Is Your Volunteer Service Worth It?

I posted previously about the notion that in service, you will be trampled upon.  If you've ever been involved in any kind of volunteer activity, you know that sometimes, unfortunately, there comes a moment when you stop in your tracks and say "what the heck am I doing this for?"  There are days when you really feel beat up in doing good.  Before you throw in the clipboard and walk away, take a step back, breathe, focus, and re-evaluate.

Take a step back.  How much of your time and energy are you putting into this activity or organization? Is it so much that you are taking away valuable, needed time from your own personal pursuits in a negative way?  Obviously, when volunteering, you are giving of that primary, finite resource of time, but is it to the detriment of other things you hold important?  If so, how can you manage your time better?  Perhaps limit the number of hours you spend on the activity on a daily or weekly basis, whichever is more appropriate.  I know some people who hold Board and leadership  positions in organizations who set "office hours" to handle emails, phone calls, and administrative tasks.  Find a way for your time to be spent in a valuable way.

Breathe.  A friend of mine who is a life coach and wonderful spirit, reminds me to do this simple thing. Darrilyn of Delicious Life Coach, even wrote out instructions on how to do it - who knew we could be better at this natural thing? But it's kinda required for life, so its a good thing to improve.  [BREATHE]

Remind yourself of your purpose. So many times we get into an organization to do good - teach children to read, save the whales, plant trees, build playgrounds - and then we get embroiled in the politics and procedures and personal motives and we lose our focus. All the sudden we're fighting to be the queen of the hill, waving our supposed purpose as our flag, as an accessory.  In everything, make sure you can see the "why," not just yourself in the media clip.

Re-evaluate. This might be the hardest part of all, especially when doing something you love.  Re-evaluate your purpose and that of your organization. Are they aligned in the way you thought they were?  Perhaps you thought you'd be building shelters for the homeless, but come to find out the organization is about painting the walls of mansions. Now, next question: which is it easier to change, your purpose or the organization's?

Volunteering is supposed to be easy, right? Show up, hand out a few canned goods, everyone's happy, and you get that warm, tingly feeling in your soul. And then you decide to help organize the canned food drive and find the shelters to support, then you've got to go to meetings, and get, like, actually involved.  And then you realize this volunteering thing is work. And someone's got to do it. And it's okay if it's you, just make sure its the work you want to do.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Currently... A Status Update on My 2015 Plans

Hello February!  It's the day we wait for the Groundhog to see or not see it's shadow; I've never been able to keep straight which means there will be more winter, but looking out of my own window, I'm going with "more winter."

It's also day after the SuperBowl. Oh, we're not talking about that? Okay. Agreed.

We've cleared the first month of the year and did well, or not so well, on those new year's resolutions/ goals/ hopes/ dreams/ targets/ visions - whatever we are calling them this year. How'd you do? 

I'm not much of a resolution kind of person, but I do have some plans and intentions and still have some work to do.  A few I'm currently working on?

Working out.  I admit it, I passed by the treadmill and my sneakers many of times in January. Although, I didn't eat as much cake and pie as in December.  I'm getting back to my marathon/month, plan.  Started today with 2 miles, only 24 more to go in 26 days.

Reading.  According to my Goodreads list, I did not read that much last year! Maybe I've been bad at recording my books, I'm not sure, but I'll do better this year. Right now, I'm reading The Girl Your Left Behind.  Totally picked this up because JoJo Moyes' Me Before You was so popular last year and it was not on the shelf at the library.  I had no idea what it was about, and I do like opening the pages of a book without any idea where its going - this one is in WW1 France, a small town that has been taken over by the German Army.

Book I'm Carrying Around right now

Crocheting.  This is always on my to-do list, but particularly I'm working on baby blankets! I seemed to have gone through a lull of no new friend babies, and then all of a sudden, I've got a bunch of friends with brand new babies!  I've working on blanket number 1 (pink!) during this weekend's swim meet and SuperBowl, and, at current count, I've got three more to go (1 pink, 2 blue.)

Baby blanket in PINK!

Volunteering.  I'm pretty active in PTA and my sorority, and gearing up for the year ahead in both of them.  I hold a leadership role in both, which I enjoy, however I often have to remind myself to make time for the actual hands-on work of the organization, not get weighed down by the administration aspects. That's one thing that I do want to work on this year.

Piddlin'. Of course!

