons. Amy currently serves as registrar and a delegate for her Meadville service unit.
In her role as delegate, Amy attends council Kick Offs, Town Hall Meetings and the Annual Meeting—all forums where volunteers are updated on council initiatives and programs.
Amy enjoys keeping up with what’s new in Girl Scouting. “I want to stay informed. I want to know how the movement is doing.”
Lifelong learning
While she is no longer leading a troop, Amy still has a direct effect on girls’ leadership development. Last year, Amy led a Journey Weekend at Camp Elliott, helping two troops of Junior Girl Scouts navigate the Get Moving! Journey, helping them learn about various forms of energy and finding out what it means to be energy efficient. “I loved working with the girls and getting to know more about them,” Amy said.
Amy also enjoyed learning new things, both from the Journey activities and from the girls she led. “The girls were very knowledgeable about what’s going on in their communities,” she said. “I learned a lot from them.”
Those “a-ha” moments keep Amy coming back to Girl Scouts as a volunteer.
“We never stop learning.” Amy noted. “That’s what’s great about Girl Scouting.”
Great for grown-ups, too
While building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place is the mission of Girl Scouts, girls aren’t the only ones who benefit from the experience. Girl Scouting enriches the lives of volunteers as well. Ninety-four percent of volunteers have made new friends, 88 percent believe their life is better because they volunteer with Girl Scouts, and two-thirds believe their volunteer experience has helped them professionally. Ninety-five percent of Girl Scout volunteers are happy knowing they are making girls’ lives better.
Girl Scout volunteers come from all walks of life; they are men, women, young professionals, retirees, college students, and more. To join or volunteer, please visit: www.girlscouts.org/join.
