An anthology of material that serves to recognize and appreciate the time and effort expended by Girl Scout and Girl Guide volunteers everywhere, and also reminds us of why we keep doing this.

Compiled by

Neil Savage

Exeter, New Hampshire

Contents

1 A Careful Soul

By Ley Cash - San Gorgonio Girl Scout Council

• A careful soul I have to be,
• A little Girl Scout follows me.
• To a narrow path I must stay,
• For if I don't, she too, will stray.
• I must choose my deeds with care.
• For all I do, she too, will dare.
• My words I guard and softly speak
• And I must love the strong and the weak.
• Oh, I must be fair, from the start.
• And boldly lead with a steady heart.
• In all I say and all I do.
• I promise to strive to be true.
• Because you know ...
• Where're I go ...
• A careful soul I have to be.
• A little Girl Scout follows me!

• They're looking for volunteers again,
• Be quick and duck your head.
• Don't meet their eyes what ever you do,
• Or just pretend you're dead.
• Girl scouts and school and basketball,
• Soccer and PTO,
• Turn them down, every request,
• Be firm and just say no.
• I'm much too busy to help out,
• Others have much more time.
• It might cost me extra money,
• I don't have an extra dime.
• My work keeps me too busy,
• I've no time to relax,
• To spend time with some kids you see,
• Is way too much of a tax.
• And I've never volunteered before,
• I don't think that I know how,
• Everyone else knows more than me,
• At least they do right now.
• Others seem to know just what to do,
• They've a knack to sustain it,
• They must have done it all their lives,
• Nothing else can explain it.
• So rely on them for scout leaders
• For the girls and boys,
• They can coach my kid's baseball team,
• And deal with all the noise.
• They make this world a better place,
• I want my kids to learn that,
• Thats why I have them in the scouts,
• and sports and stuff like that.
• I guess that if I admit it to myself,
• I've a little time to spare.
• They say you can see a kids eyes light up,
• When they know you care.
• So come on and volunteer with me,
• We'll learn how it is done,
• I think that I will make the time,
• What it might even be is fun.

Adapted from the original poem by Paul Nepermann, Cub Master, Pack 153

3 Angel in Green

• Having left mortal earth I passed through Heaven's gate
• And while anxiously awaiting the outcome of my fate
• I walked among the angels all robed in purest white
• Whereupon I saw one figure that cast a greenish light.
• She sat upon a misty cloud, a harp held to her breast,
• In a flowing, blowing gown of green, unlike all the rest;
• I asked what great deed she'd done to earn the special hue
• That gave her color where others had none, or maybe just a few.
• She said, "On earth I sought no fame, fortune was not my goal
• I shunned the power of politics and worked without a toll;
• I spent time with children, helping them to grow
• For as you reap in life, so must you learn to sow."
• "You see," she said, "the dividend while growing up I'd share
• I repaid where many others were too self-involved to care;
• Girl Scouting was my choice of roads to follow in my quest
• For among the girls I found a love deeper than the rest."
• "A teacher was I, my work was hard, I had no diploma or pay
• But where family and institutions failed I helped them find the way;
• The lessons I taught were obscure and difficult to see
• For they didn't have names like spelling or math or geometry."
• "They were lessons in life delivered through guided experience
• And they taught such things as character, spirit, and confidence;
• Though on earth my life was blessed, it's even moreso today
• For when I look down I see my work as my girls show others the way."
• "On earth, Girl Scouting taught me to leave things better than before
• And the same applies to that mortal place where life never was a bore
• Now having lived by that Girl Scout rule in every earthly endeavor
• I have become an Angel in Green and shall be a Girl Scout forever."

Submitted by: Vicki Saldana
Vickisaldana@worldnet.att.net

4 Because You Said 'Yes'

Because you said 'yes':

• a young girl will feel the pride of being someone special as she carefully puts on her uniform for the very first time.
• a girl can move to a new town and have "instant friendships" with girls she might never have met.
• parents will experience that special pride when they listen to their daughter say the Girl scout Promise for the first time.
• bright eyes will become a little brighter with excitement as the kindling finally catches on the first campfire.
• nervous giggles will emit from tents as girls try to fall asleep their first night of camp.
• the community, and the world will be richer because a girl has learned the importance of caring for her environment, and the warm feeling that comes from giving service to someone less fortunate than herself.
• a parent will find a gold trefoil carefully tucked away in a drawer as their daughter packs to leave home for her first adventures as a young adult.
• a young woman will contact the Girl Scouts one day and say, "I had so much fun when I was a Girl Scout, I'd like to try being a Leader."

