If you think you’re busy, talk to Rachelle Weiser. The Bellefonte Girl Scout volunteer is the mother of five children, leads three troops, serves as a chaperone for another troop, is product manager for her troops, and currently volunteers as Service Unit Lead for Service Unit 414.
If that’s not enough to fill her days, Weiser is also an art teacher at St. John Catholic School in Bellefonte and enjoys singing in her church choir on Sundays.
Despite her crazy-busy schedule, one thing is consistent: Weiser is passionate about Girl Scouts.
“Girl Scouts is important to me because it gives the girls opportunities they might not otherwise have,” she said. “This is my goal for each troop.”
Like many moms, Weiser began volunteering with Girl Scouts when her oldest daughter entered the program. This will be her 15th year as a Girl Scout volunteer.
“When talking to girls, I love to tell them what Scouts can do, what they can see, what they can make,” she said. “I always tell them Scouts are more than cookies, too!”
Over the years, she’s made countless memories with her troops, but a few stand out, including taking 24 girls to Savannah, Ga.
“From experiencing things for the first time—paddleboarding—to going back in history, it was an amazing trip that was planned with some amazing friends who were leaders,” she recalled. “Another special part of that trip is that we bridged at Juliette Gordon Low’s house, and I not only got to pin my daughters, I got to pin my mother, who was my leader.”
Recently, Weiser spent the night at the Pittsburgh Zoo with her Brownies. “This is the first summer since COVID that the zoo has reopened the overnight, so we were very excited to attend,” she said. “It was the first time for half of the girls and chaperones that went, and to see the excitement and joy and even hear the squeals, it was truly another awesome experience.”
She also recently took her Cadettes to New York City, where the group caught a performance of “Wicked” on Broadway.
When asked what she likes to do in her free time, Weiser laughed and responded, “Free time? I am a mom of five, so there is no free time for me!” Her household includes her husband, Tom, and her children Abigail, Julia, Megan, Trey, and Lilly. She also has a dog named Cooper and a cat named Sarah.
As much as she loves Girl Scouts, Weiser is happy that her daughters are equally excited about the program. “My oldest received her Gold Award in 2023,” she said. “Julia is currently starting the Gold process. And Megan, a freshman, just needs to complete her Journey to start Gold. Lilly is only 8, so she has a while!”
Written by Cathy Molitoris, Marketing Coordinator for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.