By Jacki Wood

For 110 years, Girl Scouts have been building “girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place”(Girl Scouts mission) while blazing trails and redefining their potentials.

Throughout the month of March, local Girl Scouts will be serving, selling and sprinting … and growing.

Serving

Laura Nixon, Service Unit 805 service manager, which consists of Nodaway, Atchison, and Holt counties, said the troops are planning to do service projects throughout their various communities during Girl Scout Week which is March 6 to 12.

“Our plan for the week is for every troop to contribute with one service project,” Nixon said. “As long as every troop participates, that’s 11 service projects in one week which is pretty cool.

“If there’s anyone in the community that could use some help with a project, please reach out to me so I can get a troop in touch with you.”

Selling

The local troops have also been selling Girl Scout cookies. The proceeds from cookie sales stay local to help fund programs, experiences and learning throughout the year.

“The service unit has sold almost 19,000 cookies to our three counties,” Nixon said. “The money earned from the cookie sales helps provide for daily troop activities as well as camping and other trips the troops take.”

Sprinting

The Girl Scouts will host the Thin Mint Sprint and Cookie Crawl on March 20 at the Hughes Fieldhouse at Northwest Missouri State University. The 5K run/walk and one-mile fun run raises funds for the STEAM day camp in May. Participants will receive a custom T-shirt as well as a box of the famous Thin Mint cookies.

“I love how fun yet competitive a 5K can be,” Nixon said, “and it’s a good way for the service unit to have a fundraiser.”

Growing

Nixon said she originally got involved in the Girl Scout program to help her daughter, Lily, who was in kindergarten, gain confidence.

“She’s the oldest of three and has lived with a single mom since she was four years old,” Nixon said. “I worried about her missing out on opportunities because of her mom having to be stretched thin on time.

“The (Girl Scouts) program has given her girls to grow up with. They have been the sweet five-year-olds learning how to find their voices. Now, six years later, they’re a team.

“They’re going to have more obstacles as they grow, but I believe that with their Girl Scout sister bond, they won’t ever have to feel like they need to face anything alone.”

Nixon said they love having new girls in the program and are always looking to expand.

“Girl Scouts does a great job with letting each troop be unique,” she said. “There are some troops who love to camp as well as some that don’t. You don’t have to fit any mold in Girl Scouts.”

For more information on any of the upcoming events, community service projects or to get involved, contact Nixon at lmey30@icloud.com or 816.743.1920.