As a Girl Scout troop leader, you try to give the girls tools to help navigate the curvy road that will be their life and try to help them understand that life is so much more satisfying when you are passionate about something.  Few of us know what it is we are passionate about before the age of (let’s say) 40.  

One of the goals of Girl scouting is to instill a lifetime commitment to community service. The current economy has affected us all and many people find themselves relying on food pantries for additional support.  The girls in my troop, Fishkill GS Troop 10348, provided invaluable community service efforts while working on the fourth step of their Junior Bronze Award, which is the highest award you can earn as a Junior Girl Scout.  The girls were amazing! Thanks to the generosity of The Smoke Haus Deli on Rt 82 in Hopewell Junction, and Pet Supplies Plus,  located in the Shop Rite shopping plaza on Rt 9 in Fishkill, we held two pet food drives, collecting dog and cat food and cash donations. With the permission of both the East Fishkill Community Library and Blodgett Memorial Library of Fishkill, we placed collection containers in both libraries for pet food. They made homemade dog treats, chew toys and catnip socks out of old t-shirts and socks. We made signs and posters and wrote thank you letters. What a fulfilling experience for our girls to be able to be creative and learn leadership skills while making an immediate impact in our community. 

Our troop supports Beacon ARF, a no-kill animal rescue shelter and The Fishkill Food Pantry. It’s been a very good summer and my absolute pleasure to have worked alongside these future leaders to achieve the award.  I am so proud of them. We need more Girl Scouts like the girls in my troop and we definitely need more Girl Scout leaders.

For more information about troop openings and becoming a GS leader in the Fishkill Girl Scout community, contact me, Kim Simms, Fishkill GS Community Organizer, at .

Posted by:  Kim Simms