Appreciating Girl Scout/Guide Volunteers

Contents

32 Thyme, the Spice of Life

Time marches on, I've been told this is true,
So many commitments - will they ever be through?
Get the kids off to school, do the shopping and cook;
Their jobs, their committees, they could write a book!
They'd include all the shortcuts they take every day,
To make sure that Guiding/Scouting fits in on the way.
Because, as you know, it entails quite a lot:
Make a fire, work on badges, bring treats, tie a knot.
Their work could go on until midnight or more,
But they really won't mind, it's the girls they adore.
So in order to keep them in step at that pace,
We've bottled spare thyme for them - just in case!
Enjoy your thyme in Girl Guides/Scouts!

[Poem attached to small spice jars to use for leader appreciation - author unknown]

33 Toast to the Long-suffering Husband of the Volunteer Worker

Here's to the man---the poor, poor man
Whose busy wife does all she can
To make his home as precious as pearls,
While she's out "Scouting" with the girls.
He leaves for work in the gray, gray dawn,
The phone starts ringing the moment he's gone,
When he comes home he finds a note
And this is what his wifey wrote...
"Tonight I'll be a little late,
But on the table I put your plate,
Now don't forget to watch the stew
And keep your eye on the children, too.
That handkerchief I forgot to press,
But I couldn't wear a wrinkled dress!
I have an appointment to keep, you see
Tomorrow, I'll try to iron you three.
The laundry brought your shirts today
But I didn't get them put away.
Just clean a place upon the shelf,
I do feel I should have done it myself.
I had to use the car, today,
I backed it out the very same way
I've seen you do it ten times or more
But, darling, I hit the old garage door.
I'll have to have it tomorrow, too
I'm taking the "Scouts" out to the zoo.
No, it won't take much gasoline,
And could you manage to wash it clean?
Of course it's raining, but please don't fret,
They couldn't possibly get the cushions wet.
Oh, yes, I remember the trip before --
They only got mud on the seat and the floor.
No really, folks this isn't all true
But if it were, he'd see her through
He really thinks she's a pretty swell gal
And working with Scouts makes her a real pal.
So here's to the man, the lucky man,
Whose busy wife does all she can
To guide our daughters from strife and sorrow,
For they'll be the "Leaders of Tomorrow..."

Author Unknown

34 Top 10 Reasons Why I'm in Girl Scouting

10 --- My basement was empty and needed remodeling anyway
9 --- I get to wear a nifty uniform
8 --- I like the smell of calomine lotion
7 --- I enjoy going to the bathroom in the woods
6 --- I'm in it for the crafts
5 --- I'm allergic to house chores (needed something to fill the void)
4 --- I get quality time with my daugher and a dozen or so of her closest friends
3 --- It's a great way to collect coffee mugs
2 --- I needed a tax write off
1 --- It only takes an hour a week!!

35 Two Frogs

Two frogs were out for a walk one day, and they came to a big bowl of heavy cream. In looking into it they both fell in. One said: "This is a new kind of water to me. How can a fellow swim in stuff like this? it is no use trying." So he sank to the bottom and was drowned through having no pluck.

But the other frog was more determined, and he struggled to swim, using his arms and legs to try to keep himself afloat; and whenever he felt he was sinking he struggled harder than ever, and never gave up hope.

At last, just as he was getting so tired that he thought he must give it up, a curious thing happened. All his hard work with his arms and legs had churned up the cream so much that he suddenly found himself standing all safe amidst pillows of ... whipped cream!

So when things look bad just smile and sing to yourself, as the thrush sings: "Stick to it, stick to it, stick to it," and you will come through all right.

36 Volunteers, God Bless Them

Many will be shocked to find
When the day of judgement nears
That there's a special place in heaven
Set aside for volunteers.

Furnished with big recliners,
Satin couches and footstools,
Where there's no committee chairman,
No group leaders or car pools.

No forms to fill out, signs to make,
No bazaar or bake sale,
Not a thing to staple, patch or tape
And nothing to fold or mail.

Telephone lists will be outlawed,
But a finger snap will bring
Cool drinks and gourmet dinners
And treats fit for a king.

You ask, "Who'll serve these privileged few
And work for all they're worth?"
Why, all those who reaped the benefits
And not once volunteered on Earth.

