Volunteer Appreciation Month 2018

Nancy Reynolds

Nancy Reynolds has been a Girl Scout Volunteer for over 40 years. In her words, she’s “pushing 70” and has been a leader and mentor to more than 1,000 young people!

Nancy began her journey in Girl Scouting in the 70s, when she took up the mantle of troop leader when her daughter’s troop disbanded. And as Nancy recalls, they were a “wild’ group! Clearly, that didn’t stop her from devoting her life to enriching, and in many cases improving, the lives of girls.

Nancy keeps in touch with around half of her former Girl Scout troop members, which is incredibly impressive, as many of them came from poverty and transient lifestyles. She’s always been dedicated to seeing her girls get into college, and encourages them to earn their Gold Award.

In fact, for as long as Nancy can remember, every annual camping trip she had with her troop, she asks her girls to sit in a circle and share what they admire about each other. But two years ago, for the first time ever, one of her girls told Nancy what they admire about her! And what did she say?

 “What I admire most about you is you’re dedicated to seeing me get to college.”

It was an amazing and rewarding moment for Nancy.

So with so many years of experience, what are her tips for being a great troop leader?

• Meet often. That’s when the relationship builds. (And encourage parents to join, too!)
• Be a continuous presence in their lives – kids need consistency, especially if they aren’t getting it at home or at school.
• Empower the girls to make their own rules for the troop, and to hold each other accountable to them. It builds listening and respect.
• Keep it simple, and make it visual. All girls learn in different ways, so sometimes having visual aids when you normally wouldn’t can help more than you might think.
• Don’t be absent during snack time! That’s when your girls let their guard down and let their personalities shine! You will learn a lot listening to their conversations.
• And don’t forget to stress the importance of the Girl Scout Law and Promise!

“Our Girl Scout Law connects with becoming somebody,” Nancy says. “If you look at the law, the promise, it’s all of life’s skills. If you can live the Law, you can live a good life.”

 Even after a series of health issues, Nancy is still dedicated to her troop. She is overcoming her illness and is back at it with her troop!

 “Girl Scouts has been a great thing for me. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t die yet. I still have eight years with my current troop!”

 Nancy’s legacy will always be a part of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, and we are eternally grateful for everything she’s done for girls in our state. You are a superstar volunteer!

Ayana Sheperd

Ayana Shepherd became a troop leader for her daughter. Ayana wanted to do whatever she could to give her the best Girl Scouting experience possible. That was her main motivation. But it’s been ten years since her first troop meeting, and now her motivation is every girl, not just in her troop, but her entire service unit.

Ayana’s dedication to Girl Scouting is far from an obligation—in fact, she views it as a treasure. She’s inspired by the big and small moments of discovery and learning. She’s calls it her “greatest gift.”  There’s just nothing better than seeing the girls in her troop actually using the skills they learn in Girl Scouts in their everyday life.

Ayana considers herself blessed to have the time to volunteer with Girl Scouts and other organizations. She’s gives a lot of herself to enriching her community, but derives the most satisfaction from giving opportunities to grow to young people. And for that, we are so grateful!

Thank you, Ayana, for being such an amazing role model for girls for over a decade and making Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta such a great organization for our girls!

Barbara Welch

Barbara Welch has been volunteering with Girl Scouts for almost 20 years – so she’s seen her fair share of Thin Mint boxes. Barbara currently serves as a Service Unit Director and ACC for Cookie Sales in Gwinnett County. And these are no small roles. Not only does she work closely with troop leaders to help them be successful with their girls, but she works with five other Service Units to help coordinate their cookie season and make sure all of the orders are correct.

That's A LOT of Thin Mint boxes!

Interestingly enough, Barbara was never a Girl Scout herself, having grown up in a small, rural town. But she wishes she had the chance so she could have made the lifelong friendships she sees girls in her troops have today. And that’s one of the reasons why she volunteers, to give that chance to girls today.

Barbara loves helping girls realize they can do anything they want, no matter the obstacles. She does what she can to help ease frustrations by talking with her girls through issues and being their biggest cheerleader. And in return, the feeling of pride and accomplishment in helping girls keeps her going.

“I feel that Girl Scouts is a great program that helps adults and scouts grow as strong individuals,” she says. “Each level of Girl Scouting presents great opportunities for us all to grow more confident and strong.”

