My Leader is Special Because...

Girl Scout leaders are the unsung heroes of the Girl Scout movement!  They work tirelessly to make sure our girls are learning, growing and, most of all, having fun as a Girl Scout!  Each year around the nation we celebrate these amazing women (and men) on April 22, the official Girl Scout Leader Appreciation day.  This year we polled girls to find out what they think is special about their leader.  Below you will find some of their answers.  As you can see their reasons are can be silly, fun, and heartwarming.  The common thread is that the girls recognize that the leader is the person that makes the experience one that they will remember!  Thank you, troop leaders for all you do! 

My Leader is special because…

(About a college student that is their leader)

…She has endless patience. – GS Junior

…She has good style! – GS Junior

…She is really really beautiful! – GS Junior

…She is funny and cool! – GS Brownie

…She works very hard to help all of us! – GS Junior

…She can take care of us. – GS Junior

…She is awesome and fun. – GS Brownie

(About a Troop leader/Cookie mom)

…She works very hard and lets us do stuff at her house – GS Junior

…She can be very serious and fun! – GS Junior

…She knows how to get stuff done! – GS Cadette

…She is the best cookie mom ever – GS Junior

…She is funny and fun to hang around with and the BEST cookie mom ever! – GS Junior

…She is fun, funny and the BEST cookie mom ever because she is sooo encouraging and teaches us new things! – GS Cadette

(About a Troop leader/Treasurer)

…She is great and nice and funny.   – GS Brownie

…She makes really great animal impressions – GS Junior

…She has a funny personality and is also AWESOME! – GS Junior

…She is sooo kind! – GS Brownie

…She is really kind and sweet! – GS Junior

…She keeps track of our troop money and helps us know how to use it like budgets and plans and stuff. – GS Cadette

(About a Troop leader/Mentor)

…She is the one that keeps things going and teaches us so many wonderful things. I think we appreciate her more than she knows.  GS Cadette

…She puts in a lot of work, goes out of her way to help us and makes things fun and interesting.  - GS Junior 

…She is smart, kind and funny. - GS Junior

…Today is her birthday and she is here, she goes on every trip, and she is appreciated. - GS Junior

…She chose to be our troop leader and it takes a special person to lead a troop of girls. - GS Junior

…GS Junior says, "My leader is a great leader because she is fun and humble and knows a lot about Girl Scouts." Mom says: I think by modest she means more like humble because [the leader] was saying last night, "Don't write stuff about me on the board, just [about the other leaders]." 

Please take a minute today and often throughout the year to tell your Troop Leader why she is special to you.  It will make all the difference to her!! 

"Girl Scouting is a Part of Me" by Lisa Deweese

Throughout the month of November, we've been urging everyone who volunteers with GSCTX to Invite a Friend and get them involved with Girl Scouts. There are so many reasons and  girls waiting to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, but they need YOU to guide them. Here is the story of Lisa Deweese, who has seen the benefits of Girl Scouting and volunteering many times over. 

Read about how it has influenced her life positively.Then Invite a Friend to start a troop and embark on the most exciting ride of your lives together!

"Girl Scouting is a part of me.  I have been involved for 45+ years, including 11 as a girl.  My blood may be a bit green.  

Girl Scouting has given me opportunities I probably would have never been offered. It allowed me to take on leadership roles that stretched my comfort zones, both as a girl, as a leader, and also a trainer.  The confidence I developed in Girl Scouting carried over into my professional life, allowing me to tackle bigger projects and positions.

Volunteering as an adult allowed me to make many contacts in the community which I normally would not have made.  It allowed me to get involved in the various communities I lived in as I moved throughout my career.   I started out to "help pay back" the time given to me by the leaders I had growing up.  Once I got involved as an adult, it kept me excited about the future.  Since I didn't have children, it allowed a path for me to still be involved with girls and their schools as well.

Early in my career, volunteering with Girl Scouts was considered good community involvement.  It probably played a role in promotions throughout my career, and put me in position to assume other roles, such as being the local Campaign Coordinator for my agencies involvement in the United Way  and service with the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW.  I always said that Girl Scouting showed me how to be "flexible and adaptable" and that there was always more than one way to complete a project or tackle a challenge." 

- Lisa Deweese

Central Bell Service Unit

Girl Scouts Help with Flood Relief

During the past weeks central Texas has received the some of the highest rainfall leading to the flooding of many homes. Troop 1594 saw the devastation and decided they needed to help out their community so they partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to provide some relief.

For two weeks the girls collected healthy food options for the food bank which desperately needed contributions. The troop didn’t stop there--they volunteered with the food bank to distribute the items so they could see where their efforts went. The troop spent three hours passing out their collected items to those in need in the Cedar Creek area. It was an extremely moving experience for the troop and they were very happy to help the victims of the flood.

Way to go troop 1549!

Girl Scouts Brave Stormy Weather for "Outing for Scouting" Recruitmen

Rain or shine, Girl Scouts are there! This past Sunday Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX) held the “Outing for Scouting” event at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Bishop Vásquez was in attendance and highlighted the importance of how Girl Scout can benefit the girls and their families now and in the long run

After the service the girls from the troop church braved  the weather and demonstrated just what Girl Scouts can do. The variety of booths ranged from how to play the harp to swaps and finally to camping. Each booth showed that Girl Scouts are about more than cookies.

The “Outing for Scouting” badge was earned by going around to each booth and getting the latest information on scouting.Current Girl Scouts  got to add it to your collection and girls who weren't in Girl Scouts got to start their own. The main goal the event was to encourage girls to join Girl Scouts and to increase the number of adult volunteers and staff at the Sacred Heart Church by interacting directly with the girls and the Church congregation members

Emily Magnotta, the event coordinator, was extremely happy with the  and she know  people left knowing that Girl Scouts welcome diverse interests and backgrounds and can play a key role in the lives of girls and women alike.

GSCTX would like to give a huge thanks to all of our volunteers and collaborators who made “Outing for Scouting”  a big success!

Joining Girl Scouts of Central Texas "has been a better experience than I could have imagined."

"Three years ago my daughter Amy came home from school asking if she could join Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Having never been a Girl Scout myself, I wasn't sure what to expect from the troop or what would be expected of her.

Three years later, I can tell you that I'm thrilled she joined Girl Scouts--it's been a better experience than I could have imagined.

Her leaders, Ms. Stefanie and Ms. Katherine, encourage and TEACH many of the traits that I want for Amy: to make smart, thought-out decisions, be physically active, leadership,environmental responsibility, and kindness/ respectfulness toward others.

Not only is she learning to be a strong, smart young lady, but she's having fun experiences along the way. Horseback riding, hiking, camping,dancing, sleepovers, and sports have all been incorporated into her troop's meetings.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas and Girl Scout Troop 1976 ROCK!"

-Toni D., Austin, TX

Sign your daughter up today  for Girl Scouts and help her experience all the fun and excitement that comes with being part of a troop!

Volunteer now and change the lives of dozens of Central Texas girls right in your community-- you CAN make a difference!

We can't wait to see the great things you'll do!