Merrimack Girl Scout leader named Volunteer of Excellence
Melanie Burns helps lead Troop 10011
August 28, 2025
MERRIMACK, NH – Guiding four young women through to adulthood in Girl Scout Troop 10011 has been important to Melanie Burns since she joined the troop as a leader in 2017. Now, as these Girl Scouts finish their final year, Burns has been recognized as a Volunteer of Excellence by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving all of New Hampshire and Vermont.
On July 27, Burns was presented with the award at her home. During the pandemic, three of the four Girl Scouts in her troop earned their Silver Award, the highest honor available to Girl Scouts in Grades 6-8, for making masks to distribute to shelters or schools that were in need. Burns and several members of the troop also have attended the Global Leadership Conference hosted by the council during the past three years.
“Melanie has encouraged the girls as they have gotten older to use their leadership and talents to organize and run camporee sessions, Earth Day, lock-ins, and other community Girl Scout events,” said Patricia Murphy, a team member from her community’s service unit. “Melanie has also been involved in helping the service unit plan the camporee for the last six years with her creativity and research of activities.”
Another member of the service unit, Doreen Rolls, added her kudos.
“Melanie attends all our town’s monthly leader meetings where she participates but also supports and inspires other leaders of younger troops,” she said. “She has a wonderfully calm, can-do attitude, making her an asset and a pleasure to be around. Girl Scouts is fortunate to have Melanie and her many talents not just for her troop but also for the service unit.
All four members of Troop 10011 are becoming lifetime members of Girl Scouts.
The council’s Volunteer of Excellence Award recognizes volunteers who have performed beyond the expectation of their position and have supported the council’s mission delivery goals.
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.
