My name is Lily Collins and I have been in Girl Scouts for 10 years this year. I joined as soon as I was old enough. My mom had always wanted to lead her own troop if she ever had a daughter. Being in Girl Scouts has been an AMAZING experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have been to many different place because of Girl Scouts, one of my most recent expeditions was to London, England! It was SO amazing!

Most people think that Girl Scout is just about cookies, crafts, and camping, but that is not entirely true! We are also very focused on earning awards, such as, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. We are also really into making new friends and being able to experience a lot of different places. I have been able to travel the country with Girl Scouts. My troop took a trip to New York at the beginning of the year to see Wicked on Broadway! We had such an amazing time and we raised the money ourselves by making homemade products and selling them at a local craft show. While we were in New York we also had these bags called blessing bags. They were filled with necessary items that we gave out to the homeless people on the streets of New York.

Girl Scouts has helped me relate to other people more easily. My troop and I like to try and spend time together anytime we can even if it’s not a meeting and we are just going to the movies.

Besides going to New York, my most cherished Girl Scout memories are going to Build-a-Bear and Auntie Anne’s pretzel company when I was younger. We also have done many community service projects, including cleaning flower beds at our local cemetery and serving food at our local soup kitchen. Community service is just as important as the fun I’ve had!

I’ve always had such an amazing experience spending time in Girl Scouts with my best friends. It has always made me especially happy to get to spend quality time with my mom as well. Girl Scouts is an amazing organization and I encourage girls of all ages to join in on the fun! Let’s help build girls of courage, confidence, and character!

To join or volunteer, visit www.gswo.org/join.