Wow! Well, my story begins in 1982. When my first daughter was born in August 1982 I called the local Girl Scout office to see how old you had to be to join. They told me she had to be 5 and I said perfect, I will call you back when she turns 5. During her first week in school in 1987, she came home with a flier to join Girl Scouts. We went to the roundup meeting to sign her up and when we got there, the lady that was running the roundup said that until they got a new Daisy Leader she would be put on a waiting list. I said OK, no problem. Her name was Donna Pastor, she then said, “would you be willing to be the leader”? I told her I knew nothing about being a leader and I had 2 other kids at home. That is when she said “well, we can train you and it is only one hour a week.” I was like, ok, if you are going to train me and it is only one hour a week then sign me up. Well, little did I know that, that one hour a week did not include the before and after part of the meetings. I was hooked. I had a great support system and I learned so much over the course of the next 25 years. I worked with over a 1000 girls during my time. The girls had a huge impact on my life. Most of the girls that came through my troops over the years still keep in touch and have told me that I have made a huge impact in their lives and made them the people they are today. I have been invited to many things in my girls lives long after they have left Girl Scouts. I have lots of “Grandscouts” as I like to call them and some of them have gone into Scouting as well. I was chosen as a National Delegate to the National Convention in Long Beach California. It was such a shock and honor. I had never flown in an airplane before and I was nervous about it. I got all the information about it and got so excited about attending. I made over 500 swaps to take with me which presented a problem in getting them there since there was a weight limit for my luggage. I wound up carrying them in my carry on bag. It was a little heavy but I managed it. I met so many girls and adults during this event. I met girls who did not have swaps, so I gave them some of mine and it maid me feel so good to see the smiles on their faces. The things I learned at the convention have stayed with me to this day. I have very vivid memories of this event. Being a Girl Scout Leader has been one the most rewarding things I have ever done. Both of my daughters have lifelong friends as a result of their time in Girl Scouts and this in one my favorite things. I too have friends through Girl Scouts to this day. Girl Scouting has been the biggest event in my life that has changed how I live my life. To this day I live by the Promise and Law that I learned and taught so many girls. I absolutely loved being a Girl Scout Leader and I truly miss working with the girls.
