GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (ABC 4)- Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore is all about empowering young girls to discover and soar! On Saturday, Oct. 21, the esteemed nonprofit organization hosted its second annual “Girl Scout Leadership Conference” at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
It was an inspiring day for all attendees, including more than 300 Girl Scouts in grades 5-12 across Michigan, troop leaders, parents, 30 mentors, Girl Scouts supporters, sponsors and staff!
During the event, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., scouts had the opportunity to interact and collaborate with new girls across the council, participate in fun icebreaker activities displaying teamwork, collaboration, and communication, and engage in small group mentoring and Q&A sessions to learn from women mentors in leadership making a positive impact in the community and serving as a source of guidance for youth.
“We are celebrating Girl Scouts and leadership. Our theme this year is Discover and Soar, and what we’re doing is we’re talking to girls about their unique gifts. They each have them. And, the great part of being a Girl Scout is discovering what that gift is and how you can use it to serve your family, your community and the world around you because our mission is making the world a better place,” Vivian TerMaat, CEO of Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore, said.
Another exciting feature of the conference was listening to an encouraging keynote speech by Dr. Barbara Bell, U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.). Dr. Bell is a proud Girl Scout Alum and Michigan native!
According to Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore, Dr. Bell is also a part of AstraFemina, an organization inspiring today’s girls to be tomorrow’s STEM stars.
“The sky is the limit, and that’s what I’m here to talk to these girls about today,” Dr. Bell said. “This is what happens when you teach a Girl Scout from Michigan how to fly.”
The Leadership Conference was an unforgettable experience for every participant. And, as an encouraging reminder for scouts to discover their unique gifts and nurture them to soar into a possibility-filled future, each was gifted a limited edition “Discover and Soar” patch.
Maranda attended the conference to capture all the fun! Check it out in the segment featured above.
Sponsored by Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore.
