I have been a Girl Scout mom for 12 years and a trained Girl Scout leader for 10 of those years.  I have worked with our three daughters, as their leader, through field trips, camping fun, cookie sales and awards. 

This year marks the end of my Girl Scout leader volunteer activities.  My MS has made it near-impossible for me to keep up with and lead a group of girls the way I was trained (and learned how to train others) to help them grow into young ladies with leadership skills.  Not to mention that I am only trained to lead girls who are Daisy’s, Brownies and Juniors … and my three daughters will soon be beyond those younger age-levels.

This year, two of my daughters have achieved very special milestones, and earned their ‘precious metal’ awards.

Our youngest daughter earned her Girl Scout Bronze Award.  She worked with a local church and church members to help set up a room with clothing and small appliances for the needy.  To add to the room, she had her own special corner where she bagged up all of the small children books that we had at our house that weren’t written in (such as special gifts from someone) and also cleaned out her bedroom and added a box of toys to her AGAPE offerings for her corner.  She spent one Saturday when the AGAPE room was opened, helping the wonderful woman who started the mission-style work help folks pick out and carry the things they needed to their automobiles.  She also helped organize back-to-school packs to give to people who needed assistance with back-to-school supplies.  She did an amazing job and was extremely organized in her volunteer work. 

Our middle daughter was working toward her Silver Award this summer.  I went with her troop leader and four other girls sometime last year to a Silver Award workshop, to learn about what earning their Silver Award entailed.  We thought we were ahead of the game.  She had already decided who she wanted to work with to earn her Silver Award, she just had to get the prerequisites out of the way.  Unfortunately, DD#2 was registered as a Cadette for two years but was only in a troop this past year (we could not find a troop close enough to home that she wanted to be with the first year).  During the normal flow of a troop, a girl spends their first year going through their Journey (a Girl Scout book that has badges they earn) and the second year working toward their ‘precious metal’ award.  Once DD#2 was in this troop, we found out the girls in that troop had already completed their Journey, so my mother-in-law spent a month with our daughter to get her through her Journey during and after their holiday break last year.  Then the troop did a lot of Girl Scout things, such as earning their PA (Personal Assistant) pins, putting on a lock-in for the other troops in our Service Unit, doing volunteer work and what-have-you.  They did not spend a single moment working on their Silver Awards. 

I really wasn’t worried because I figured we had all summer to earn her award since her Cadette registration ran until September 30th.  That was our plan.

Boy, was I wrong!!!  Once I contacted the volunteer in charge of precious metals, she told me DD#2 should have earned her award BEFORE the LAST DAY of eighth grade.   The day after eighth grade, she was considered a ninth grader and ready to be a Senior Girl Scout. 

<gulp>

After asking what we could do, I was informed that if our daughter wrote to her for special permission, the presious metals chair could make an exception to the rule – as long as our daughter completed the requirements for her Silver Award BEFORE the first day of ninth grade.  This was THREE WEEKS before school started…and wouldn’t you know, I had planned to be out of town for two of those three weeks.

<double-gulp>

She waded through the mounds of paperwork and requirements, forms and suggestions and came up with a plan.  She would make organic dog treats for the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch that’s just down the road from our house.  But, one question in the requirements really had her stumped – “was this project sustainable and if not, what can you do to make it sustainable?”  Obviously, dog treats are only good until you feed them to the dog – not so sustainable.  So, she and her father – bless his heart, he has been a Boy Scout since he was in the first grade and is now a Scoutmaster – but, he now had to change hats and be her home advisor to earn this award.  They decided in order to make it sustainable, she would give a cooking lesson at the church that sponsors our troop to show others how to make the dog treats.  That way, it would involve our community (making it sustainable) and others could help out the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch for minimal time and expense.  She got the approval from the precious metals chairperson and was on her way!

50+ hours and over 1300+ dog treats later, she completed her requirements just in the nick of time.  She has one more letter she is waiting on and then she can send her paperwork to our local Girl Scout Council – and we have an exit phone interview with the precious metals committee on September 27th.  If the committee approves of her completed project, she will have earned her Silver Award.

When we delivered another batch of organic dog treats to the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch this evening, DD#2 let out a big whoosh of air as we were leaving.  It was done.  She has one letter to wait for and then she can send her paperwork on.  BUT, she was already plotting about what she could do with the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in a couple of years to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award!  🙂

One of the things we made sure to do before leaving was to honor the Girl Scout tradition of pinning Cousin Nancy.  DD#2 explained that she was putting both of the pins we had brought along on Nancy’s shirt upside down.  The tradition in Girl Scouts is that once you do a good deed, you may turn them right-side up.  Obvisouly, with rescuing dogs that would otherwise be euthanized – Cousin Nancy does good deeds on a daily basis!  It shouldn’t take too long for her to get to wear her pins right-side up!

If you’re interested, Cousin Nancy wrote about our daughter on her blog:

• https://cousinnancy.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-deer-magnet-or-girl-scouts-rule.html
• https://cousinnancy.blogspot.com/2012/08/1000.html
• https://cousinnancy.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-raining-big-time.html

I am a now a Proud Girl Scout mom of THREE daughters who earned their Bronze Award, and doubly blessed this year that I have one daughter who earned her Silver Award.  My smile is from my heart and I know that all of my children have been taught how to give to others in any way possible – and that being involved in Girl Scouts has been part of the reason they have this ability to reach out and grow….as young women and future leaders.