It’s super rewarding when Girl Scout dads step up to the plate and take an active role in their Girl Scout experience. Richard Freeman is one of those dads. He is a troop support volunteer for Troop 75629 and has made a huge impact with his STEM background, empathy, and leadership.

Richard began the journey as a troop support volunteer because he has a daughter with autism who wanted to be a Girl Scout, just like her big sister. He knew she would need a one-on-one leader and jumped at the opportunity to create special memories with her. Richard is a clinical laboratory scientist and a “healthineer” (healthcare engineer), so he loves bringing STEM knowledge to Girl Scouts. The girls in his troop seem to really enjoy learning about all things STEM—perhaps GSSEM has some future STEM experts in the making. His goal for this current Girl Scout membership year is to help the Junior troop earn their Bronze Award.

When it comes to making memories, most recently, his troop had the opportunity to earn their Snow or Climbing Adventure badges at a local Tree Runner location. Richard says it was amazing to see the Girl Scouts accomplish their goal. The members of his troop are very encouraging and supportive, which helped some Girl Scouts conquer their fear of climbing. With so much support within one troop, we can only imagine what the next adventure will be.

Need advice from a volunteer vet? Richard has this to say:

“Work with your troop’s strengths while slowly guiding them to expand their interests and knowledge.”

Thank you for being a Girl Scout dad!

Do you know a volunteer who’s gone above and beyond? Nominate them to be featured on GSSEM’s Volunteer Spotlight at www.gssem.org/volspotlight.