And the circle will continue...because you said, "YES"

5 Benefits List

Thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to show your interest in girl scouting. By joining Girl Scouts your daughter will be entering an organization with a tradition of helping girls to become self sufficient, productive members of society.

I have here a list of many of the benefits:

• Stay young by serving the young.
• Share fun times with other girls.
• Meet other great folks.
• Make and eat s'mores.
• Expand your own skills and talents.
• Create memories.
• Promote positive values in youth.
• March in parades.
• Expand your horizon of friends.
• Encourage girls to "Be Their Best."
• Get lots of help.
• Make a difference by helping others.
• Explore in a wide variety of new interests.
• Sleep in museums.
• Develop positive self esteem.
• Extend the sisterhood of Girl Scouting to all girls.
• Grow by trying new things.
• Make new friends.
• Go horseback riding.
• Help girls become well-rounded individuals.
• Model leadership and initiative.
• Get to know your daughter's friends' parents.
• Make a contribution to your community.
• Improve your resume.
• Go beyond your own limitations.
• Build wonderful memories.
• Learn about other cultures.
• Find a haven away from the stress' and demands of every day life.
• Try new things and go new places at a discount.
• Network with others who have similar interests.
• Guide girls into adulthood in a positive manner.
• Learn new skills.
• Live life to the fullest.
• Become known in your school as an active participant.
• Experience the joy of anothr person's admiration.
• See yourself in a new light.
• Brush up on your organizational skills.
• Learn life skills such as goal setting and budgeting.
• Never miss out on girl scout cookies.
• Enjoy the adventure of seeing someone try something new you showed them.
• Get to know your daughter better.
• Learn good values that will stay with you the rest of your lives.
• Contribute to the well being of someone in your community.
• Sing around a campfire.
• Give back to scouting what was given to you as a girl/boy scout.
• Be offerred opportunities that you might not otherwise have.
• Become self sufficient.
• Explore and encourage diversity in your community.
• Make an impact on other's lives.
• HAVE FUN

• Red---kills infection caused by patience worn thin
• Yellow---increases digestion, gives you new ideas
• Green--- gives you energy to keep up with the girls
• Orange---relieves tension (say no more)
• Blue---take when dealing with difficult parents
• Brown---for pain relief from all of the above

"Mommy, look!" cried my daughter, Darla, pointing to a chicken hawk soaring through the air.

"Uh huh," I murmured, driving, lost in thought about the tight schedule of my Day.

Disappointment filled her face. "What's the matter, Sweetheart?" I asked, entirely dense.

"Nothing," my seven-year-old said. The moment was gone. Near home, we slowed to search for the albino deer that comes out from behind the thick mass of trees in the early evening. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Tonight, she has too many things to do," I said.

"Dinner, baths and phone calls filled the hours until bedtime.

"Come on, Darla, time for bed!" She raced past me up the stairs. Tired, I kissed her on the cheek, said prayers and tucked her in.

"Mom, I forgot to give you something!" she said. My patience was gone.

"Give it to me in the morning," I said, but she shook her head.

"You won't have time in the morning!" she retorted.

"I'll take time," I answered defensively. Sometimes no matter how hard I tried, time flowed through my fingers like sand in an hourglass, never enough. Not enough for her, for my husband, and definitely not enough for me.

She wasn't ready to give up yet. She wrinkled her freckled little nose in anger and swiped away her chestnut brown hair.

"No, you won't! It will be just like today when I told you to look at the hawk. You didn't even listen to what I said."

I was too weary to argue; she hit too close to the truth. "Good night!" I shut her door with a resounding thud.

Later though, her gray-blue gaze filled my vision as I thought about how little time we really had until she was grown and gone.

