Recognizing Girl Scout

Troop Leaders

To the Editor:

How does one train a young girl to form good values, learn to assess available information, trust her judgment, and have the courage to act from strength to make the proper decisions and stick by them? For many, one important answer lies in Girl Scouting and the troop leaders who work with the girls to bring out their potential, make them strong, and help them enjoy the process.

These leaders are often role models for the younger girls, second mothers, or adult friends, but they are all committed to making the Girl Scout experience possible for the girls who want to participate in the 15 towns and cities served by GSCSWCT. These volunteers have very busy lives, often family, other volunteer work, or a job, yet they make the time to work with almost 9,000 young girls in our area for the good of the girls and the communities in which the girls live.

The training these leaders must undergo to ensure that they help the girls make sound decisions and that the Girl Scout experience is a safe one is very impressive –– from first aid and CPR to conflict resolution techniques to outdoor camping to a hundred other skills. Moreover, as the girls move from level to level in the Girl Scout Program, so do the leaders. Without these troop leaders, Girl Scouting simply would not be possible!

Because these volunteers are so crucial to Girl Scouting, a national day of recognition was chosen in 1982. April 22 is that day each year when Girl Scouts, other individuals, and communities say thank you to these extraordinary leaders for their work with girls and their families and for their good works in the community.

If you know a Girl Scout troop leader, I hope you will say thank you, too. It doesn’t matter if you send a card, make a telephone call, or say it in person. The important thing is to think of what life would be like without Girl Scouting and its influence on girls and their communities, and to recognize that it is the troop leaders who make this positive program possible. Certainly this council wants to say a very public thank you to the more than 1,800 Girl Scout troop leaders who make our work a most effective reality.

Sincerely,

Susanne D. Kuligowski

Executive Director

Girl Scout Council of Southwestern Connecticut

529 Danbury Road, Wilton                                          April 9, 2003