Local News

Rotary learns more about Girl Scouts

BUCKHANNON -- A local Girl Scout troop leader shared how joining the national youth organization influenced her life for a better future.

Stephanie Johnson, a junior at West Virginia Wesleyan College, stopped by Buckhannon Rotary Club's weekly meeting to discuss her passion for Girl Scouts. Johnson currently serves as Buckhannon Academy Elementary School's scout leader with 14 youth under her wing.

"Without a doubt I can say that girl scouting has saved my life and completely changed the course that I would have taken," she said. "And continues to do so for millions of girls across the nation."

In third grade, Johnson decided to join Girl Scouts, where she would attend weekly meetings designated for activities fundraising and building friendships.

Throughout years of involvement, Johnson said she realized that fellow girl scouts and leaders became an "integral part" of her life as a support system.

"Now I have the opportunity to lead 14 little ladies through their scouting journey," she said. "And I get to pour love and hope into them just as my leaders did for me."

Johnson provided Rotary members five reason why she believes Girl Scouts is a valuable program for young ladies in the community.

The first reason Johnson gave was that Girl Scouts help participants find their voices.

"The Girl Scout program gives these girls a chance to explore real world skills, issues and opportunities," she said, adding through the program she previously had the opportunity to work in Shelley Moore Capito's office for a week-long internship.

For Johnson's second reason, she said, Girl Scouts give participants "the opportunity that they might not be able to financially afford on their own."

"Through selling Girl Scout cookies and other fundraisers, I will never have to turn a child away from participating in this program or participating in trips of a lifetime," she said.

Johnson explained Girl Scouts also provides the means of financial aid that cut the cost or completely pay for participants' uniforms, registration and fundraising trips.

"And the cool part is in scouting it doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn't matter what your family income looks like. All that matters is that you want to learn and work hard and build friendships along the way," she said.

The third reason Johnson said Girl Scouts is so inspiring is because "Girl Scouts is a safe place."

"We have no idea what so many of our children go home to at night, and Girl Scouts is a safe place where these girls can just be kids," she said. "If they can't be kids at home, they can kids at scouts every week."

Girl Scouts also provides participating girls the ability to safely confide in an adult if they do not have someone at home, Johnson noted.

The national organization allows participants to build strong characters -- Johnson's fourth reason. Under this reason, Johnson noted two-thirds of female Congress members and 80 percent of female business owners were at one point Girl Scouts.

"The Girl Scout curriculum is full with entrepreneurial skills, opportunities that encourage independent thought as well as how to communicate effectively to build productive relationships," she said, adding selling Girl Scout cookies is a big part of that curriculum.

Johnson's fifth and final reason regarding the importance of Girl Scouts is because the organization creates "hope in sometimes a seemingly hopeless world."

"The basis of this program, in my opinion, can easily be summed up with Rotary's (famous) motto 'Service Above Self,'" she said.

"I think it's really easy these days to get caught up in our own wants, needs and desires, scouting is an easy and beautiful way to combat that self centered view of life," Johnson continued.