It didn’t take much to convince Holly to step up and become leader for Troop 74006 when her oldest daughter began her Girl Scout journey in kindergarten. It took even less when it came to leading Troop 70031 with her second daughter.
“I had been a Girl Scout for a short amount of time when I was younger, and I enjoyed the experience. I didn’t have a job at the time and knew that I wanted to be active with my daughters,” Holly says. “After a little encouragement from friends and family, I decided to do it and haven’t regretted it once.”
Daisies to Ambassadors
Taking shy Daisies and watching them evolve into self-assured Ambassadors has been a pleasure for the Metamora resident.
“I got to see them grow into amazingly confident women, but also caring women because Girl Scouts instilled in them the importance of helping others,” she says.
Her favorite part of being a troop leader was watching the younger Girl Scouts interact with the older troop. “The young Girl Scouts would look at the older girls and you could see in their eyes how much they admired them,” she says.
Her favorite part of being a troop leader mom was seeing her daughters become the older girls they looked up to when they were Daisies. “They got to take part in all the events,” Holly says. “They were part of every step of the planning, even picking events out.”
Making Memories
Holly, a Volunteer of Excellence award recipient, has a multitude of amazing memories, but there is one that stands out.
“Once at day camp, we decided on a game that was supposed to be maybe ten girls. We ended up with the entire group of 100 involved,” she remembers. “The looks on people’s faces as a hundred Girl Scouts walked out of the woods, laughing and singing, is something I will always treasure.”
Going Forward
For the first time in 15 years, Holly will not be leading a troop. Her younger daughter’s troop graduated from high school in the spring, and Holly returned to full time work. With out a troop to plan for, she intends to volunteer with local food shelters, crochet, and travel.
Watching Girl Scouts grow and become amazing women and leaders is so worth it!
Holly Grzyb