Spoken like a true leader! Thank you so much for all that you have done and all that you do for Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. We are so fortunate to be able to celebrate you this month!

Latrese King

Latrese King has only been volunteering with Girl Scouts since December 2017, but she already loves it! And even though she only started a troop so her daughter could finally join Girl Scouts, she realized it served a far greater purpose.

“When word got out that I was forming a troop, it spread like wildfire!” she says. “And that’s how I know I’m doing the right thing for my community and for families.”

Now, Latrese is a troop leader to almost 30 girls, and her dedication will allow them all to benefit from the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Funny enough, though, at first, Latrese thought she couldn’t do it. That she didn’t have what it takes to be a troop leader. But, her daughter gave her the strength to make it happen, and keeps at it thanks to the support from other Girl Scout volunteers in her area. They give her tips on how to run her troop, and ideas for activities and troop goals, and how to be fearless when asking for help. It’s proof of the Girl Scout sisterhood!

Now Latrese is able to give strength, courage, and valuable life skills to so many girls in return. (And sometimes she notices the parents are just as excited as the girls!)

“When it’s to better your child, why not be involved?”

We couldn’t agree more, Latrese! Thank you for all that you do for the incredibly lucky girls in your troop! We hope this year of volunteering is your first of many!

Donna Cochran

Donna Cochran has been volunteering with Girl Scouts for seven years, since her daughter was in Kindergarten. And even though her daughter is now in 6th grade, Donna is still a proud troop leader for Daisies and Brownies (as well as a co-leader of a Cadette troop).

Other than her daughter, Donna was motivated to start not just one, but two troops, in Dalton because she wants to provide new opportunities for girls.

“There are so many distractions to keep them from doing things outside of the home and out of their comfort zone,” she says. So she often takes her troops on hikes, camping trips, and organizes community events for them to participate in, such as cleaning up streets and other public areas. And what’s particularly great about Donna, is that she isn’t afraid to learn with the girls if they are faced with new obstacles, like pitching a tent. It brings her troops together.

Donna loves being able to help her girls in any way she can, big or small. Growing up, her daughter was incredibly shy, now she’s a courageous and capable. These are changes she’s seen in other Girl Scouts, too.

Donna truly believes girls in Girl Scouts are pushed to a new level, and experience a unique bond that’s amazing to witness. In fact, she wishes she was a Girl Scout growing up herself! But she considers herself fortunate to be one now, and encourages other parents to get involved and see what their girls can achieve.

“The longer you’re with Girl Scouts, the more of an adventure it becomes! And it’s worth it.” Donna believes. And we are so grateful for that.

Thank you for everything you do for the Dalton community, Donna! We are so lucky your volunteerism and giving heart is building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

Laurelanne Davis

Laurelanne Davis has been volunteering with Girl Scouts for almost five years, and is a Cadette troop co-leader, and Service Unit volunteer, and Troop Development Coordinator. So as you can see, Laurelanne dedicates a lot of her time to Girl Scouts! But she has a motto:

“If it’s important, you make it fit into your schedule.”

And it is important, because it makes her daughter happy, and it is something unique they can be a part of together as mother and daughter. For Laurelanne, that’s one of the most rewarding parts of being a Girl Scout volunteer. And as a result, she shares a special bond with all the girls in her troop, too. Girls she cares about almost as much as her own daughter.

What’s surprising and awe-inspiring, is that as the years have gone on, the girls of Laurelanne’s troops have really become the leaders. They run the troop meetings, and establish troop rules. They run their own cookie business, talking about projected sales and revenue. They pitch their own tents now, and unload the car when camping. And they step up when someone has a problem, and anticipate each other’s needs. Laurelanne and her co-leader Susan Robinson are the facilitators for this amazing growth, and through their leadership the girls have become sisters (and according to Laurelanne, they take that very seriously!).

It may come as no surprise, but Laurelanne was a Girl Scout herself, and has fond memories—especially of going camping. Her experience as a Girl Scout inspires her to give back to her girls, a way of paying it forward for the leaders who helped her.

“I think if the whole world would abide by the Girl Scout Law and Promise, the world would be a better place. It’s rules for life.”

We couldn’t agree more, Laurelanne! Thank you so much for bringing so much of yourself to the Girl Scout experience and for giving us so much of your time and passion. We are so happy to celebrate you this month.