Linda Craft began her volunteer journey with Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council with the Daisies, literally. When GSSJC was selected to be a pilot program for the Daisy level in the mid 80s, Linda and another member of the Cane Island Service Unit started two troops. The Girl Scouting tradition was already in Linda’s family. Linda’s mother was a Girl Scout and her grandmother was a Girl Scout leader in GSSJC. Tracy, Linda’s daughter, was a member of Linda’s Daisy troop.
     “You can’t have a troop without a leader,” Linda says. “And I really enjoyed watching the girls have fun. Three of the girls stayed in it the whole time. The troop earned their Silver Award together and received the award at the big Cadette event the Council used to have at Camp Misty Meadows.”
Like most journeys, there were new paths to follow along the way. “I got involved in the travel program after my husband died,” Linda says. “And then I met a woman, Jeanie Knudtson, who was a travel agent and wanted to plan trips for the Council. The first trip we went on was to San Antonio during Memorial Day weekend. The girls earned the San Antonio Council Walking Tour patch. After that came Savannah, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Big Bend.”
     International travel followed with trips over time to the four Girl Scout World Centers – Pax Lodge, Our Chalet, Our Cabana and Sangam. When Jeanie’s husband got transferred, Linda stepped in shortly after as a trip coordinator. And she’s been an integral part of the travel program ever since.
     She has made many memories along the way. “Once in Washington D.C. the group got off at our subway stop–well, most of us got off. Two girls left with the train. Never mind the fact that we were waving crazily. They didn’t notice us until the train came through again.” Another memory involves the kindness of strangers on the other side of the world. “I met a woman from Japan at Our Cabana. Council planned a trip to Japan and to minimize our expenses this same person arranged for us to stay with local families. It was a great way to learn a new culture.”

     Linda presently works for IBM and was previously employed in gas marketing for BP. Most of her vacation time is spent traveling with the Girl Scouts. Co-workers are always asking what exciting trips areplanned for this year. Her favorite U.S. destination is Washington, D.C. “So many of the attractions are free which is great. We are always so busy that we schedule going to the Lincoln Memorial at midnight. It’s so pretty when it is lit up.” Her preferred international destination is London. But no matter the destination, the outcome is the same.

     “I like seeing the girls decide they like to travel. When they learn to ride the subway or see things that they have read about, like the Eiffel Tower or Stonehenge, I love seeing how they react. Travel is so mind-expanding. If you’ve only been around the block, you don’t realize there’s a whole world out there. I tell the girls that they’ve got 4 million Girl Scout sisters in the U.S., but 10 million around the world. Many girls learn about the first World Center – Our Chalet. It is so awesome to be able to look around and say – I’m really here at Our Chalet.”
     “We’d love to get more volunteers to help plan trips,” Linda says. Every fall, a meeting is held to plan domestic trips for the upcoming year and world travel for the next two to three years. Future issues of The Golden Link will list dates and times. This year’s meeting is scheduled for September 18, 2005. Definitely on the horizon is a 2007 trip to Washington for the National Sing-along at the Washington monument. There is also a yearly trip to Savannah where girls get to spend the day at the Juliette Low National Center, her Birthplace, and participate in a special pinning ceremony.
     Linda continues to enjoy her Girl Scout adventure. When asked “How did you get to go on all those trips?” the reply is “You volunteer!” From the initial position of assistant troop leader, to positions within the service unit, the district, and at the Council level, Linda now works with the World Foundation to solicit funds for Sangam. GSSJC has volunteer members on all four of the Friends of the World Centers: Margaret Sheriff for Our Chalet, Carolyn Johnson for Our Cabana, and Karen Saenz is Chairman for the Friends of Pax Lodge committee. “As a Brownie Girl Scout in La Porte, Texas I had no idea of the opportunities to be presented through my association with Girl Scouts,” says Linda.
“I’ll always be a Girl Scout and life memberships for my daughter and mother give us three generations of lifelong commitment.”

If you would like to explore volunteer opportunities with GSSJC, contact Sandee Williams at 713-292-0284 or at swilliams@sjgs.org.