My husband asked, "Why so glum?" I told him.

"Maybe she's not asleep yet. Why don't you check," he said with all the authority of a parent in the right. I followed his advice, wishing it was my own idea.

I cracked open her door, and the light from the window spilled over her sleeping form. In her hand I could see the remains of a crumpled paper. Slowly I opened her palm to see what the item of our disagreement had been.

Tears filled my eyes. She had torn into small pieces a big red heart with a poem she had written titled, "Why I Love My Mother!"

I carefully removed the tattered pieces. Once the puzzle was put back into place, I read what she had written:

• Why I Love My Mother
• Although you're busy, and you work so hard
• You always take time to play
• I love you Mommy because
• I am the biggest part of your busy day!

The words were an arrow straight to the heart. At seven years old, she had the wisdom of Solomon.

Ten minutes later I carried a tray to her room, with two cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When I softly touched her smooth cheek, I could feel my heart burst with love.

Her thick dark lashes lay like fans against her lids as they fluttered, awakened from a dreamless sleep, and she looked at the tray.

"What is that for?" she asked, confused by this late-night intrusion.

"This is for you, because you are the most important part of my busy day!" She smiled and sleepily drank half her cup of chocolate. Then she drifted back to sleep, not really understanding how strongly I meant what I said.

8 Eleven Commandments

For Girl Scouting to achieve its goals, those who work with adult volunteers need to remember these eleven commandments:

1. The girl comes first, and the adult volunteer comes second in Girl Scouting.
2. The Girl Scout volunteer is not dependent on her support team, the support team is dependent on her.
3. The Girl Scout volunteer is not an interruption of professional staff work, she is the purpose of it.
4. The Girl Scout volunteer does the program a favor when she shows up, the service team is not doing her a favor by supporting her.
5. The Girl Scout volunteer is not someone to argue or match wits with.
6. The Girl Scout volunteer is the person who brings the support team her wants: it is the support team's job to fill those wants.
7. The Girl Scout volunteer is part of our council, she is not an outsider.
8. Girls and adult volunteers are not cold statistics!
9. The girls and the adult volunteers are the ones who make it possible to pay the professionals their salaries.
10. The Girl Scout volunteer is deserving of the most courteous and attentive treatment that the support staff can give her!
11. The adult volunteer is the lifeblood of Girl Scouting.

• Dear Mother,
• When the Good Lord was creating mothers He was into His 6th day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
• And the Lord said, "Have you read the specification on this order?"
• "She has to be completely washable but not plastic"
• "Have 180 movable parts ...all replaceable"
• "Run on black coffee and leftovers"
• "Have a lap the disappears when she stands up"
• "A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair"
• "And 6 pairs of hands"
• The angel shook her head slowly and said, "6 pairs of hands....no way."
• "It's not the hands that are causing me the problems," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes that Mothers have to have."
• "That's in the standard model?" asked the angel.
• The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows.
• Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front so that she can look at a child when he goofs and say, 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word."
• "Lord," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "come to bed. Tomorrow ..."
• "I can't," said the Lord, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one that heals herself when she is sick ...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger ...and can get a 9 yr. old to stand under a shower."
• The angel circled the model of a Mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.
• "But tough!" said the Lord excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this Mother can do or endure."
• "Can it think?"
• "Not only think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.
• Finally, the angel bent over and ran a finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You You were trying to put too much into this model."
• "It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."
• "What's it for?"
• "It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride."
• "You are a genius," said the angel.
• The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there"

• For the bounteous help that you have given
• For the edge of sanity to which you were driven
• For all the skeeters that you had to slap
• For all the girls, for you they'll clap
• For another Scout chore so very well done
• For without you, actitivies would be none
• How to say Thank You in some new way
• Always floors me as to what to say
• But all of your work was done in glee
• Bright young faces are reward for thee.

