Service with a Side of Thin Mints by Adalyn

Service with a Side of Thin Mints by Adalyn - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

Scouting is inherently dorky, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I'm allowed to say this since I've been a Girl Scout since 2nd grade. From the badges, cookie sales, camping trips, and volunteering, I have formed relationships and memories to last a lifetime. More importantly, Girl Scouts has helped to shape who I am by instilling values in me such as kindness and service. It’s also helped me realize the value of Thin Mints (which - let’s be honest - is basically the reason anyone joins Girl Scouts).
My Girl Scout troop has always been a group of similarly privileged girls. We all are privileged to come home to a family and food in the fridge, receive an education, and live relatively easy lives. From a young age, Girl Scouts has exposed me to people whose situations are much different than mine through working with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and the Orange County Foster System in North Carolina.
The work we did at the foster system headquarters was simple enough. Sorting canned food didn’t seem like an event that would be particularly inspiring or life-changing. I was right. It wasn’t. It was actually pretty boring and resulted in a can of creamed corn busting and spilling on me. While this was memorable, more memorable was the conversation I had with a social worker helping us. She explained what life was really like for a child in foster care - constant moving, abandonment issues, loneliness, and never feeling like they really belonged.
Her last comment struck a chord in me and the other girls in my troop. Familiarity is definitely something I’ve taken for granted. It comes in many different and subtle forms. It’s the smell of my clothes after they’ve been washed in the laundry detergent my mom gets. It’s knowing where the good scissors are and knowing which of the four light switches in my kitchen controls the garage lights. It’s having my dog curl up on my lap. While foster children may eventually experience this familiarity, it is never permanent. Soon they’ll have to move on and get acquainted with their surroundings once again. This realization inspired my troop and I to give foster children in our community some type of consistency in their lives, no matter how small.
We brainstormed some of the things that make us feel most at home and most comfortable. This included diaries, our favorite stuffed animals, our own hygiene products (toothbrushes, hairbrushes, etc.), and our favorite games. In an attempt to replicate this feeling for kids who may not experience it, we solicited the donations for the filling of backpacks with these items, personalizing them for kids of all genders, ages, and personalities. A social worker distributed them to foster children in Orange County.
One of the most special things about this project was the fact that we were able to help our own classmates, friends, and neighbors. It was personal and humbling. It also gave me a new perspective. People are struggling everywhere. It doesn’t just occur in the poorest countries or worst neighborhoods. Girl Scouts taught me that everyone is facing their own unique challenges and sensitivity to them is important. Along with this, scouting taught me that there is always action to be taken to help others.