Around February, shoppers may start to notice those brightly colored boxes and big smiles at the supermarkets and other businesses around town. Your home might receive a knock on the door from an eager young lady or two wearing a green vest covered in patches and carrying a clipboard.
Everyone loves Girl Scout cookie time, featuring delicious Thin Mints, mouthwatering Samoas (my favorite), crunchy Trefoils and more. The rush to get them begins and only lasts for a short period of time.
Cookie season is super busy and a vital fundraiser, with the industrious young ladies earning about $1 per box. Other fundraisers include selling Christmas wreaths, t-shirts, holding car washes and more. Dollars raised through these endeavors are available to fund a variety of fun activities for the girls throughout the year.
But what happens when cookie season ends? The Girl Scouts of the High Desert, like many troops, are busy year-round.
Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, the Girls Scouts has grown into a thriving international institution over the years. Low imagined a movement where girls would come together and embrace their unique strengths and passions. Her dream has now spread around the world. Presently, the organization has over 10 million members in more than 150 countries. From Taylor Swift to Hillary Clinton, many notable figures have been Girl Scouts.
Leading Troop 10324 in Bend are dedicated adults Amber Schmied, Annie Little and Niki Savage – who’s also my wife. When asked what they like best about being leaders, Savage stated, “I have loved to watch them grow and evolve into unique individuals over the years. I am amazed at what great problem solvers they have become.”
Though troops have adult leaders, the most important thing is to create an environment where activities are girl-led, thus providing opportunities for them to build confidence and leadership skills. Little added, “Girls can make their experience anything they want, and they have the scaffolding for
‘safe fails’ as they try things they aren’t exposed to in school.”
Throughout the year, Girl Scouts earn badges in areas ranging from First Aid to coding, sportsmanship to robotics; there is literally something offered for every interest and predilection. This past spring, Troop 10324 took a trip to Medford (paid for by cookie sales) and became certified in CPR and babysitting.
At Suttle Lake, hosted by the Girl Scouts of the High Desert, the annual Camporee takes place in October and is open to any Girl Scout anywhere who wants to attend. Activities at camp include safety and outdoor skills like archery, fire building, canoeing, lashing, wood chopping and more. The girls also participate in team-building games and arts and crafts.
The young ladies are also very active in the local community. Most recently, Troop 10324 volunteered at the Giving Plate in Bend, where they sorted food and checked for expired cans. Also recently, at the Ronald McDonald House, the troop helped prepare meals for the people staying there.
Additionally, local leader and mom, Laurel Waring, created the Travel Patrol, which is a collective of girls from a few different troops who are eager to explore beyond Central Oregon. So far, they have traveled to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. Next summer the girls plan to go abroad to Switzerland, France and England!
When asked why she started the Travel Patrol, Waring said, “Many girls are interested in travel and want to explore new places. Being girl-led, they get to decide where to go and what we’ll do on every trip, with the added benefits of learning to budget, earn money, develop contingency plans, etc. The Travel Patrol creates opportunities unmatched by other programs since the girls make the decisions and build the skills.”
Other local leaders recently formed a spin-off called the Girl Scout Trailblazer troop that focuses on backpacking, hiking and survival skills – perfect for the Bend area.
Participation in Girl Scouts creates confident, well-rounded young ladies. They also forge lasting friendships and strong community connections. These diverse activities cultivate social, entrepreneurial and practical skills. With this wealth of knowledge, they enter adulthood with the tools to become the catalysts for change in the world.
We could all benefit from following the Girl Scout slogan: “Do a good turn daily.” If your child is interested in becoming a Girl Scout, or if you are an adult interested in volunteering, fall is a great time to register and get involved.
Learn more at
mygs.girlscouts.org
This article appears in BendNest Fall 2024.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
