August 2005 Volume 31 Issue 7  

Volunteer Spotlight - Stacy Westmoreland

     Stacy Westmoreland was recently honored with the Appreciation Pin at the Adult Recognition Event in Houston. She said she was completely flabbergasted at the honor. Those who know Stacy at Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council though, weren’t surprised in the least.
     She wasn’t a Girl Scout as a child and didn’t know a lot about the organization. “I knew they camped!” Stacy says. Her daughter Lindsey was the reason she first got involved back in 1998. “I came to one of the troop meetings and the next thing I knew I was going to get trained.” After taking Basic Leadership Training, she became the troop leader for Lindsey’s troop, which grew from 7 to 20 girls over time.
     Stacy’s older daughter Bri saw what Girl Scouting had to offer and joined as a Juliette in her sixth grade year. Her younger daughter Chelsea started the program as a Daisy with Stacy serving as her troop leader as well. “I’ve done different things with each of my girls,” says Stacy. “We’ve stayed on the San Jacinto, spent the night at Sea World, and went floating down the Guadalupe. Bri wanted to ride horses. I was terrified of horses but got out there because my daughter wanted to do it.” Today all three daughters are still in Girl Scouting and Stacy remains the leader of Chelsea’s troop.
     Basic Leadership Training was just the beginning for Stacy. She has taken approximately 50 trainings and now serves as an outdoor trainer herself. “Camping was something else I was afraid of but not anymore,” she says. “I did about three trainings last year. I love meeting people who are as clueless as I was. We teach them how to build a fire, how to cook a meal using a tin can and how to make an oven out of a cardboard box. The first time I took the class myself I cooked outside for a week. My husband asked if we were going to eat on the ground every night!”		      Fellow leaders aren’t the only ones Stacy encourages. Thanks to her, Bri wants to be a Girl Scout leader too. “She tells me she looks up to me when I’m with the girls and appreciates my patience,” says Stacy. “She understands now what it’s like to work with a group.”
     This year Stacy serves her second term as the assistant service unit manager for Evergreen Service Unit. She enjoys event planning and the annual father/daughter dance and the service unit weekend, giving her plenty of opportunity to exercise her talents. “Being on the leadership team of a service unit involves everything from finances to conflict resolution. It’s a continual learning experience. What is most clear to me is that you have to have a very strong service unit to have strong troops.”
     In the coming year, Stacy will serve on the Cookie Committee and as a national delegate to the Girl Scout convention in Atlanta. She says she is excited to see the Girl Scout world outside of Houston and meet people from around the country.
     Stacy wants to let people know how Girl Scouts has touched her life as an adult. “ I have learned and tried to do things I wouldn’t normally have done. I never thought I would come this far. I already feel like Girl Scouts has taken me to the moon.”

Are you a new leader?
Is this your first year to participate in the Cookie Sale?

Don’t worry. We’re here to help you EXPLORE the whole fun process, fun for you and the girls. You may be wondering why Girl Scouts sell cookies in the first place. There are two main reasons: First, is to help girls develop a wide range of skills like marketing, interacting with others, developing self-esteem and the ability to speak comfortably in front of people – all skills needed to become leaders of tomorrow. And of course the second reason deals with money: money makes the world go ‘round, and your troop needs funds to function. Girls will want to take trips, go camping, participate in Council sponsored activities, reregister in the spring and the myriad other uses girls will find for their troop treasury. Let’s not forget cookie sales help the Council provide low cost activities for troop throughout the year.

Here are some tips:

  • Start with your first parents meeting. Recruit a parent to be your troop’s cookie manager.
  • Remind them it is a short-term position. For specific information on the duties of a troop cookie manager, see the August CIN on our Council’s Web site at www.gssjc.org.
  • Also check CIN each month for great girl program activities relating to the Cookie Sale – “Ready to Go” program ideas for you as a troop leader.

Watch for “Cookie” the adventuresome mascot as the cookie safari begins for 2006.