Friday, April 21, 2017

National Volunteer Month: Kindness goes a long way!

Pam Bernardi from Bethel Park has been involved in Girl Scouts since beginning her daughter Violetta's Brownie troop seven years ago. Pam not only leads a troop, but she's also working to help more girls connect with the benefits of Girl Scouting.

"I am very passionate about sharing the Girl Scout experience, which is why I became a volunteer recruiter," she said. "I believe every girl should be in Girl Scouts!"

One moment that Pam will never forget is when her girls were working on finishing their Silver Award project. 

The memorable day began when the troop went shopping for vegetables at Giant Eagle for a local food pantry at South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM). The girls had just finished their Silver Award project "Gardening for Good" where they built and maintained a vegetable garden for SHIM over the summer. 

"Giant Eagle matched our donation of more than 100 pounds of food, doubling our donation to SHIM," she said. "Our shopping carts were full of fresh vegetables for local families, and my heart was full of pride."
Pam hopes that her Girl Scouts will remember how unique each of them are in their own way. "The girls have learned so many things along the way," she said. "As a mother of two sons with autism, I would hope that they remember that we are all different, and those differences are what makes each one of us so special."

Alida Skogsholm has been with the Girl Scout movement for five years. She is very involved with her troop of Girl Scouts. Alida said her favorite thing is "watching the girls grow and have fun together."


Alida counts a recent moment during a candle light ceremony for Camp Redwing among her most cherished Girl Scout memories. "The candle light ceremony held on Saturday night at Camp Redwing with the girls from our troop during the service unit encampement," she said. It was so beautiful." 

She wants her Girl Scouts to remember that "being kind has so many rewards."