Troop members thank leader for being a
instrumental part of their lives
by Tess Walton Hahn
Our troop had a 20 year reunion and it was a
great success. We laughed so hard that many of us were sore
the next day! It was great to remember some of the funny stories
of our wacky adventures. We presented our leader, Margie Clark
with a scrapbook. The scrapbook contained a letter from each
former troop member (excerpts found below) and pictures of
them both then and now. Mrs. Clark was overwhelmed by the
memories.
There were two things that most of us felt
made Mrs. Clark an excellent leader. The first was that she
served as a confidant for many of us. We had complete trust
that she would not share information with others or with our
parents. She was a strong sounding board for our youth. As
adults we shared this with each other. The second thing was
that she really instilled independence in all of us. She gave
us guidelines and then stood back.
It was interesting to us that she shared that
there were times when she felt like giving up the troop. Teenage
girls can be brutal. Thank goodness she stuck it out. Being
in her troop is one of my best memories. I can’t wait
to be my daughter’s Girl Scout leader.
Dear Mrs. Clark,
I want you to know how much you still mean to me after
20 years! I look back at my Scouting experience, and I
am amazed at all the adventures you took us on. But what
really amazes me is all of the preparation and organization
that you had to do first!
Thank you for all of your time and attention. I know that
it could not have been easy. And I am sure that it could
not have always been fun for you. I know as children,
we take these kinds of things for granted. You are truly
precious to me. I will always have a soft spot in my heart
for you.
Love, Kristin
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Dear Mrs. Clark,
How wonderful it is to have thoughts of you fill so many
of my cherished childhood memories. You helped create
the woman I am today; the friend, the sister, the daughter,
the professional.
You taught us to be committed, motivated, and hard
working, just like you. Every goal we achieved, whether
it was the “Cooking Badge” (Which I unfortunately
didn’t put to good use!) or the “Storyteller
Badge” (Which I use every day as a news anchor.),
was cheered. You were there clapping the loudest.
Always a Girl Scout, Heather Hays |
Dear Mrs. Clark,
I want to thank you for all the inspiration and encouragement
you gave me through Girl Scouts. You may remember that
I was painfully shy and reserved in my teens. You never
judged me or pushed me, yet you were able to get me to
try new things and meet new people.
I have definitely come out of my shell since that time
and I know that being in Scouts was a big part of my development.
I would never have ventured into a life and career so
far removed from what I was used to if not for the self
confidence that you and Girl Scouts had started to build
in me all those years ago.
Every time I meet a young girl involved in Girl Scouts
I tell her to stay involved as long as she can. I tell
her how much fun I had as a Senior Scout and how it helped
me to grow into the woman I am now.
Thank you, Beth Weisbrodt-McCrea |
Dear Ma,
For years you have told me how proud you are of me…today
you need to know how proud I am of you.
All of my childhood years I watched your incredible devotion
of effort, talent, and time to many good causes. I know
each year you would question if you still had it in you
to continue as our leader. I’m glad and thankful
that you did – as are the others, I’m sure.
I believe it provided the continuity any strong organization
needs…you made us strong women.
I want you to realize how valued and treasured your commitment
in us was. It is rare to find someone who has given so
much of themselves for the good of others – and
I’m so proud to say, “That’s my mom!”
With much love, Carol |
Dear Mrs. Clark,
I’m not sure I could ever measure the benefit I
personally received from Scouting and especially from
having you as our leader. Looking back, it is very clear
that scouting was a very big part of developing successful
habits and attitudes.
It just all seemed like fun at the time. But with every
badge, every community service project, and every camping
trip we created good habits and developed good attitudes.
We learned how to plan, how to measure progress, how to
follow through on a commitment and how to overcome some
obstacles. We learned how to face our fears and explore
new territories and new ideas.
We could never thank you enough. Just know that you will
always be very special to each of us and we feel very
fortunate that you have been part of our lives.
Love, Rene |
Dear Mrs. Clark,
The years I was in Girl Scouts were some of the most challenging
times in my personal life being from the home of a single
mom, which seemed so rare back then. With your loving
support, generous time and effort, you really helped me
to discover my strengths and do things that I didn’t
know I could do like sail and canoe and camp with only
one (very heavy I might add) backpack. You provided opportunities
for us to work hard and overcome weaknesses and failure.
You taught us how to depend on each other and ourselves.
Thank you so much for giving your time and care to the
girls of our troop and all the troops since.
Valarie Atwood (Fueller) |
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