My sister and I were both in Girl Scouts.  We started as Brownies and “bridged” our way through Junior Girl Scouts and into Cadets. It faded into fond memories until I was twenty. I was working several jobs, including as a nanny for two girls’ age six and nine. Like my sister and I had been, Emily and Kyra were active girls, and involved in many different activities. Emily wanted to be in Brownies, so I volunteered to be the co-leader. Funny as it sounds, I became an adult member of the Girl Scouts of America! Not only did I get to rediscover all the fun stuff that we use to do in our own troop, but I also got to pass those activities to a new generation. Three years later, Girl Scouts set me on a course that changed my life.

I could wax poetic here, but for the sake of brevity I’ll just say there was a lot changing in my life in the spring of 2001. I took a summer job with the Cactus-Pine Counsel of the Girl Scouts of America. I was going to live at Shadow Rim Ranch for the summer and teach outdoor skills to girl campers. It was a good transitional job, ending at the end of summer, and afterwards I planned to become an adult! This was just something to do until I could start my Grand Adult Adventure.

I will never forget the sunlight on the front gate of camp when I arrived. There was the biggest butterfly I’ve ever seen (alive) and a horned toad on the gate (I was later informed by a six-year-old that they are “not actually toads but lizards, duh!”). My life changed that summer for many reasons. I was surrounded by strong intelligent women (and girls) from all walks of life. Shortly after I arrived at Shadow Rim, I met Rocko and P.B. They are two of my best friends to this day. They not only reminded me that being an adult takes up too much of our time, but that life is too short to ignore the present. You cannot spend time in the forest without developing a sense of stewardship for it.  You cannot be a girl or be around girls without seeing the desperate need for positive role models they have. I thought I was going to change and influence young girls, but I ended up changing myself just as much. I returned to camp two more summers. Shadow Rim was the “Grand Adventure” I didn’t know I could have.

Without organizations like the Girl Scouts of America, the world would be a sad, sad place. Without the dedicated staff and volunteers, the Girl Scouts would not exist. People tell me that they don’t have the time or the energy to volunteer, but I have found that volunteering is mutually beneficial. I learned a number of “life skills” while volunteering with the Girl Scouts that benefit me to this day, not to mention the scores of songs about moose and boogie-woogie washer women (though the songs are much less handy). There are countless organizations that need volunteers, and working for one that fits your interests could change your life! Here are a few: The Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and don’t forget all the local animal shelters, homeless shelters, women’s shelters, environmental organizations and food banks. On November 21st at 3 p.m., Bookmans Flagstaff will be hosting a number of these great organizations in need of volunteers at our annual Non-Profits Fair. Come in and see how you can help. Your adventure could be waiting.