November Volunteer of the Month: Mackenzie Field
Mackenzie Field of Hampton named Volunteer of the Month by Girl Scout council
November 03, 2023
HAMPTON, NH – Mentoring girls as they grow and blossom in her Girl Scout troop has not just been fulfilling for Mackenzie Field, it set her on a course to have an even greater role in helping children by becoming an elementary school teacher. Field has done an outstanding job in her role as leader of two Girl Scout troops over the past decade, and is now being recognized as the Volunteer of the Month for November by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving Girl Scouts across New Hampshire and Vermont.
Field, 45, of Hampton, leads Girl Scout Junior Troop 60204 and Cadette Troop 22489. The older girls sometimes step up to help the younger troop, and all have enjoyed earning badges, doing community service, and just having fun together. For Field, it’s important that they understand what Girl Scouting is all about.
“Girl Scouts is about creating those bonds, making sure that they understand friendships,” she said.” “It does not necessarily mean that they have to be best friends with everyone in the troop, but they're a sisterhood, and that they need to encourage each other and be there for each other, even if they're not friends.”
She makes sure their experiences are girl-led, and recalled teaching them about government and civic duty with votes on ballots that mimic official New Hampshire ballots, letting them vote on which badges they would work on for the year. They talked about the election happening at the time, that women are in government, and that a substantial number of those women were once Girl Scouts like themselves.
This past year Troop 60204 not only voted on which badges to work on, but the young girls taught the badge lesson themselves! Field believes that allowing the girls to not only vote but also take ownership of the badge work allows the girls to grow as individuals.
Field also puts in the effort to make sure her meetings with guest speakers and outings are fun and engaging. This year the younger troop celebrated the end of their budget badge work by going to a fancy restaurant and having to stay on budget while ordering a four-course meal for their special guest and themselves. Prior to the pandemic, she was able to take her troop to a Microsoft event for a digital badge and to Panera Bread to learn about commercial kitchens.
“They got to make their own bread, got their own aprons, their hats,” she said. “It was such a great experience.”
Field’s troops also participate in local Christmas and Memorial Day parades.
“That's very meaningful to me, as wife of a Navy man that has that just retired after 28 years,” she said. “It's just understanding that we need to think about others.”
She hopes that all their experiences will lead to life choices that will benefit them, such as an eventual career in government, science, law enforcement, art or other important community career choices helping people.
“I think that (those are) all things that Girl Scouts brings to the girls,” she said. “It’s thinking beyond themselves, understanding that they are a unified sisterhood and knowing that they will always have that sisterhood behind them, even after they leave Girl Scouts.”
Field was a Girl Scout herself as a child, and enjoyed camping out and other activities. As a leader, she says, it really is all about the kids.
“It’s not just about the badge work, or this craft, or anything like that,” she said. “It goes beyond that. It goes deeper into how can we be better citizens? How can we be better people? How can we be better and help others? And I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”
She loves to see her Girl Scouts learning to be accepting of everyone, noting that they don’t have to be friends outside of Girl Scouts, but they do learn to build bonds. That extends to adults, too. While being a leader does mean some work, she says it’s also fun – and meaningful.
“It's realizing that it's that deeper connection between the girls and yourself and seeing them grow, not just as a child, but seeing them grow, personality wise, seeing them grow into who they will become,” she said. While some of the girls from the troops have moved on from Girl Scouts, Field is still proud of the girls and loves seeing them achieve personal greatness whether it is in their ballet productions, swim meets, or other great personal achievements outside of Girl Scouts.
Field and her husband have three girls, all involved in Girl Scouts. She is reinventing herself, having spent the first part of her life working toward having a career in IT, then running her own house-cleaning business, and eventually becoming a substitute teacher. Currently Field is employed at Rye Elementary School as she works towards a master’s degree to become a full-time teacher, while still ensuring that her Girl Scouts have a successful experience to become young women of courage, confidence, and character.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is proud to call Mackenzie Field our Volunteer of the Month.
To learn more about volunteering for Girl Scouts, see www.girlscoutsgwm.org
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Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.
Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.
