La Promesa Service Unit
Troop 4996, 4th grade
Years with GS: 7
Years as a Leader: 2
Why do you invest the time and effort into being a Troop Leader?
I have so many wonderful memories of when I was a Girl Scout and I wanted to give my daughter and her friends the opportunity to create memories of their own! I love watching the girls work together, make new friends, find out they CAN do anything they put their mind to and I love watching them support one another.
What is your favorite outdoor experience as a Troop Leader and why?
I love everything outdoors! Especially camp. My favorite experience at camp is singing songs around the campfire. I watched our troop sing some of the same songs I sang as a Girl Scout! How fun is that?!
What is the most inspiring moment you have experienced as a Troop Leader?
Honestly, everything the girls do inspire me, that’s why I do what I do.
What has been your proudest moment as a Troop Leader?
My heart was bursting when one mom told me that she has seen a positive change in her daughter. She also told me that her daughter wishes that every day could be a Girl Scouts day.
How do you balance the demands of being a Troop Leader?
I have a team around me that supports me and helps make it all possible. I have an amazing co-leader Bridget Tippins, a group of parents that are always helping out, I utilize VTK like crazy, and my family is always supportive of me.
What goals and projects are you currently working on?
We just finished building our Veteran's Day parade float for the city of Surprise, we are getting ready to have our La Promesa Powder Puff Derby and cookie season is here, so we’ve been gearing up for that. The girls are also working with a local school to support their 143 initiative. 143 stands for I (1) Love (4) You (3). The girls have been painting rocks with 143 and hiding them around campus. They are working with the school counselor to help those students who need a little pick-me-up throughout the day. It has spread throughout the campus and now other students and faculty are adding their own 143 rocks! This is something they continue to work on as a troop as well as on their own time.
What advice would you give other Troop Leaders?
Remember that it’s all about the girls! Keep it girl-led and you will have a successful troop experience!
What do you wish someone had told you as a new Troop Leader?
You won’t know everything right away, just give it a year and it’ll all fall into place.
If you were a Girl Scout Cookie, what would it be and why?
Either S’mores because I love everything about camping or Samoa
because I’m soft and chewy on the inside yet a little coco “nutty” on
the outside!
