By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



To the Girl Scouts, Oct. 31 is more than just a spooky holiday.

The nearly four million Girl Scouts worldwide celebrate founder Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low’s birthday on Oct. 31.

Girl Scouts came to be in March 1912 when Low gathered 18 girls into her Savannah, Ga., home for the first time, according to the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Web site.

From humble beginnings to a worldwide organization, leaders in north Jefferson County want to continue the tradition of strengthening girls’ lives through Girl Scouts. To do that, they need some help.

“The girls need role models. They need strong women who can teach them how to be good future employees or future mothers or even future housewives,” said Danelle Murray, troop leader for Brownie Troop 1010 of Gardendale.

This is Murray’s third year as a troop leader and as area manager for the Girl Scouts’ Northlander Service Area.

“We’re having to turn away girls right now because we don’t have any adults who have stepped up,” Murray said.

Some people might be surprised at the requirements of being a Girl Scout leader, or rather what is not required.

“You don’t have to be a parent of a Girl-Scout age girl to be a leader,” Murray said. “You don’t even have to have children.”

Murray added that there are even male leaders in the organization.

Because of a lack of leaders, Murray said there is no Daisy troop in the area.

There are six levels of troops: Daisies for Kindergarten and first grade, Brownies for second and third grades, Juniors for fourth and fifth grades, Cadettes for sixth through eights grades, Seniors for freshmen and sophomores, and Ambassadors for juniors and seniors.

There are 18 girls in Murray’s Brownie troop.

Another leader, Anna Matthews, heads up six girls in Cadette Troop 853 of Gardendale.

Matthews is a life-long Girl Scout and a sophomore at UAB studying elementary education.

She joined the Girl Scouts in first grade and remained in the club until she graduated high school.

As a freshman in college, Matthews and friend Katy Fancher decided to become co-leaders of the Cadette Troop. The two were in scouts together since first grade.

“I really enjoyed being in the Girl Scouts growing up,” said Matthews. “I wanted to give back. I love working with young people. That’s another reason I wanted to be a Girl Scout leader — it gave me another opportunity to work with youth.”

According to Murray, being a troop leader had some surprising benefits.

“When I started being a leader, I was in it for one thing, for my daughter to make new friends and experience new things,” she said. “I never realized as a leader that I would make lifelong friendships.”

She’s also expanded her own horizons.

“I’m doing things at 35 years old that I never had the chance to do before,” she said, including archery, spending the night in a science museum, cooking over a fire, pitching tents, square dancing and climbing a rock wall.

“By teaching the girls, we learn it as well,” she said.

Murray said that even if an adult does not want to volunteer as a troop leader, he or she can still get involved by volunteering once a year to teach a skill like quilting, cooking or any other task.

For more information about becoming a Girl Scout leader, call the Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama at 980-4750.

Visit www.girlscouts.org to learn more about the Girl Scouts.