Show concern for another by volunteering

There is a Chinese proverb that says “a bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.”

Volunteering is like giving flowers: when you give of your time and your talents, your own life is made better.

This week marks the 32nd National Volunteer Week, and I am truly impressed by the nearly 1,500 volunteers with Girl Scouts Inland Empire Council. Girl Scout volunteers have the unique opportunity to impact a girls’ lives, and to guide their growth into strong, confident women.

“Gabrielle was diagnosed at age 4 with PDD, a form of autism. She did not speak at home until she was almost 5, and would not speak at all in school until the fourth grade.

Then Gabrielle joined a Girl Scout troop led by Carol Jones and Kelly Mercermilich.

According to Gabrielle’s mother, Jones very soothingly and calmly told Gabrielle about her own shyness, and that it was all right to be quiet.

She received this young girl with great understanding, compassion and respect. In the past year, Gabrielle has made tremendous progress in school and is now eager to answer questions and interact with other children.

Gabrielle’s mother attributes this change to the complete acceptance she received in her Girl Scout troop.

Did you catch that whiff of fragrance?

“Lisa Wolfe has been a Girl Scout for nearly two decades, first as a girl and then as a leader. Each spring, Wolfe travels hundreds of miles throughout Stevens and Ferry counties during the Girl Scout Cookie Sale Program to help girls be successful and meet their goals.

She leads Girl Scout canoe trips, is involved with the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life and provides a foster home for her local pet rescue.

“Mary Lou Hammond stretches her time between her own children, her aging parents, her church, a career teaching science at Spokane Community College, and the girls in Girl Scout Troop 248. Hammond mentors her girls in leadership, allowing them to learn by doing.

The experiences she has shared with her Girl Scouts will follow each of them into all areas of their lives.

Six hands among so many, perfumed with the fragrance of giving.

Volunteering is an expression of concern for another person’s value. Without dedicated and caring adult volunteers, there would be no Girl Scout program.

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place – a world that respects and appreciates those who volunteer.