Paying it Forward with Girl Scouts

For Nicole Burgess, a 21-year-old college student in Chicago, becoming a Girl Scout volunteer is a full-circle moment. Growing up, Burgess was a member of Shalina Hampton’s troop at the now defunct Nathan R. Goldblatt Elementary School and today she’s preparing to give back to the organization that gave so much to her.

“I love kids and it’s kind of like paying it forward,” said Burgess. “I’ve just always wanted to give back to this great organization. I love volunteering with Girl Scouts. I hope to touch someone’s life like Ms. Hampton touched mine.”

In middle school, Burgess was teased for being one of the top students, but she said Hampton and Girl Scouts made a positive impact on her life.

“I was always a curious person and I was able to experience new things with Girl Scouts,” she said. “What Ms. Hampton did for me and her Girl Scout troop was help us recognize our value. She made me feel important.”

Hampton, who was also Burgess’s science teacher at the time, remembers Burgess as a quiet and shy student.

“But when she got to Girl Scouts, she was not the same,” Hampton recalled. “She took on a leadership role within the troop and she made friends with the other girls.”

Burgess describes volunteering with Hampton as a “full-circle moment.”

“I really love Ms. Hampton, I don’t know how else to explain it,” Burgess said. “It all goes back to her showing us our value and helping us find our voices. As a child, I didn’t really have a voice, but Ms. Hampton helped me discover mine. Being back with her and her troop, it’s amazing.”

And the feeling is mutual.

“I can’t describe how happy I am to have Nicole come back. A lot of leaders don’t realize the impact they have on these girls and that’s what motivates me to continue,” said Hampton, who was a Girl Scout growing up and also helped with her daughter’s troop. “Volunteering with Girl Scouts is about me giving back to the community. It doesn’t matter how big or small your contribution is, you can make a difference. You can encourage a girl to become a leader.”

For anyone curious about volunteering with Girl Scouts, Hampton encourages them to give it a try.

“It takes nothing but time,” she said. “These girls are eager to explore new things, like going camping and doing archery. Girl Scouts really does encourage girls. We embody the mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character. It’s obvious in everything we do.”

Know someone who would make a great volunteer? Invite them to join Girl Scouts today! For more information, click here.

What I Love About Being a Girl Scout Volunteer

As the infamous saying goes, “Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout!” Growing up, I was a Girl Scout and I have wonderful memories of my mom being a volunteer for my troop. We’d go on our Brownie camping trip, sing songs and make S’mores.

My mom was so funny and had everyone laughing because instead of wood she picked up a mouse and she screamed. She was always sewing on different patches and making sure my uniform was always washed and ready to go. She also went rollerskating with us. My mom is a people person and everyone just loved her.

So when my 6-year-old daughter, Jenna, asked to be a Girl Scout Daisy, of course I said yes! I knew the troop leader well as both our daughters attended preschool together. I want the best for my daughter, as every parent does.

Being a volunteer has given me the opportunity to witness my daughter practice the skills that Girl Scouts has taught her firsthand.

As a volunteer for her troop, I was able to go caroling with the girls and help them make Christmas cards for a local nursing home. I used to work with the elderly and I swelled with pride as my young daughter showed kindness and compassion and got it back tenfold!

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, I was able to teach my daughter money management and people skills during booth sales. We shared many laughs as I stood on the side of the road waving the cookie sign!

Girl Scouts goes beyond the badges and the pins. Girl Scouts is about girl power … that anything is possible, to be kind and to help others. Just like a Daisy, my daughter and the wonderful girls in her troop are blossoming into wonderful girls. I can’t wait to see what they do next!

A former dancer and dance instructor, Jessica Barnes is a first-year Girl Scout volunteer in Elk Grove Village. When she’s not busy helping the Daisies, she is enjoys having fun with her two daughters, Jenna and Emilee, spending time with her family and friends and baking.

Don’t miss out on the fun, renew your Girl Scout membership today! Troop leaders who renew their troop members through the online Member Community now until June 30 will be automatically enrolled in our brand new GS Plus Loyalty Program, which includes exclusive discounts, a free Girl Scout planner and much more.

