By Katie Taylor, Volunteer Experience Director

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines is home to more than 9,000 volunteers across the council. Our volunteers range in age, education, religion, ethnicity, geographic location, and so much more. A diverse group, they all share one thing in common: Girl Scouts!

We recently asked our volunteer what words came to mind when they think of their Girl Scout experience, they were quick to respond with words like positivity, bonding, camping, confidence, love, happiness, travel, sisterhood, and special! And that wasn’t all – pictures and stories came flooding in from volunteers across the council who wanted to share their love for Girl Scouting and their love for their fellow volunteers. Whether they became a Girl Scout volunteer for their daughter, granddaughter, or to have an impact on young girls in their community, our volunteers have found Girl Scouting to be more than they expected; it’s their home away from home.

Through Girl Scouting, our adult volunteers learn new skills from one another, as Shareen B., Pitt County, shared “[Donetta W.] is her go to girl when she needs a buddy for Camporee or Leaderee; she knows camping and has taught me a lot about it!” Some also find new skills on their own, like Debi W., Wake County, whose “confidence grew when [she] became a service unit manager,” and Donie O., Moore County, who is “Girl Scout strong and found her way” in leading her own troop.

New skills aren’t the only thing our volunteers have found in Girl Scouts. When she first started as a new co-leader, Camille F. “would spend time with her fellow co-leaders outside of Girl Scouts” and who became her closest friends, friends who even traveled with her family for a fun Disney adventure.  Now living in a different state, Camille still keeps in touch with her fellow co-leaders from years ago!

Our volunteers join Girl Scouts to enrich the lives of young girls, but many stay, some even after their own girls have aged out, because they have found a true sisterhood and a place to thrive as individuals. Rhonda W., Vance County, knows this to be true, as she shares “Girl Scouting has allowed [her] to make some special friendship bonds that have helped [her] grow and develop as a person.”

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, we thank ALL of our amazing volunteers who have shared their passion for Girl Scouting with the girls and our council. We’re so glad you found us and this amazing sisterhood we call Girl Scouts.