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Last week the Bluffton Girl Scouts enjoyed a “Christmas Camp” overnight at Woodhaven Program Center. The girls spent time roasting their supper over an open fire, doing crafts, games and campfire songs, and even dancing to some Christmas Zumba tunes.

Sadly, 10 kindergarteners excitedly signed up for Girl Scouts but could not participate. They have no troop this year, because there is no leader for them. Leaders are stretched thin in Bluffton; several run two troops at once. Many girls have been turned away from Girl Scouting in Bluffton because there are not enough leaders to meet the demand.

Recently I found a book from 1943 that showed me this is not a new problem.

“Girl Scouts has now over a million members. It will have double this number when more women understand that girls have a right to the fun, the creative activities, and the citizenship training that the Girl Scout program offers.

It will grow as more women understand youth leadership as an important civic service… Who is this leader? She is homemaker, teacher, professional, or business woman. No one is too busy. She likes girls; she enjoys doing things with them and learning with them the things they want to do.  She has a few skills or abilities of her own that she is able to share.

She is interested in the welfare of her community and in working toward a peaceful world. She believes that a happy experience in democratic living right now in home, school, and club groups by persons of all ages is the best preparation for life in a democracy. Many leaders are former Girl Scouts or women who have had experiences in other organizations for girls.”
   -Leadership of Girl Scout Troops, 1943

This plea for women to volunteer as Girl Scout leaders is seventy years old, yet finding leaders is still the biggest challenge for Girl Scout troops across the nation.

Today, 64% percent of female civic, corporate, and political leaders in the United States were once Girl Scouts (seehttp://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/famous-formers).  I hope that women in Bluffton : professionals, unemployed, single, retired… people of any life situation will consider volunteering to help with a local Girl Scout troop. When we invest in the future of our girls, we prepare them for a life of leadership.

-Wendy Chappell-Dick, [email protected]