To celebrate the end of another successful year for Girl Scouts and the end of our Share Your Story campaign, we wanted to take the time to express our thanks to all of the wonderful donors who make a difference in the lives of girls, the community, and our world!  What better way for us to do this than to share the stories we hear every day about the impact Girl Scouting has? This blog is the final post from our three part series. We would like to thank those who shared with us their Girl Scout experience by submitting their story and to those who made a donation. With your help, we were able to meet our fundraising goals and help more girls shine through Girl Scouts!

In parts one and two, we recognized a few members of our Girl Scout family who, through their investment in girls, are changing our world. Because we realize that our words don’t always express all of our gratitude, we wanted to share more stories from staff members, volunteers, and parents who have benefited from the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

“When my daughter, Cris, was in second grade, she came home from Girl Scouts and proudly told me that they were going to have a picnic and there wouldn’t have been any buns for the hot dogs if she hadn’t thought of them. And that’s true. Girl Scout leaders teach the girls responsibility by trusting what they do and plan.   The leader will not fill in the gaps except with issues of safety.  There isn’t anywhere else that girls assume responsibility so young.”

-Anne Parks, parent and donor

“Girl Scouts has been one of the happiest, most fulfilling experiences of my life. The work I do here is what I am most proud of, and is the most important work I’ll ever do. “

-Meridith Orr, staff member

“My story begins with four weeks as a Brownie, two Junior badges and a bus ride to a camp where all I remember is a campfire. My mom was a Girl Scout in the mid-1920’s and even earned her First Class. She was a big proponent of my sisters and me belonging to Girl Scouts. As an adult, I literally was roped into leadership by my daughter’s best friend’s mom. But as I watched my daughters and those original Daisies and Brownies, I saw what Girl Scouts could do. My older daughter uses her event directing skills to organize charity runs and International Ultimate Frisbee tournaments, as well as her current job as a middle school drama teacher in Johannesburg, South Africa. My younger daughter was one of those shy kids; three years ago, she instituted Different Shoe Day in a secondary school in a small town in Malaysia. My story is all of their stories. Girl Scouts gave me confidence. In return, I’ve helped, in some small way, for these girls to find their voice, their footing in life. Those experiences and exposures to Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist and how needed it is that we all “tell our story” and share the opportunities so that all girls have a chance to spread their wings.”

-Debi Willis, volunteer

“My favorite memories as a Girl Scout always revolve around one common theme-camp. Going camping with my troop and spending parts of my summer at camp Amahaali helped me to fall in love with the outdoors, a love that I am proud to share with girls today at Camp Hardee.”

-Kristi Doebler, staff member

“With three daughters and a husband who was an Eagle Scout, it was a natural step to become a Girl Scout volunteer. In 20 years I learned many ways to enjoy scouting, from leading girls to learning many skills to working with many adults as well. It was a wonderful way to give and receive.”   

  -Barbara Volk, volunteer

“As a new mom and wanting everything for my bundle of joy, I was introduced to other moms in my community, there came those famous words- Girl Scout Cookies. The girls were selling them at the local store and I asked how can my daughter and I get involved at one of the cookie booths. Then the rest was history.I soon became the troop leader and as my daughter grew with the program, so did the troop. Then after my daughter grew out of Girl Scouts, I continued with the troop until one day it became obvious to me I could help in other areas. I became an active Girl Scout in many areas, National Council Delegate, Outdoor Facilitating, Treasurer of the local service unit and still a Girl Scout willing to help the new comers.As I heard a serviceman say, ‘he bleeds red, white, and blue.’ I would say, ‘I bleed green.’ “

 -Lisa Strickland, volunteer

“My gift is made in honor of Helene Mochrie, my Girl Scout leader from 1966-1972. She is an outstanding person and helped prepare a lively group of teenage girls for the world beyond their hometown. She baked my wedding cake in 1983!”

-Nancy Jirtle, donor

While all our stories may be unique, there is a common thread that unites us: our belief that when you invest in a girl, she can change her world. When you invest in many girls, they will change ours. These stories tell just a few of the many ways that Girl Scouting has made a difference in the lives of girls.

Thanks for all you do – all year long – for our girls. With your investment, you’re telling the story of how important Girl Scouting is to our world. Because of individuals like you, we continue to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.