I became a Girl Scout in second grade. My mother was my Girl Scout Leader for many years. Girl Scouting has always been an integral part of my life. I had many adventures as a girl. I grew up in the 60’s and through my experiences with Girl Scouts I felt that there was nothing that I could not do if I wanted to do it. Girl Scouts taught me how important it is to give back to our communities and to not be afraid to volunteer. I attended a Girl Scout Day Camp growing up every summer. During high school I attended Counselor-in-Training course at Singing Hills Girl Scout Camp. It was one of the best experiences of my young life. During the summers of attending college, I worked as a camp counselor at Singing Hills Girl Scout Camp. When I was a Senior in college, my home service unit had trouble finding leaders for the Cadette and Senior Girl Scout troop. My sister and I became the troop leaders for them. We finished our year out with a weekend camping trip to Yankton, SD. The small town where I was teaching upon graduation from college, did not have any organized Girl Scouts. I helped organize a couple of troops and I was the leader of a Junior Girl Scout troop. I became aware that there was a job opening for a Field Executive in Peacepipe Girl Scout Council and after teaching a few years, I became a Field Director serving 12 counties in southwest Minnesota. I worked in various capacities of Girl Scouting as a Field Director, Training Director, Program Director, and Assistant Executive Director. I participated in the first certification program for council trainers and implemented the program in our council. Serving in all these different capacities helped build my leadership skills as well as my communication skills. Some of the highlights of my Girl Scout experience includes a backpacking trip as a young adult to National Center West as well as a horse pack trip a year or so later. I was a chaperone on a council sponsored trip to the Washington, DC area for Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts prior to my employment with the council. During my 16 years of working for the Girl Scouts I made many, many adult friends in many different communities. My hope for the organization is for it to continue to provide opportunities for girls throughout the United States. Living in a rural area where schools have consolidated and kids are bused to different towns, it’s important for girls in these areas to have the same opportunities made available to them as in the past.