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

What Are You Doing For Others? #MLKDay

Today is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

It seems a simple enough thing, this day on the calendar.  But I’m old enough, and you probably are, too, to remember when Dr. King’s birthday was not a holiday.  Although the Stevie Wonder “Happy Birthday” is the standard now for regular folks’ birthdays, I pointed out to my kids recently that this cooler, dance-ier version to cut cake by was part of the campaign to make Dr. King’s birthday a holiday, way back in the 80’s (this holiday was only first officially celebrated in 1986.)

For my kids’ entire life, the third Monday has not only been a federal holiday for Dr. King’s birthday, it’s also been a Day of Service, where we are encouraged to be of service to our community in line with Dr. King’s dream.

That’s kinda cool, don’t you think, that to them, the King holiday has always been about service to others.  Each year, we go to a large-scale community event where dozens of organizations have set up project work-stations and information displays.  Over the years, we’ve worked on cards for soldiers, packing lunches for the shelter, making bracelets and small play items for children in the hospital, blankets for the shelter, among many other projects.

Warning: In Service, You Will Get Trampled #GivingTuesday

I’m still thinking about a line I lifted out of the message this Sunday at church: To be a bridge for the hopeless, you must be ready to be trampled upon.

I’m adding this as a sub-text to one of my most-repeated phrases, “No good deed goes unpunished,” something a former boss used to say to me whenever I complained about my latest bruising.

Doesn’t it seem like whenever you are trying to help somebody, whether a specific person or a general, ideal of a group (the “homeless,” “those kids”) you get stepped on a little bit, jostled, and pushed around.  And then you wonder, what the heck am I doing this for? I could instead be sitting back, reading that book that I’ve been stuck on chapter one forever because I’ve been so busy doing this thing and sipping a glass of wine.

Being of service to others isn’t easy. It requires sacrifice of time, energy, emotion, and, often, personal resources. And as a Veteran who spoke at an event I went to last week reminded us, it requires a sacrifice from your family and loved ones around you.  When you go to volunteer at the food pantry, you might be missing dinner with your family.  When you help coach the basketball team, your own kid is missing out on the time to play catch with you.  When you are sitting in PTA meeting, planning the bake sale to buy books for the reading room, you are missing a conversation with your spouse. Dropping those clothes off at the job training center is cutting into happy hour with your friends.  So the sacrifice is your’s, but also your family’s and friends’.

On top of all that, sometimes, folks don’t appreciate your service. Sorry, it’s true. Whether the recipient, other people you are working with, or other people who would like to be doing what you are doing but for some reason are not.  You will have detractors and nay-sayers, unfortunately.  Someone will complain that you should’ve bought canned beans for the food drive, not macaroni and cheese.  You should’ve donated hats, not scarves.  They will whisper that you drive a Benz and just came back from a vacation in Hawaii, but only bought two tickets to the school play.  Sorry. It’s going to happen.

When all this happens and you are looking at the footprints up and down your spirit, look outwards.  Look toward the other side.  Where are you trying to help people get to. Are you trying to make sure kids are warm this winter?  Do you want to make sure families are fed?  Do you want women to have a safe haven when they are abused or assaulted?  Are you trying to get a crosswalk at your school?  Do you have this crazy notion that every child should be able to read, no matter their country of origin?  Keep your eyes there, on that distant side.  Keep in mind the destination you are trying to help people reach.  Dust off some of those dusty footprints.  And keep leading people to a new place.

And in case no-one else says it, “thank you for your service.”

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Diverse Books for the Kids from Scholastic Bookfair

I've survived another week of the school Scholastic BookFair.  Five days of running the little temporary bookstore in the space now known, again, as the Media Center.  Along with spending the day as book-seller, its a unique look into the normal school day.  Every class and every student comes through the book fair.  Talk about getting to know your kid's school.  Add to the fun by dressing in costume with the theme of the fair - I managed to get away with walking around the school all week and attending my parent/teacher conference in a long red cape and crown.  Don't miss the fun - you should volunteer for the school book fair. (And I'm not just saying that as a plug for my 2015 team.)

While stocking, searching for, and selling books, I always end up with a pile of books for my own kids.  Of course, there's the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid (somehow our book fair is always timed to the release of the newest book so there's that madness), some LEGO or airplane building guide, and some princesses or fairies.  This year we also picked up Lucky Dog, a book about rescued dogs; this because the dog on the cover looks like our own lab/shepherd which we adopted from Lucky Dog Rescue.

