Volunteer Spotlight: Susan Lacerda Shares Her Scouting Story

Last week, we introduced you to Pam, who chronicled her journey of becoming a Girl Scout volunteer and what Girl Scouts means to her. Today, we're introducing you to another one of our amazing volunteers, Susan Lacerda, who serves as a Service Unit Manager and Troop Leader.


Susan has been in the Girl Scout family for over 40 years. Below, she writes about why she loves volunteering and what Girl Scouts means to her family:

I grew up in a scouting family. From 2nd grade through high school, I had Girl Scouts on Monday nights, which was nothing unusual for my family. My grandmother, mother and sisters were (and still are!) all Girl Scouts. I couldn't wait for it to be my turn to be a Brownie Scout; that was 42 years ago and I have never stopped being a part of the organization. My daughter, who is currently a Junior, is a 4th generation scout in our family - joining her nine cousins who are also Girl Scouts! It gives me great pride to attend our Wednesday meetings with her, knowing that she is following in my footsteps.

In my family, we say that our blood runs green - Girl Scout green. I don't remember a time when someone wasn't working on a badge, service project, or Bronze/Silver/Gold award. Summers were always filled with day camps and resident camps; both as campers, employees, and volunteers.  New skills were learned, lifetime friendships were formed, and memories were made. It is not surprising to those who know me to learn that Juliette Gordon Low is the woman I admire most in history.

My scouting years, especially the ones I experienced in middle school and high school, helped shape me into the person I am today. I never had that moment when I thought I may want to quit. Why would I want to quit something that was a ton of fun and brought me such joy? The girls in my troop may not all have been my best friends, but we were sister scouts and respected one another above all else.  Our leaders empowered us to make smart decisions and taught us to have the confidence to execute them. Our leaders also taught us to have the courage to try new skills. We learned how to work as a team and behave responsibly. Skills were taught by earning badges, doing service work, and camping. Camping was one of our favorite things to do. We loved pitching our own tents, collecting enough firewood for the entire weekend, and cooking our meals over the fire.

As an adult scout, I was volunteering and assisting with troops at various levels. Not too long after, I was on the service unit team and leading my own troops. At one point, I was leading a Daisy troop and a Senior troop simultaneously! I wasn't married and I didn't have any children at the time, so people were a little surprised that I was a Girl Scout leader. They always thought that being a leader was something moms did with their daughters and my friends couldn't understand why I would want to go camping with the Girl Scouts during the weekend. My response was and continues to be that I love being a Girl Scout leader. I love sharing my scouting experiences with the girls, teaching them skills along the way, and having fun.  My leaders had such an impact on me that I wanted to give back and maybe leave a little scouting legacy with the next generation. I was taught that girls could do anything and everything, which is why I'm so eager on passing down those values to the next generation.

Now that my daughter is a Girl Scout, I'm experiencing the scouting levels all over again through her. To be able to watch these girls go from young Daisy scouts (some of them afraid to leave their mom at that first meeting) to young ladies who are independent and motivated, is something not everyone get to experience - and they should.

A Girl Scout volunteer has the honor and responsibility to help this generation of girls achieve their dreams and become strong women in our society. The girls are excited to try new skills, which makes me excited to try something new. My girls are excited for each meeting or activity and that makes me excited to be their leader.  Being a Girl Scout leader is not something I do because I have to, it is something I do because I want to.

Being a leader has also allowed me the opportunity to work alongside some amazing women. It has given me friendships and bonds that will never be broken. I truly admire many of these women and have learned so much from them. 

I am proud to belong to an organization whose Core Values, Promise, and Law are maintained. While the world continues to change, Girl Scouts still holds true Daisy's beliefs and values and for that, I will always be a Girl Scout and will always be a volunteer.