Volunteer Appreciation Week has come and gone, but the Girl Scouts of Louisiana- Pines to the Gulf dedicated an additional weekend to the devoted volunteers that dedicate hours of their lives to improve the lives of girls. There are 42 parishes that make up the council and from those there are over 3,000 adult volunteers and approximately 1,000 of them are troop leaders or troop co-leaders and are extremely involved. All council volunteers were invited to camp out and discover firsthand what fun and friendships there are to be had in Girl Scouts.
The fourth annual Volunteer Palooza weekend was held at Camp Wawbansee in Simsboro, LA April 28-29, 2012. Adult volunteers were able to participate in archery, canoeing, campfire cooking, hiking and crafts including making aromatherapy bath fizzy bombs. “Volunteer was my first ever to attend and it was AMAZING!!! My favorite was the Mystery Craft,” says Leslie Glatt of Bossier City. It was also an opportunity for them to come together and discuss best practices, ideas and take additional training to help improve the girls’ leadership experience. Karen Gallaspy, Volunteer Services Director said, “Once again, Girl Scout volunteers had a great time getting to know other volunteers from across our council at our Volunteer Palooza weekend at Camp Wawbansee. Each year this event travels to a different camp in our council and volunteers can enjoy the camp and each other and get trained in skills they can take back to their troop.”
Preceeding National Volunteer Week, Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf held the Annual Meeting where several volunteer awards were presented. The awards included Years of Service given to Leslie Glatt (10 years), Zelda Doucet (15 years), Marianne Colvin (20 years), and Marleen Thompson (30 years). Appreciation Pins were given to Sarah Diffy, Leslie Glatt, Anita Manuel, Stephanie Speights, and Shannon Watson. In addition to those the most coveted award and the highest award a volunteer can receive in the organization The Thanks Badge II was awarded to Gay Brantley.
Girl Scouts is a volunteer run organization and has been for 100 years. The organization celebrates its 100th Anniversary this year. It would not be possible without the many dedicated volunteers who give selflessly of their time. Volunteer Palooza is just one opportunity for the organization to give a little something back to those volunteers. Gallaspy adds, “This year’s Palooza was the biggest ever, with 48 participants coming from as far as 300 miles away. If you have not experienced Volunteer Palooza, you should plan now to go next year.”
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