As I've said in previous posts (like Where Does My African-American Child See Herself in Books), you know I've always got my eye out for books that reflect diversity, especially in a "normal kid" kind of way, going through whatever experiences kids go through.  Here's what we found this year.

What does Kennedy's assassination and integration look like from the eyes of a young Black girl?Kizzy Ann Stamps is a young girl in the early 1960's.  Her neighborhood schools are about to be integrated, which means she has to leave the school she's been attending and her Black teacher to the new integrated school with a new White teacher. And she is not too happy about this change in her life.  To ease into the change, her teacher suggests that she write a letter to her new teacher to introduce herself.  The book is told through her continued letters and then, when her new teacher gives her a journal, entries in there.   

The Mighty Miss Malone: Men and women, dads and moms, do what they can to take care of their families. Sometimes that means moving to a new city for a new job, but not necessarily as a whole family all at once.  This is Deza Malone's family's journey through the Great Depression.  The timing and picture of the little girl with braids on the cover makes me think of my own aunt and makes me want to know her story.  Written by Christopher Paul Curtis, award-winning author of The Watsons go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy.

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu: What if your grandmother's aunt came to live with you as you get ready for sixth grade? Add to that, she is going to be your new room-mate.  And while you're trying to be a regular kid, your family continues to follow Chinese cultural traditions and make you go to Chinese school.  The premise of the story just made me laugh, and not just in a typed "LOL" way, but for real laughing out loud.

Jump Into the Sky: In post-WWII 1945, Levi sets out towards a southern Army base in search of his paratrooper dad. I anticipate that it will be an interesting historical fiction: 1945, traveling through the south, Black soldiers, and a teen Black boy.  And I would expect there are some interesting coming of age issues, as well.  I picked this one up for my son. 

Happy reading!  And when you're done, let the kids read, too.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

#GivingTuesday...and Don't Forget Wednesday, Thursday...

Perhaps, hopefully, you've seen my blogposts or tweets or Facebook status updates. All to remind you that the first Tuesday in December is now #GivingTuesday. Perhaps you haven't and now you're wondering, "what is that and what's for sale?"  Nope, surprise, no sale.  Instead, it's a national movement to remind us all that in this holiday season of thankfulness and giving, that we should concentrate a little on the giving of ourselves and sharing of our blessings, not just buying widgets on sale and wrapping them in shiny paper (though, of course, that is lots of fun.)

On this #GivingTuesday, hopefully, you will be inspired to take inventory of all that you have that you can offer to another person or to your community or a special cause. Write a check to your favorite charity, take food to a food pantry, cook a meal at a shelter, read to children at the hospital, give the waitress at dinner a little extra tip, help an old lady with her packages. I don't know - what've you go to give? We all have something to share.

And, I don't want to push you too hard, or maybe, maybe I do. After you think about what you will do on this #GivingTuesday in December, don't forget about  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.... and January, February, March.... There is always someone in need. The family that is picking up food from the food pantry this month may be fine come January, but unfortunately, there will be another taking their place in line. Sadly, little kids will still be sick at the hospital, your favorite charity will still be in need.  During this month of feeling good, we give so much that pantries and closets and volunteer rosters often find themselves overflowing.  Remember, to fill these cups through out the year.

Make your commitment to give not just now, but in a month or two or nine when we've all returned to our normal lives.  During your Christmas shopping, pick up gloves, socks, and scarves to donate to a shelter in January.  Make a note to provide Easter baskets to your local children's hospital (of course, check with them first.)  Volunteer at a food kitchen on a random day in the spring.  Write yourself a note on your June calendar to donate sunscreen and hats to a local summer camp for underprivileged children.  Make plans to volunteer for a voters registration drive next fall. 

Not sure what you have to give?  As the Little Drummer Boy realized in the children's Christmas song, we all have something to give. Give the best of yourself.

Happy Giving!

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Are you part of the 80% or 20%? #GivingTuesday

What will you give on #GivingTuesday?

I am what some have termed a “professional volunteer.” I’m an active PTA mom, I help out with the summer swim team, I’m a Girl Scout troop leader, I crochet scarves for homeless women, I assist with my sorority conferences. Yes, I’m busy. But here’s the thing, between you and I, a quietly kept secret. I don’t volunteer for everything. There are some “signup to volunteer” messages that I hit “delete.” Guiltily so, but I do.

