by Karen Schillings, Council Historian
This year marks the 50th anniversary of National Volunteer Week, held during the third week of April, to recognize the contributions of volunteers from across the country. We are very fortunate to have so many outstanding Girl Scout volunteers among us whose history has been important to the movement. As an example of such a volunteer, our spotlight for 2024 shines on Robin Moss, who has been involved with Girl Scouts since the early 1970s. When living in Moline, Illinois, Robin started her long association with Girl Scouts as a Brownie with her mom as her leader. Robin’s relationship with Girl Scouts would grow from being a girl member to a volunteer, to being a staff member, and back to volunteering. So, let’s take a look at some of the highlights of Robin’s herstory as a Girl Scout.
Robin has some fond memories of her girl years, including her first time at resident camp, even though this initial experience started off a little rocky. You see, the girls were sleeping in platform tents, crawling with spiders. Robin was terrified of being in her tent. However, she had a very understanding camp counselor whose camp name Robin remembers to this day – “No One,” and this counselor knew how to calm Robin’s fears. No One brought Robin to her tent, and they sat together counting the spiders. This simple activity allowed Robin to confront her fears and find the courage to sleep in a tent alongside the spiders. It seems that “No One” should have been renamed “Some One”.
When Robin was a Senior Girl Scout living in Fenton, Illinois, her cookie goal was to be the girl who sold the most cookies for Legacy Green Hills Council (now part of Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois). Fenton is a very small town of less than 600 residents, so she knew that she had to expand her territory if she was going to be the top seller. Robin convinced her mother to take her to other nearby towns to sell door-to-door. In the end, the 1981 top cookie seller for Green Hills Council was none other than Robin Moss. She had gained the confidence to do what she had set her sights on. Once she achieved this goal, she was asked to serve on the council’s cookie board.
This led to her being encouraged to apply to be a national delegate to the 1981 National Council Session being held in Houston. She was selected for this position and attended the Girl Scout Convention that fall. Robin continued to aim high, resulting in her earning the highest Girl Scout award at the time, the First Class, now known as the Gold Award.
Robin’s experience as a national council delegate led her to become a political science major at Western Illinois University (WIU). Her Girl Scout delegate experience also helped Robin to be chosen by the university to participate in the National Model United Nations. Isn’t it amazing that all the wheels were set into motion by a Girl Scout whose goal was to be the top cookie seller?
Robin started transitioning from being a girl member to volunteering when she was a Senior Girl Scout. She began by assisting with a younger troop and by earning the Leader in Training. Afterward, when she was at Western Illinois University, she again demonstrated her leadership skills. Since there were no Campus Girl Scouts at WIU, Robin set out to change that and was able to get a chapter started. WIU continues to have Campus Girl Scouts to this day.
In the summer of 1986, Robin moved to Chicago. It was during this year that the Chicago Council began planning for the 75th anniversary year. Robin became a Junior leader for the Girl Scouts of Chicago (GSC) and then joined the 75th anniversary planning committee. Eventually, she took a staff position as a field executive for Legacy GSC, but she also continued to be a troop leader. As a staff member, Robin was an innovator for the council and came up with a very novel idea. She realized that girls who were living in homeless shelters did not usually have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout. To change that situation, she decided to start a new program called Shelter Troops. Her creative thinking made it possible for numerous girls to be a part of our organization who would have never had the opportunity before. This program was so groundbreaking that it was featured on national news outlets and then duplicated in other councils. That’s called having a nationwide impact AND showing strength of character!
Robin married Dan in 1988 and the following year, their son Robert was born. When the family welcomed their daughter, Robin looked forward to being Megan’s troop leader. She started a Daisy troop when the family was living in legacy Lone Tree Council. Then, when the family moved to Oak Lawn in 1998, Robin began volunteering as a leader for Legacy South Cook County Council (SCC) and had many adventures with Megan and the troop, including trips to the 95th and 100th anniversary Sing-Alongs in Washington, DC, and numerous camping trips. Besides being a fantastic troop leader, Robin was also known for her expert leadership as Association Chair (now known as service unit manager (SUM)) for Black Oaks, a position she took on in 2005. Robin’s association was always one of the most vibrant in the council, reaching its goals consistently.
Another position Robin undertook was serving as a member of the Girl Scouts SCC Adult Recognitions Committee, a position she continues to hold with Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GCNWI). She is fervent about making sure her sister volunteers are recognized for their service. She is always ready to do any assignment for the task group, whether it’s reviewing applications or being a presenter at one of the events. Robin is someone the task group can depend upon for anything that’s asked of her.
Given her political science background and her participation in a National Council Session (NCS) as a girl member, it should be no wonder that Robin also has a passion for the democratic process. She has been Chair of District 4 since 2008. On an even broader level, Robin became the volunteer coordinator of the national delegates to the Houston Convention in 2011 and has maintained that position to the present. The tasks that Robin performs include training new delegates for the National Council Session, along with making all the arrangements for travel and housing for the entire GCNWI delegation attending NCS. This was an enormous amount of work for one person, but Robin seemed to be able to get everything done proficiently, making sure all went smoothly at the convention.
It should likewise be mentioned that training volunteers is apparently in Robin’s green blood. She is not only an enthusiastic volunteer for LEAP, but she is also extremely devoted to training volunteers wherever and whenever she can. It’s not unusual for Robin to arrange training for just a handful of leaders. Her expertise is always greatly appreciated.
Since Robin constantly thinks BIG, it’s not surprising how she approached the Girl Scout 100th anniversary. When the committee was planning the celebration for the 100th, Robin wanted to do something special on the actual anniversary, March 12, 2012. Many festivities were planned throughout the year, but Robin’s idea was to make that day special for Girl Scouts. To that end, she came up with the plan to have Promise Circles throughout the council’s jurisdiction. She and her committee developed a plan that could be used at any place girls could gather at 19:12 p.m. Her excellent leadership made it possible for 177 Promise Circles to be held. The Promise Circles were such memorable experiences, and Robin was in large part responsible for creating the format for them.
During her Girl Scout journey, Robin has received many accolades, including the Thanks Badge II, Women of the Century, and being inducted into the Girl Scout GCNWI Hall of Fame.
Robin’s dedication to the movement has been exceptional. When there is a job to be done, Robin has no problem rolling up her sleeves and taking on the task. There are many other ways she has volunteered and continues to volunteer today, I hope these few described here will give you a sense of the treasure we have in Robin Moss, a Girl Scout of courage, confidence, and character whose herstory needs to be told.
