Girls in Green Arrive at SFDS
If you’ve seen girls clad in green vests roaming the hallways at school on Fridays, there’s good reason. A group of fourth grade girls and moms started a junior Girl Scout troop at the school this year, with 17 girls from the grade participating in our bi-weekly meetings.
While the thought of Girl Scouts might conjure up cookie sales and badges, the goal of this long-standing institution (95 years) is so much more. The organization’s goal is to create leaders and reinforce values (to be honest and fair, respect others, and to work and make decisions cooperatively). Troop 2227 truly has adopted the Girl Scout Slogan of “Do A Good Turn Daily” and you may hear these words bubble up at unexpected times.
From planning their meetings, to deciding what badges they will earn, to planning the steps to accomplish these tasks, the girls are encouraged to take ownership of their own meetings, learning new skills along the way. We also participate in larger Bay Area girl scouting events, go camping, and learn teamwork.
A key component is community service. During the holidays, we collected coats for “One Warm Coat,” worked at the San Francisco Food Bank, and collected and organized toys for a San Francisco foster-kid toy drive.
Badge and volunteer work act as the “clay” for these young ladies to form and bake new skills.
Are you wondering about Girl Scout Cookies? Did you know that 55 percent of the Greater Bay Area Girl Scout Council’s budget is paid for directly from cookie sales? And 64 cents from each box sold goes directly to the SFDS troop. Cookies may be pre-ordered from January 11 until February 3, with delivery around February 24. So if you know a girl scout, you’ll want to place your order soon.
From March 1 to March 16, Girl Scout troops from all over the city will have booth sales in prominent areas on weekends. In 2007, trans fats were banned from the cookies, and for those who want to support girl scouts, but forgo the calories, Girl Scouts make it possible to purchase the cookies on behalf of a charity.
There is no requirement for any girl scout to sell cookies. Each girl and her family make their own decision about whether to sell cookies and whether to conduct door-to-door sales. There is a LONG list of Safety and Conduct Do’s and Don’ts whenever a girl represents the organization, and cookie sales are no exception. Whether knocking on doors or manning a booth, the girls build self-confidence through the many aspects of the process.
If you want to know more about Girl Scouts, the leaders of SFDS troop 2227 gladly encourage and will assist moms and dads from other grades to set up their own troops. Yes, men over 18 can be leaders and volunteers. Girl Scouts does not discriminate based on race, gender or religious preference. For information, contact Cynthia Traina, Lynn Kaplan, Nichole De Leon or Robin Allen. |
