Service Unit: South Phoenix
Troop 2713 (Brownies – Seniors)
Years as a troop leader: 6
What inspired you to become a troop leader?
My daughter who is now a 15-year-old freshman in high school wanted to join Girl Scouts when she was in first grade, and to accompany her, I also took my youngest daughter (now an 11-year-old fifth grader) to meetings with us! Troop leaders allowed her to "help" in activities and if there were extra patches they'd give them to her, so before she became a Daisy, she already had patches on her vest. Unfortunately, when the time came for her to be a Daisy, the troop did not have a troop leader for that level. Instead of transferring them to another troop, I volunteered to lead until a new troop leader was found. I've been her leader since then and now she is bridging to Cadettes!
What kind of activities do you do with your troop? What is their favorite thing to do?
We try to concentrate on badge work, but want to volunteer more this year and get back to earning high awards. The girls love celebrating holidays with parties or creative activities that tie into their Girl Scouting experience. Like other troops, they enjoy taking trips as a troop, whether it’s to Disney World or Northern Arizona for a relaxing weekend in a cabin. Most of our girls have been together since they were Daisies and Brownies so many friendships have formed that extend outside of Girl Scout activities or meetings.
What kind of service projects have you done with your troop?
As a way to give back to the community, the girls have volunteered with the United Way Day of Service event and have participated in Goodwill donation events. During fall, some of the girls traveled with Service Unit members to one of the camps to clean and spruce it up. Recently, a few girls volunteered their time on a Saturday morning before Easter to pick up trash at Cesar Chavez Park.
What advice would you give other troop leaders?
I would advise troop leaders to communicate and talk to one another because there will always be times where they feel overwhelmed or lost but when they reach out, they realize there's always someone else who's been in a similar situation or is currently going through a similar experience. It’s also important to celebrate and recognize each other’s efforts.
