Candis Waltz is the troop leader behind generations of Girl Scouting. It began with her, then her daughter, now her granddaughters are Girl Scouts! Troop 74046 is lucky to have her, and the entire GSSEM community is so grateful to have her as part of the team.
Candis says that with the right troop, there are no limits to the amount of courage, self confidence and independent character that girls can build. She was a Girl Scout herself until 8th grade, then as an adult, she became a leader for her own daughter’s troop. Once she had granddaughters, it seemed natural to step back into the troop leader role.
Like so many other leaders, Candis’ favorite part about being a troop leader is watching the girls grow and enjoy being with one another. At the beginning of the year, there was a new girl that was too timid to even introduce herself, but by the end of cookie season, that same young lady proudly stood in front of the booth with her Girl Scout sisters selling cookies. Having such a large, multi-level troop of about 45 girls, the girls easily learn from each other and become close like family. Some of the girls have even been together for 9 years! To Candis, Girl Scouts has such a powerful, positive impact; it’s the little things that helps the girls to grow.
Candis says her main goal is to make sure that her girls feel like they’ve made a difference whether it’s through art, STEM, or just getting outside and helping the community. She does her best to always include fun, learning and leadership building activities whenever possible, while, making memories that last a lifetime.
Current Girl Scout troop leaders, Candis has this word of advice:
“Remember that everything you do is for your girls. There are times it can seem too overwhelming, but all it takes is one good hug from one of your Girl Scouts to remind you of why you do what you do. The girls get out of it, what you put into it, so this role is what you make of it. I’ll never forget when my daughter called to see if I would do this for my granddaughter when she was a kindergarten. She said, ‘Mom, of all of the things when I grew up Scouts is what I remember the most. You did all of that with us. Took us to Camp O’Fair Winds and did cool stuff. Don’t you want my girls to have that too?‘ If that isn’t a way to sucker me in I don’t know what is! I love my Troop!”
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