---contributed by Cheryl Hamm

37 Volunteer's Change Purse

...contains a SMILE
When you wear your smile it lifts the spirits of others, spreads a little laughter, warms a cold heart, and calms the fears of a child. Your smile can bring change to all you meet.
...and a CANDLE
When you light your candle it sheds a small light, spreads a golden glow, gives a gentle warth and lights another candle. The candle light represents the change your life can bring to others.
...a small PEBBLE
Just as your pebble, when tossed into the water, causes those waters to dance and the ripples to spread, so too, you, working, living, being with others can bring change to their lives.
...and a HEART
The heart represents your life which can bring light, warth, music, and joy into the lives of those around you.
Your gift of yourself can do anything for anyone, anywhere, anytime. Working with others, your life can bring...CHANGE!
Composed by Anne Simmons
Western Reserve Girl Scout Council, Akron, Ohio

38 We Are 'Only' Leaders

We are not experts. We're your next door neighbors.We're not perfect---we're just parents like you. We don't have anymore spare time or energy than you do...we all work full time and juggle our families and our schedules and try to keep it together as best we can. The only difference between us is that we believe in what Girl Scouting has to offer. So much that we contribute our time, our miles and our talents to help our daughters and your daughters grow in scouting.

We complete authorization forms, budgets and registrations and fill our homes with boxes of paperwork that you will never see. We are required to take 13-14 hours of training our first year as well as attend Service Unit meetings every month so that we can meet our greatest challenge---providing a variety of programs which meet the needs and interest of 8..10..12...very individual little girls. We try to involve parents who want us to understand that they don't have the time to drive on outings or help at meetings.

We rejoice at the generosity of others. Sometimes we find ourselves going in too many different directions. We run out of steam. Memory lapses. Communication lines break down. Time slips by. But that does not mean we don't care. So many evenings we spend on the phone..seeking advice and support from other leaders when disappointments or problems occur. "How do I keep my girls attention?" "What are your ideas for a ceremony?" "How do you work with girls in three different grades?

Our dining room tables are covered with pre-cut and sorted craft supplies for each and every girl in the troop--a couple of whom won't show up and don't think to call and let us know. Sometimes we feel unappreciated. Yet these same little girls can fill us with pride at their determination and accomplishments. Their smiles light a room;and when they say "thank you"'it makes it all worth it. We help these girls build relationships. Some struggle more than others.

Consideration,fairness and kindness toward all is encouraged by The Promise and Law of the Girl Scout Movement; and sometimes, we too, must learn these lessons over and over again with the girls. But...we are willing to keep learning. Please be patient if we appear distracted or frustrated or overwhelmed at times. Forgive us if we are not the kind of Girl Scout leader you would be if you had the time. Instead, provide us with encouragement or offer your help. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are,after all, only mentors...role models...leaders...Volunteers who have taken an oath to give these girls the most precious gift we have to offer ...the gift of time.

39 We Have Taken Responsibility

From the closing remarks by Sondra Burnett, retiring President of the Northwest Georgia Girl Scout Council:

"I am so proud to be a part of this organization. Because we walk our talk. We are action oriented. We are value based. And we are committed to our mission. We have made a commitment . . that Girl Scouts is and should be available to all girls. This organization and this Council in particular has taken responsibility. I am reminded of a poem for which I have taken a few liberties. Paraphrased, it goes like this:

We have taken responsibility for girls ...
who sneak popsicles before supper
who erase holes in math notebooks
who can never find their shoes
And we have taken responsibility for those
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers
who never "counted potatoes"
who were born in places we wouldn't be caught dead
who never go to the circus
who live in an x-rated world
We have taken responsibility for girls
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions
who hugs us in a hurry and forget their lunch money
who hug us and have no lunch money
who wear our values as naturally as breathing
and who learn and embrace our values as a way of becoming and being
We have taken responsibility for those
who never get dessert
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them
who don't have any rooms to clean up
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser
whose monsters are real
We have taken responsibility for girls
who spend their allowance before Thursday
who like ghost stories
who shove dirty clothes (and everything else) under the bed
who get visits from the tooth fairy
who don't like to be kissed in front of the car pool
who squirm in church or temple and scream on the phone
whose tears we sometimes laugh at ... and whose smiles can make us cry
And we have taken responsibility for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime
who will eat anything and those who will eat everything (!)
who have never seen a dentist
who are spoiled by everyone
who aren't spoiled by anyone
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep
who live and move, but have no being
We have taken responsibility for those who want to be carried
and for those who must,
for those we never give up on and for those
who don't get a second chance
For those we smother ... and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it

I'm so proud because I know we have, and we will continue, to offer our hand to them so that no girl is left behind because we did not act. Because we have taken responsibility, our girls too, will one day be responsible, caring, self-confident citizens ... not only able to survive but thrive.

Thank you for making this the experience of a lifetime. My life has been inextricably altered because of you. Thank you staff, volunteers, supporters, and donors, Board and Committee members and most importantly, thank you girls! While I'll no longer wield your gavel, I hope to forever remain in service to you and this stellar organization. Love ... Peace ... and May God Bless!"