Former Girl Scouts Honor Troop Leader

Girl Scouts are known for leaving places better than they found them. And former troop leader Virginia Cubalchini, 86, of Park Forest, IL left the world a better place than she found it through her nearly 40 years of service as a volunteer.

After learning about Mrs. Cubalchini’s death in August 2015, two of her Girl Scouts, sisters Lois Shadrick and LaDonna Carr, made a donation to American Forests to plant 50 trees in honor of her love for camping and the great outdoors.

“We would go to Camp Butternut Springs every year and clean the trails and the vines off the trees,” said Shadrick of Downers Grove. “We’d name trees as we planted them and as I was looking for something timeless to honor Mrs. Cubalchini, I thought about those trees.”

FullSizeRender — Virginia Cublachini was a longtime Girl Scout troop leader.

Her sister, who described Mrs. Cubalchini as the “epitome of a Girl Scout leader,” agreed.

“She taught us to enjoy your surroundings and take in the beauty of nature. Don’t take it for granted. Stop and look around and appreciate it,” Carr said.

Mrs. Cubalchini’s daughter, Virginia Williamson, who lives in Frankfort, was touched by the gesture.

“My mom was all about the environment and spending time outdoors before it was fashionable,” she remembered. “She was just a caring person, extremely sensitive and very friendly. She always wanted to be of service. She saw how Girl Scouts could shape girls’ lives and give them a support system.”

One of Mrs. Cubalchini’s Girl Scouts, Nancy Aguirre, even stepped up to be her caregiver while she was recovering from a medical emergency. The two spent several days a week together reliving fond Girl Scout memories and singing camp songs.

“It was an honor to give back to her and do something nice for her after she’d done so much for us,” said Aguirre, who lives in Park Forest. “This was one of those connections you never forget and you look back on as a very special lifelong friendship.”

FullSizeRender[1] — Virginia Cubalchini (turquoise shirt) pictured with members of her troop.

Carr, who lives in Aurora, credited Girl Scouts will helping her self-esteem.

“I didn’t talk a lot when I was younger, my sister did all the talking for me,” she said. “But I came into my own after I became a Brownie. Girls Scouts helped me come out of my shell and I blossomed.”

But perhaps the most important lesson Mrs. Cubalcihini taught her daughter as both a mom and a troop leader was to “be passionate.”

“She was a single parent who raised two daughters and had three jobs at the same time, yet she still found time to be there for her Girl Scouts and give,” said Williamson. “She just enjoyed it so much and gave of herself. You get so much back when you give and her life was a true testament to that.”

Guest Blog: Why I Love Being a Girl Scout Volunteer Part 2

Behind every Girl Scout is a dedicated and passionate volunteer showing her the way. This month, we’ve asked two of our amazing troop leaders to share why they love Girl Scouts and how you can influence the next generation.

Being a Girl Scout is a tradition in my family. When I was a Brownie, my mom and grandma shared with me pictures and stories from when they were Girl Scouts. My favorite part about being a Girl Scouts was earning rewards during Cookie Season. My sister and I were always BIG cookie sellers in our troops.

As an adult, I’d forgotten all about this experience until one day I was at a community service project with another organization and saw one of my friends with all these young girls with her. I asked who they were and she told me it was her Girl Scout troop. I immediately wanted to get involved and give back to the organization that’d helped me so much.

That was five years ago in February and by Christmas, I had attended my first meeting as a Girl Scout troop leader. I love volunteering with Girl Scouts because it gives me a chance to interact with kids as I’m not a mom yet. I love talking to the girls to find out what they are thinking and helping to mold them into young ladies.

Sometimes, the girls enter Girl Scouts very timid, but after a few meetings, they have so much to say! I remember the first year we sold cookies at a local grocery store. The girls were so shy they barely wanted to speak to the customers.

But that all changed by the third weekend when they had their sales pitch in place and we sold so many cookies! Perhaps my favorite moment as a troop leader is passing out the cookie rewards to the girls because they work so hard to sell as many cookies as they can.

Since I’ve become a Girl Scout Daisy troop leader, I’ve met some wonderful women and I’ve also taken on leadership roles within my council as a delegate and product manager for our service unit.