I believe in the 80/20 rule. I accept it – 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.  I know that often, I am part of the 20%.  I’m now telling myself that I don’t always have to be part of 20%, sometimes I can be part of the crowd of folks that sits back and enjoys the fruits of everyone else’s volunteer efforts.  That’s fair, right?

I’ve never heard of the 100/100 rule, meaning that all of the work is shared equally among all of the people. In fact, I’ve never been involved in an organization where that has been true. Never.  I will thus conclude that this is an improbability of human nature.

Instead, I think that everybody can do something. I have friends who pay their PTA dues and then leave everything else to people like me.  And in turn, I do nothing more than show up and cheer at my daughter’s basketball games, while other parents man the clock and keep the statistics and blow up basketballs.  I manage the ticket sales of our sorority’s fundraising event to support our scholarship program, but I don’t tutor at the high school.  This balance seems fair in the overall cosmos of volunteering, right?

No-one should be dragged into volunteering.  It’s like the Bible says about tithing, you should do it willingly and happily, not grudgingly.  You should consider what you have to offer and where you can make a contribution.  We all do have something to offer, we all can make a difference, we all have value.  And there’s the perfect spot for everyone to share their gifts.  If we each give somewhere, then we all can rest sometine, too.  If we all take turns being part of the 20%, 100% of the work will get done.

What will you give?

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Community Service - It's a Family Affair

As a graduation requirement in our state, students have to complete 75 Student Service Learning Hours.  The purpose, as I understand it, is to instill the concept of giving back and being a positive part of one’s community. Although they do earn a few credits for certain classes (still not sure which those are or why), most of the hours have to be earned doing some type of community service during middle and high school.

I’m proud to say Elle is about 3 hours short of completing her requirement and she’s only in the ninth grade.  She actually would be finished, but her unorganization and forgetfulness has left a few reporting sheets under her bed or jammed in her backpack past the due date.  Breeze is intent on finishing her’s before the end of middle school.  With about 40 hours, I think she’s on track to meet her goal.

Many of the hours, they’ve done together or with me.  I believe that giving doesn’t have to be a solo activity and many of us enjoy working with friends and family for these kinds of activities. For the past few elections, they’ve volunteered as helpers at the polling sites – putting up signs, helping set up the site, handing out “I Voted” stickers, and even holding the place for older and pregnant voters when the lines got long.  They’ve also helped coach little kids tennis camps and cleaned up their school.

As a regular holiday event, their schools have canned food drives and a couple of times, their Girl Scout troops have collected cans, too.  I wanted them to see how great the need was and how their cans contribute to the effort of feeding families in our community.  Last month, we volunteered at the Manna Food Center to pack boxes of non-perishable items for distribution (which also lead into a discussion about "manna.")

   

For about two hours, we packed cans of vegetables, boxes of pasta, bags of beans, and snacks into almost 150 boxes.  It was nice to watch the kids try to (quickly) pack their boxes thoughtfully: “if we gave them spaghetti, shouldn’t they get the jar of sauce, too?”  “We gave them a can of lima beans, they deserve the box of Oreos.”

I actually thought they might complain a bit about toting around crates of canned food and walking back and forth across the warehouse. I was pleasantly surprised when they taped up their boxes and proudly stacked them on the crate. Then asked when we were coming back.  

We are still on the countdown to #GivingTuesday on Dec. 3.  How will you give?

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

We Did the GOTR 5K - Now Keep on Running!

For all the grown folks who are sitting on the couch, wishing they could run/walk/crawl to the finish line of a 5K and explaining all the reasons why you can't do it, take a note from our Girls on the Run (GOTR) team - you can do it!

When we started back in September, the girls were a bit skeptical.  Run how many times around the school field?  We started there with a simple math lesson: the school field is 1/6 mile, our goal is 3.1 miles, 3.1 times 6?  They thought we had pretty much lost our minds as they collected their popsicle stick lap counters and laced on their bead mile markers.  It wasn't long before they got bored of running laps and were ready to hit the street.  Our little band of 25 girls, teachers, and coaches became a familiar sight around the neighborhood at 3:30 p.m.

The color of the year: orange

Indoors, we talked about standing up for ourselves and being positive.  We talked about personal affirmations, finding personal characteristics that we could take pride in.  We pushed the girls to go beyond "I am awesome" and "I can do anything" to get to "I am a good pianist" and "I'm helpful to my mother" and "I'm beautiful."  I do believe that for some of them, it was the first time that they admitted "I am good at math" out loud.  We encouraged them to cheer each other on and say "good job" as they ran past each other on their laps.