• For every step taken on a wet and rocky trail.
• For every reminder note you didn't forget to mail.
• For every skinned knee you attended,
• For every broken heart you mended.
• For every burnt camping meal you ate,
• For every late parent on which you had to wait.
• For every tearful disappointment you heard,
• For every time you could've ... but did't say a word.
• For every ounce of laughter to a little girl you brought,
• For every midnight giggle your tired ears have caught!
• For every tear you've shed as they've grown up through the years.
• For every one of your Girl Scouts, now full of confidence, not fears.
• For every song you've sung,
• For every song you'll sing...
• Thank you...Girl Scout Leader... simply put...for everything!

by LaDonna Albert

12 A Few Wise Sayings

Do a deed of simple kindness; Though its end you may not see, It may reach, like widening ripples, down a long eternity.

--- Joseph Norris

We attract hearts by the qualities we display; we retain them by the qualities we possess.

--- Jean Baptiste Antoine Suard

You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others.

--- Henry Drummond

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

--- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Discipline yourself daily by having a plan...not just vague, wishful thinking. Commit yourself daily to do something however small, for somebody else, for by making other people happy you will find true happiness yourself.

--- Lady Olave Baden-Powell

13 Gifts

• I give to you the adventure of seeing a girl try something new.
• The joy of seeing a girl smile at you as she sings around a campfire.
• The pride in seeing her progress in understanding herself, her troop, her community, and the world.
• The friendship of the truest of friends, the heritage and future of a great Movement, and the gift of a youthful spirit.

• I dreamed I went to Heaven
• And saw among the dead
• An Angel dressed in Green
• A halo 'round her head.
• And she looked kind of funny
• Midst all the glaring white,
• The others asked her jealously
• What gave her such right?
• I'm just a Girl Scout Leader;
• I lay no hold to fame;
• But being such a person
• Means more than just the name.
• My jobs on earth were many;
• Praises and thanks were few.
• I did more work in one day,
• Than ten people ought to do.
• I was a tin can cooker,
• A hiker, a pathfinder;
• I've also been an artist,
• A sailor, a bookbinder.
• I taught jumping jills to dance,
• I taught parrots to sing:
• I made saints out of hoodlums,
• While mama had her fling.
• I walked the streets till my feet
• Felt like a ton of brick,
• Selling Girl Scout Cookies now
• The mere thought makes me sick.
• But it was all a lot of fun;
• Life never was a bore,
• See --- This role isn't new to me,
• "I've been an angel before."

From: Ken-O-Valley, Ohio, Girl Scout Council

15 I'm a Girl Girl Scout Leader

• I am a Girl Scout leader, I own a hot glue gun,
• A 3-ring notebook, an American flag, and a seven-passenger van.
• I know all about Safety-Wise, permission slips, and registration forms.
• I save bits of string, scraps of fabric, old tin cans,
• And a whole garage full of recyclables.
• I am a Girl Scout leader.
• I get excited over paper sack kites that really fly,
• Girls who remember to bring their books,
• And a perfectly toasted marshmallow.
• I ooh and ah at crayon-drawn pictures,
• Cheer for a paper kickball game,
• And sing "I'm a Stinky Little Skunk" at troop meetings.
• I once wept with a Girl Scout who just found out her parents were getting a divorce.
• I am a Girl Scout leader.
• I have twisted and turned new Brownies at the pond,
• Herded unruly girls along museum tours,
• Proven myself outdoors building a fire,
• And quietly panicked upon sight of a spider.
• I have threatened to quit more than once,
• But I am still a Girl Scout leader.
• My card says I'm trained.
• But I know I still have a lot to learn from other leaders,
• My service unit, and especially my girls.
• And I still have one more lesson to teach.
• I will not give up on any of my girls,
• So I am still a Girl Scout leader.
• I like to think there is a special place in heaven reserved for leaders.
• Surely they would have a need for bird feeders and situpons,
• And someone who could love a giggling Girl Scout.
• I hope when I die there is a hot glue gun plugged in and waiting.
• For ... I am a Girl Scout leader!