We need more people to volunteer with the Girl Scouts so we can all mentor and mold more young girls into remarkable women. Every day, these girls teach me so much about myself. I love being part of an organization that is more than 100 years old and has helped develop numerous amazing female leaders. I believe it is my honor to serve God and my country and to live by the Girl Scout law.

Dr. Renee Matthews has appeared on television shows such as, The Oprah Winfrey Show and TVOne’s NewsOne Now with Roland Martin where she discussed different health topics. Dr. Renee also hosts The Ask Dr. Renee Show, a weekly show to motivate and inspire viewers to “live the life they deserve.”

She’s been a contributing health writer for numerous websites such as MadameNoire.com, BlackandMarriedwithKids.com and BlackDoctor.org, as well as a sought after speaker for various health organizations and schools. In addition to writing about health, Dr. Renee conducts speaking engagements on social media, branding, motivation, and becoming an entrepreneur.

To read part one of our volunteer guest blog series, click here. To learn more about Girl Scouts or sign up as a volunteer, please visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org.

Stock photos courtesy of Girl Scouts of the United States of America

Guest Blog: Why I Love Being a Girl Scout Volunteer

All of my best stories come from being a Girl Scout leader. I can entertain any audience at parties with tales from my three troops – the adventures of the girl who went to camp with no shoes, the girl who couldn’t wait to ride a horse until she actually had to get on a horse, and the one who never listens to instructions until she is literally inches from falling into a creek. But the most rewarding thing is hearing the girls tell stories.

Our Brownies are bright, peppy second and third graders, for whom everything is new and exciting. “We sold cookies last year, and we get to do it again?! That’s great!”

Meanwhile, our Cadettes are in junior high and they are constantly on the lookout for new experiences and interesting places. “Chinatown this weekend to learn to make dumplings. And then woodworking, and then chemistry day, and then Ronald McDonald House, and then …”

Our Seniors are high school freshmen and sophomores are busy defining their interests and looking for adventures that appeal to their growing sense of independence. Their desire to do service projects is pretty inspiring. When they’re all together, though, the giggling may lead you to believe you’re back with the Brownies.

Last year, I took five of the Cadettes along on a Brownie camping trip – girls from four different schools and three different grade levels. I thought the older girls would be helpful and maybe have some fun leading songs or crafts. At every turn, they astonished me.

From kitchen duty and nature hikes to games and badge work, I watched the Cadettes lead the way for the Brownies. And then they sat around a campfire, which they built, and laughed themselves silly telling stories and sharing memories from their years in Girl Scouts. That is when it occurred to me exactly what it means to be a Girl Scout volunteer.

We give girls the chance to lead, to learn, to make friends, and to know they have an advocate cheering them on along the way. Years from now, these girls are going to find themselves in a position to make a decision, make a change, or make a difference, and they’re going to do it with confidence because they were Girl Scouts and had positive adult role models show them how.

Become a Girl Scout volunteer and mentor young girls. You can lead a troop or share your skills and interests with a troop a few times a year. If you’re like me and you love spreadsheets, you can help out with the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Enjoy being outdoors? Volunteering at a Girl Scout camp may be the perfect option for you. There are flexible opportunities available for everyone. And I promise you’ll have fun along the way and plenty of stories to share.

Alisia (Ally) Eckert has been a Girl Scout troop leader since 2001. She also serves as a regional volunteer for the product team and has been awarded the Leader of the Year, Outstanding Volunteer, Woman of the Century, Honor and Appreciation pins from Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Ally works as the senior planned giving officer at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation (formerly Children’s Memorial). She loves to travel, dabbles in photography, and is a rabid ice hockey fan.

Check back on Nov. 11 for part two of our volunteer guest blog series. To learn more about Girl Scouts or sign up as a volunteer, please visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org.

Photos courtesy of Ally Eckert

Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Blog

Building girls of courage, confidence and character

Tag: Girl Scout troop leader

Paying it Forward with Girl Scouts

Former Girl Scouts Honor Troop Leader

Guest Blog: Why I Love Being a Girl Scout Volunteer Part 2

Guest Blog: Why I Love Being a Girl Scout Volunteer