Girl Scouts of all ages, from kindergarten to 12th grade, unleash their potential through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience—a series of engaging, challenging, and fun activities, including earning badges, going on fantastic trips, selling cookies, exploring science, getting outdoors, and performing community service projects.
As a San Pedro Girl Scout Leader for over two decades and a local community advocate, my passion has been to introduce girls to the joy of giving back to their community. In 2024, I developed the Adopt a Nonprofit program, which provides our local troops with a list of various organizations to “adopt” while teaching them how a nonprofit operates and how to utilize their leadership skills to lead service projects.
The first troop to join this program was Troop 70333, led by Briana and Ronnie Ernandes, and the results are incredible. This troop adopted the YWCA of the Harbor Area and South Bay, whose mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. You can learn more about this YWCA at ywcaharbor.org.
Here is a list of their local community projects:
• Assisted the YWCA with their “Breakfast with Santa” event last December, during which they donated over 400 toys to the attending kids.
• Assembled 100 hygiene kits for individuals experiencing homelessness, along with 20 fleece blankets, and assisted in sorting food for a Friday distribution.
• Hosted a booth at a wellness fair and their first-anniversary food distribution in Wilmington, where 100 “Birthday in a Box” kits that the girls made were distributed.
• Made a little free library on wheels for the YWCA.
• Made a playground communication board for the YWCA World Tots preschool and will be donating toys and teacher supplies to the preschool.
• Created memory care blankets for the Silverado Rolling Hills Memory Care Community.
• Made 24 cat and 24 dog pet-care kits donated to Pedro Pet Pals for pet adoption events.
• Additionally, they donated Halloween costumes to the YWCA thrift shop, assisted at the YWCA Julia Morgan Open House, and participated in projects with other nonprofits, including Maria’s Closet, Meals on Wheels, and Roots and Shoots at the Jane Goodall Day of Peace event.
Are you as impressed as I am with the volume of community service projects by this troop?
ADULT LEADERS NEEDED
More girls want to join Girl Scouts, but there is a massive shortage of adult leaders. I can personally attest that being a troop leader has been both inspiring and fulfilling, and I genuinely believe I get more from the girls than they do from me. What an amazing journey this has been.
As a volunteer, you will introduce the next generation of girl leaders to new experiences as they explore their communities, solve problems, and work towards goals. They will make the world a better place and feel proud of what makes them unique, all the while creating a community of forever friends. You will be their guide in helping them develop essential life skills and confidence that will last a lifetime.
But this cannot happen without more leaders. You don’t have to have a child of your own to get involved—you simply must care. The Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles can help. Contact Mirlet Victorio at mvictorio@girlscoutsla.org to learn more. spt