As a busy mom with a full-time job, Jessie Walls doesn’t always have as much time as she’d like to devote to volunteer work. As a Girl Scout leader, however, she has instilled in her girls the importance of “being a sister to every Girl Scout,” and she saw that in action recently.
“I was watching my daughter sew on the last patch onto a girl’s vest, because not only was it important to me, but it was important to them,” she recalled, tearing up a bit at the memory. “I didn’t ask. She just sat down and made it happen when I was trying to figure out where I was going to find the time.” Jessie said her daughter takes pride in the Girl Scout uniform and wanted to make sure everything looked perfect for her sister Girl Scout.
Jessie, who was recognized this year with a Heart of PA volunteer award, has been a Girl Scout leader for more than a decade. She joined the organization when a friend asked her daughter to join a Brownie troop. Over the years, she has served Girl Scouts in many capacities. She is currently a leader, and has been her Service Unit co-leader and day camp director for seven years. She has also hosted a Cookie Cupboard for her Service Unit.
She said she loves being a part of an organization that puts girls first. “Girl Scouts works,” she said simply. “I have seen confidence grow. I have seen girls support each other. These girls find their voice. It also has helped me grow as a person.”
Jessie said she has countless fond memories of Girl Scouts over the years, many of which focus on those funny, unplanned outcomes. In all seriousness, however, she truly believes in the power of Girl Scouts.
She recalled watching a Brownie look at an Ambassador in uniform, awed by the older girl and inspired to continue in Girl Scouts until she was in high school as well.
Jessie lives in Franklin County, and when she’s not working or volunteering with Girl Scouts, she loves to do arts and crafts, spend time in nature and care for her many houseplants. Her household also includes her husband, two children and a “mini zoo” of cats, dogs, reptiles and amphibians.
She hopes other people will consider becoming Girl Scout leaders, emphasizing that the experience impacts both the girls and the volunteers.
“It will educate you and you will grow as a person,” she said. “It is one of the hardest, most fulfilling things I have ever been a part of. You can make a difference.”
Written by Cathy Molitoris, Marketing Coordinator for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.