Donna York loves being a Girl Scout troop leader. Like many troop leaders, York has a passion for creating a community and showing the next generation of girls what makes them unique.

Her troop, #12378, has girls of all ages and her favorite part is leading the girls, including her daughter, to different experiences.

“Many of our girls are used to crime in the neighborhood and we want them to experience something different,” she said.

Over the past five years, York has overcome obstacles with her work schedule, limited funding and securing a meeting space. Due to COVID-19, they shifted to virtual meetings via Zoom. The challenges, however, have not deterred her commitment to the troop as she strives to expose the girls to things outside their neighborhood and bring the Girl Scout program to life.

“If we could secure a building we would invite people from different fields like nurses, doctors, engineers, police and firemen to talk to the girls,” she explained.

York is grateful for donations from organizations like the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and they are also putting in their own fundraising efforts for the troop.

“We have a multi-level troop and the Women’s Foundation helped out a lot because many of the girls’ parents couldn’t afford to pay for registration or many of the things we need to have a Girl Scout troop. Now, we are doing a lot of fundraising on our own through bake sales.”

The rewards of being a Girl Scout are limitless as it creates a sense of belonging and a community of forever friends which gives girls the courage to try new things, test their limits, and work toward goals as a team. It’s what drives Girl Scouts to explore their communities, help others and solve problems.

“There are so many benefits of being a Girl Scout and I want my daughter to gain those skills and go all the way through the program,” York proclaimed.

Your gifts make it possible for Troops like #12378 to operate and obtain resources such as consistent transportation and a meeting location to share the benefits of scouting with the next generation of girls ─ regardless of their socioeconomic status.