I joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie in the 1960s and continued all the way through High School. Girl Scouts took me places and taught me skills I never would have experienced elsewhere. It taught me leadership skills as a Treasurer and a Patrol Leader (Junior), public speaking (Sr. Scouts) and community service (all levels). It instilled in me the desire and obligation to serve others. It taught me business skills (selling calendars and cookies); and it taught me camping skills (as a Senior Scout our troop won the tent pitching contest at a jamboree even though none of us had ever slept in a tent. That was because our leader always required us to pitch her tent before we could do anything else.) I attended Camp Bothin as a Junior and Camp Sugar Pine as a Senior Scout. (Northern California).
Both my daughters joined Girl Scouts and I have fond memories of being a troop leader, being in charge of cookie drop off (with semi trucks arriving so we could distribute cookies to troops in our local association), silver award projects, being an District representative, working with two Councils over the years on fund raising and various events.
Now, I own and run a construction consulting business with 15 employees, am a successful attorney and even served in elective office as Mayor and Council member of Foster City. I am convinced that Girl Scouts made all the difference. I am happy to be a Lifetime Girl Scout and serve as a Gold and Silver Advisor for my current Council. It is such a joy to see Girl Scouts achieve their Silver and Gold Awards. I am still in touch with many of them. In my office I have the following framed quote given to me by another Scout; it reads: “Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout”
It is so true.