Girl Power!  Our GOTR team getting ready to go

For the past ten weeks, twice a week, we've been meeting and talking and running.  Yesterday, we met early in the morning, dressed in our orange GOTR t-shirts and our blue and gray bandanas and gloves, representing our school colors.  Our families came out to run with us and to cheer us on - moms and dads with cameras, younger siblings in strollers, brothers and sisters with signs.  When we crossed the finish line, each girl felt a true sense of accomplishment - she really did this!  And I did, too - this was my first 5K that I've actually run the entire distance - a personal best for me.

Our ribbons of team & GOTR colors

Now that it's all over, I hope the girls will take this feeling of accomplishment with them.  Perhaps, like me, when they are in the midst of something that feels impossible, they'll remind themselves, "hey, I finished that 5K, surely I can do this."  Sometimes it just takes doing one great thing to give you the confidence to do another great thing.  I hope that these girls will keep on running.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

If You Send a Kid to the Book Fair...

Today, I’m writing from my kids’ PTA book fair. It’s where I’ve been for the past 4 days, where I’ll be tomorrow. It’s my annual big haul volunteering activity – getting in a good 30+ hours in one big chunk. Then I don’t feel guilty for not making pumpkins at Halloween or helping cut hearts on Valentine’s Day.

Enter our "Oasis of Reading."
Yes, it took all of my art skills to make the palm tree in the desert.

Over the period of these five days, we’ll have about 400 kids come through, looking at books and making their wish lists.  Some portion of the kids will come back and purchase the books on their wish list, or books and items that are not.  For those parents sending in money for these purchases, here’s a few tips from my side of the cash register to make sure your kid is coming home with what you expect.

• Review the titles of your child’s selections. Look at the book flyer or the online site, if these are available; ask your child what the books are, if not.  Many children come in with their money and buy diaries and stationary sets. That’s fine and fun – unless you intended them to come home with something to read. There are also often adult bestsellers. Not 50 Shades, but maybe a Jodi Piccoult book for the parents and teachers who wander through.  Some of them have pretty covers and interesting titles, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you want your fourth-grader reading it.

• If you are sending a check, do send it payable to the school, PTA, or appropriate organization. Reconsider sending a blank check with your six-year old.

• If you are sending cash, do send a moderate amount, somewhere close to the amount of their books. I can’t tell you how many kids come in with a $50 bill, purchase a $4.99 book and leave with $45 cash in their backpack. If you’re okay with that, that’s fine. Me? It makes me nervous.

• Be clear with your child how they are to spend their money.  Are they supposed to spend it all on fun stuff like googly-eye pens and scented erasers or maybe buy a book?  Yes, you would think that if you give your kid $20, they would figure out that you expect them to come home with at least one book from the book fair. But yes, some kids will spend it all on posters, gigantic pencils, and chocolate calculators.

• Encourage your kid to read! It’s amazing how excited the kids are when they come in the book fair. Even if you think your kid doesn’t like to read, in running the book fair for at least 4 years now, I can say there’s not been a kid who has come in and not smiled a little bit at the idea of getting a book all his own.  When they bring that new book home – whether a chapter book, graphic novel, blank diary – encourage them to read it or write in it or write something like it.  Keep the excitement going. 

Enjoy the book fair!

We're counting down to #GivingTuesday and reflecting on how we do and can give back to our community.  If you are a parent, how do you support your schools?  Let us know in the Comments below. 

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Kayaks, Campfires, and S'mores

We trekked out to Cape Henlopen this past weekend for our annual Girl Scouts trip. We had a great time and I think the girls might've actually learned a few things while we were gone. Imagine that!

The weather was beautiful for hanging out at the beach.  For September, that means sitting on the beach in a cozy sweatshirt - for adults. For teenage girls it means running into the cold water and acting like its not cold at all.  That's where my duty as Troop Leader kicks in to make sure no-one gets swept away in a tide or shivers to death.  We also enjoyed kayaking.  Last year, we were on a nearby river because of the high waves, this year, the guides decided to let us brave the waves.

Kayaking at Cape Henlopen

One of the girls was really nervous about kayaking, the tide and cold was not helping. After a few minutes in the boat, she demanded to be let out back on shore.  She watched her fellow troop members for about 10 minutes, and then softly suggested that she might try again. She took a deep breath and climbed in the boat with me and we paddled on down the shore a little ways.  When we were back on the sand she sighed, smiled, and said she was glad she tried it again.  To me, that's the whole point of these adventures - not to make them expert kayakers, but to build the girls' self-confidence and learn to deal with their fears and nervousness.