40 What is a Girl?

She is the person who is going to carry on what you have started in the world.
She is going to sit where you are sitting, and when you are gone, attend to those things you think are so important.
She is going to take over your committees, your home and school, your bridge club, your sewing circle, your coffee meetings.
You can adopt all the policies you please, but how they are carried out in her age, will depend on her.
She is going to marry your son and she is going to rock the cradle of your grandchild.
She is going to share in the control of your your town, your state, your nation.
She is going to have a voice in your schools, your civic activities, your churches, your universities and corporations.
She is going to be in charge of your woods, your forests, parks and wildlife reserves, and all your natural resources.
How she pursues a full and rewarding life depends on the direction she is following now.
Her individual search for happiness will be determined by the set of values she is amassing now.
All your work is going to be judged, praised and condemned by her.
Her future is in your hands, but your reputation and your life in your old age are in her hands.
So it as well to pay some attention and to give her some of your hands NOW !

41 What is a Girl Scout Leader?

Somewhere between the strictness of a parent and the comradeship of a pal is that mysterious creature we call a Girl Scout leader. These leaders come in all shapes and sizes and may be male or female. But they all have one thing in common, a glorious twinkle in their eyes.

Girl Scout leaders are found everywhere: on field trips and camp outs, at square dances and contests. They are always preparing for, sitting through, participating in, or recuperating from a meeting of some kind. They are tireless consumers of cookies, experts on threading needles, and peerless leaders of songs and games. They have telephones stuck in their ears, a jar of glue at their fingertips, ashes in their hair, and blisters on their feet.

A Girl Scout leader is many things: an artist making a display for an event, a nurse patching up a skinned knee, a counselor at camp, a lawyer filling out reports, and shoulder to cry on when a project just doesn't work.

Nobody else is so early to rise and so late home at night. Nobody else has so much fun with such a large family of girls.

We sometimes forget them, but we can't do without them. They receive no salary, but we can never repay them.

They are angels in green and saints in sleeping bags. Their only reward is the love of the kids and the respect of the community. But when they look around them at the skills they've taught and the young people they've helped, there's an inner voice that says, "Well done!"

42 What is a Girl Scout Volunteer?

A Girl Scout volunteer is someone who:

Used to have a _little_ time to spare.
Saw something that needed to be done, and couldn't persuade her conscience to let someone else do it.
Wages a constant battle to keep her Girl Scout Stuff confined to one corner, then one room. then one house.
Cheerfully endures inroads on her own pleasure and convenience because she is beckoned by a goal that overshadows them.
Is young at heart because youth comes, not from a fountain, but from exposure to those who have it.
Gives to fill inner needs, be it with hamburgers, hugs or encouragement.
Has a pet conservation project that is our young people, because she considers them to be our greatest natural resource.
Sees the beauty in the budding personality of a child and wants to preserve and enhance that beauty as it comes to full bloom.
Is willing to give of her time, patience, and herself to leave the world better than she found it.
Is the living fulfillment of the phrase "...to help where I am needed."

Author Unknown (Shared by Troop 2593)

43 Why Be A Volunteer

It's not for money, it's not for fame,
It's not for any personal gain,
It's just for love of fellow man,
It's just to give a helping hand,
It's just to give a little of onself,
That's something you can't buy with wealth,
It's not medals worn with pride,
It's for that feeling deep inside
It's your reward down in your heart,
It's feeling that you've been a part
Of helping others far and near.
That's what makes one want to ...BE A VOLUNTEER!

Author Unknown

44 Why I'm a Girl Scout Leader

From the Suncoast Beacon...

I'm not a Girl Scout Leader for the easy hours, high pay, parents' gratitude, power or prestige. I'm a leader because I want the world for your daughter and mine.---a world she can share and help shape; a world of love and laughter where she can show compassion.

I want her to look at the stars, a sunrise, the work and world of man---to feel its beauty insider herself.

I want to help her learn to finish anything she starts and do it well, and to guide her to know her worth with a deeper understanding of herself.

I want to shape women who have strength of character and are sensitive to the needs of others.

I want them to be the best they can be---whether as career women or as homemakers; wives and mothers who are the heart of the family.

In giving of myself and my time, I reap rewards far beyond what I give. I receive for my children and future generations a better world.

I'm a Girl Scout Leader because I care.

45 Work

Facing reality, we must accept that:

10% of the people do 80% of the work,
20% of the people do 10% of the work,
70% of the people do no work at all, but sit around and complain about how much better the result would be if they had done it.

You may note that 10% of the work never gets done.

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