Volunteers are the ones who make Girl Scouts work
Volunteers are the ones who make Girl Scouts work
April 01, 2023
BEDFORD, NH – Every great Girl Scout experience happens because of a caring volunteer. Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving Girl Scouts across New Hampshire and Vermont, wants every one of its nearly 3,000 volunteers to know they are appreciated this month, Volunteer Appreciation Month. We recognize that the people who give their time to champion the ambition of their Girl Scouts create a special kind of magic. They are adventure guides, safety supervisors, organizational wizards, loud-and-proud cheerleader who do it all!
We’re not alone! When asked about their troop leaders, 86 percent of Girl Scouts said their leader makes them feel important, and 94 percent of parents/caregivers say their Girl Scout’s leader made their family feel like part of a community.
Karen Cumings of East Kingston leads troop 59300 in Exeter and coordinates cookies for her area. She’s watched her daughter grow and become more confident in Girl Scouts.
“She's willing to try new things, and she's more willing to do it at Girl Scouts than elsewhere, in what I can see,” she said. “So really to see that, I just I just love that.”
“Karen has been awesome for us!” said Lauren McFarland, Product and Marketing Specialist for the council.
Danielle LeRiche-Forkey is now the leader of Troop 61654 in Wolcott, VT, and this year has provided space to be the Girl Scout Cookie cupboard for her community.
Troop 61654 contains eight active Girl Scouts in grades K-12 with more ready to join, and LeRiche-Forkey gives credit to her co-leaders and parent volunteers for all their help.
“Crista and Gina right now are cookie ladies,” she said, “so they’re the ones managing all the booths, all the organization, the dates, the calling…and that’s amazing!”
Marie Daneau of Essex Junction, VT, leads Troop 61845 and made a point of saying it only works with her co-leaders, Jaclyn Pratt, Andrea Francalangia and Sara Messino. All bring their special skills to the effort to mentor their Girl Scouts.
She said she knows “how important it is to have strong female role models and wanting young girls to understand that they can make a difference. And that they have a voice, and not being afraid to use it. I’m all for girl empowerment and things like that.”
Erin Buck of Lebanon, not only leads Troop 10659, she gives her time to many other charitable causes. “The work is, for me, important,” she said. “I do things because I feel like I have the ability to do it. I’m fortunate. There’s a sense of being able to be a part of anyone’s momentum to try a climbing wall for the first time in Girl Scouts. Volunteering allows me to be a participant in my children’s worlds. It allows me to make connections with these families that are part of that social school community.”
With 148 Girl Scouts in 22 troops in the Amherst area, supported by 70 adult volunteers, the Girl Scout tradition runs strong. All those volunteers are appreciated and vital to the mission of Girl Scouts. Among those volunteers is Chiara Yates of Amherst, leader of Troop 60262.
“I enjoy spending time with the girls, and I enjoy watching my daughter,” Yates said. “I just like sharing what I know, just watching them grow up and explore. We’ve been together a few years; you can just see how they’ve evolved. You don’t have to fit into any idea or box or anything. And I think they feel free in the Girl Scout group. I enjoy watching that, that they feel free to be themselves. And there’s no judgment.”
“Our volunteers are incredible,” said Patricia K. Mellor, CEO of the council. “Every single one, whether they lead a troop, coordinate a cookie cupboard, provide transportation, or are simply there to help our Girl Scouts on their path to become young women of courage, confidence and character, is vital to our mission. We thank them all for everything they do.”
Volunteers are always welcome to join! Opportunities abound in many areas, long-term and short. You are invited to help staff summer camp, lead a troop, or offer a special skill. See https://www.girlscoutsgwm.org/en/for-volunteers/why-volunteer.html.
We Are Girl Scouts
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.