Back at our site, we worked on our camp-cooking skills.  Forget the hotdogs and pot of beans.  I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich.  Cheese and a flat-bread wrap, wrapped up in foil and thrown on the grill - it was delicious!  For dessert we had Campfire Apple Crisp. Last year we made banana s'mores and peach cobbler, we're expanding our camp dessert repertoire.

Campfire Apple Crisps

• Slice the apples, one apple per girl
• Place the apple slices on foil
• Sprinkle with oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon - to each individual's taste
• Wrapped up the foil, making sure to close the packets so any steam would stay inside
• Put the apple packets over the hot coals/campfire.

We let them cook long enough to enjoy lunch and a game of volleyball.  We opened them up and - tada! - enjoyed moist, sweet individual apple crisps.  I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of "let's cook with the kids for the sake of fun," but I do believe kids need to be taught to cook.  These were really easy to make and something the girls could try with their families at home, using the oven.  They can even expand their cooking by trying different fruits like  peaches and blueberries.

Do you ever outgrow S'Mores?

And as Girl Scouts, everyone's got to contribute to the event.  Our assignment was supplying the s'mores for the big campfire. Yes, chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers for 150+ girls and leaders.  Accompanied by guitar playing and campfire songs.  And as it always seems at the beach - lots and lots of stars!

Find out more about the Girl Scouts at the official website - www.girlscouts.org.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Happy 100th, Girls!

Girl Scout Mission: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

As a Girl Scout, I’ve enjoyed ice skating and bowling.  I’ve learned about the native cultures of the other girls in my troop, while tasting homemade tortillas and injera and sipping Jamaican soda.  I’ve used all my inventory control skills in managing sales of 200-300 cases of Thin Mints and Samoas.  And I survived camping, in the mountains in early spring and in the woods at 32 degrees – the hiking, the canoeing, sitting around a campfire and toasting marshmallows for s’mores.  I have to be organized for my bi-weekly meetings and have my assignments done, learn to get along with others, and get over being nervous about speaking and singing in front of others.  I hope my girls are having as much fun as I am!

Like most parents, when my girls were invited by school friends to join their Brownie troop, I also became a part of Girl Scouts.  I thought I found a safe place as “cookie mom” and then I was convinced to become the Troop Leader.  Other than being insanely over-committed, I looked forward to the opportunity to spend a little extra time with Breeze, my middle daughter, in a way that would be uniquely her own activity (all three of my girls are scouts, but its me and the middle one who are Juniors together).  Every other week, I experience one of my most exhausting hours – corralling 15 4^th and 5^th graders into an active, learning activity to earn a badge.  We’ve discussed goal setting (what do we want to do this year) and budgeting (what are we going to do with our cookie money), committed to community service (donating food to a local pantry and sending cookies to servicemen serving abroad), and making the right choices, while singing, painting, and, yes, even sewing.  My girls often come straight from the soccer fields in muddy cleats or rushing in from music lessons, but they are consistent in coming every other week because being a Girl Scout is a little bit different from their activities.  There’s no score, there’s no competition.  It’s the chance for the girls to get together in a social setting, where they learn to work together and enjoy each other’s company.

Today marks the 100^th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts, a celebration of Juliette Gordon Lowe’s plan to offer girls the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually through community service and physical activity.

Everyone can encourage the development of girls through the Girl Scouts: 

• Volunteer - make a commitment to volunteer with your daughter’s troop – chaperone a trip, take a snack for a meeting, lead an activity.

• Join – to get your daughter involved in scouting, contact the Girl Scout council in your area to find a local troop.  

• Inspire – women, offer to visit a troop and tell them about your career and your education, volunteer with a troop, be a role model

• Support - buy a box of cookies when you pass by them at the grocery store – the troops use the proceeds to fund their activities (can't seem to find any Girl Scouts - check the Cookie Locator)

• Donate – make a donation at the cookie booths - most troops will in turn donate the cookies to another well-deserving group like our local firemen or service men serving abroad

 

Then, collect your graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate and make yourself a s’more in honor of the Girl Scouts.  And if you are/were a Girl Scout, share a favorite memory or Girl Scout song!

*try something new - see my post a few days ago for a delicious Cookie Brownie