Original poem (I am a Den Leader) by Julie H. Erickson,
adapted by Barb Hunter

16 Informal (Fun) Appreciation Awards

• Bear. For bearing up under pressure (plastic bear with a tire gauge, mounted)
• Ball. For being 'on the ball'; we had a ball (styrofoam ball with pipe cleaner person on top; ball of any kind, mounted)
• Banana. For having the greatest a-peal (wax or plasitic banana, mounted)
• Bean. You've been (bean) wonderful! (lima or other large bean, mounted)
• Best Foot Forward. Wooden ruler; sock with the toe cut off)
• Big Heart. For real dedication (red heart pillow or red heart candy box)
• Bounce. For one who bounced back and softened our hearts (sheet of fabric softener)
• Cheer. Box of Cheer laundry soap.
• Covered the Topic. For a workshop presenter (large platic lid)
• Crutch. For being someone we can always lean on.
• Dog. For someone worked like a dog (dog biscuit or rubber bone, mounted)
• Eggs. For an eggs-cellent job or an eggs-citing idea (egg shells or plastic egg, mounted)
• Eye-opening Performance. Box of tooth picks.
• Eyes on U. We're keeping our eyes on you (button or googly eyes mounted on a large felt letter "U")
• Fizz. For adding pizazz to our undertaking (container of Alka Seltzer tables, mounted)
• Football. For being willing to tackle the job (toy football)
• Fresh Air. For bringing a fresh approach (roll of mints or Certs)
• Funny Bone. For entertaining us; resolving a situation with humor (feather mounted to a rubber/plastic/real bone)
• Hat's Off. Our hats are off to you (real hat; toy hat, mounted)
• Head and Shoulders Above the Rest. Upper part of plastic doll mounted above a piece of wood so the head is about the wood.
• Helping Hand. Outline of a hand traced on construction paper, mounted; stuffed glove on a dowel)
• Ice Cream. For someone who can lick any job (cotton wadding in sugar/wafer ice cream cone, mounted)
• Knocked Yourself Out. Small hammer or mini bat, mounted.
• Knot. For someone who tied it all together (square or overhand knot sprayed gold, mounted)
• Key. You've been the key to our success.
• Lollipop. See Ice Cream Award (large sucker, mounted)
• Marbles. For a marble-ous job; (bag of marbles; two or three marbles, mounted)
• Million Thanks. Play money in denominations adding up to $1,000,000.
• Needle and Thread. For keeping is in stiches.
• N'ice Job. Box of N'ice cough drops.
• Noteworthy. Small notepad, mounted
• Nuts. We're nuts about you; you had to be nuts to take on this task (bag of nuts; 2 or 3 nuts, mounted, large walnut on a string)
• Plunger. For plunging right in (small sink plunger)
• Raisin Pay. For the deserving ones (a pyramid of raisins, glued to a backing)
• Record-breaker. Split vinyl record, mounted.
• Ringy-Dingy. For phone bank organizer (plastic toy phone; two cans on a string)
• Right Arm. Cardboard arm with hand in the Scout sign; doll's right arm.
• Right Foot. For starting us off right (outline of a foot traced on construction paper, mounted)
• Rock. Mounted
• Rose. You rose to the occassion (artificial or ribbon rose)
• Rubber Band. For banding us together; expanding our knowledge; showing flexibility.
• Scout Spirit. Make a ball-and-rag ghost doll.
• Seashell. For a 'shell' of a good job (large seashell, mounted)
• Shining Example. Mirror, mylar, or metal foil
• Spark. For someone who supplied the spark to get the project going (spark plug, mounted; Independence Day sparkler, mounted)
• Spoon. For a banquet organizer (wooden spoon, mounted)
• Stake. For those with commitment---a stake in the Scouting program (a tent stake; certificate for steak dinner)
• Static Guard. The 'static' has vanished since you joined the group.
• Stuck With It. A roll of tape; glue stick.
• T-rific. Golf tee or tea bags, mounted.
• Target. For keeping us on target, making our target (facsimile archery target, mounted)
• Toilet Paper. For managing the all-important paperwork.
• Toothpick. Appologize for being picky.
• Trix. For utilizing your bag of tricks (Trix cereal in a bag)
• Udderly Fabulous. Blown up latex glove.
• Welcome Aboard. Strip of wood with word "Welcome" painted on it.
• Well Done. Burnt slice of toast, perserved and mounted
• Whale. For a whale of a job (toy plastic whale, mounted)