Dara Montoya
When my son was born in 2007, I knew I had to find a way to spend one-on-one time with my daughter who had just turned 8 years old. I remembered how much fun Girl Scouts was when I was growing up so I found a troop at her elementary school and we both joined. At first, I was just a parent helper, an extra set of hands for the leaders. Come her second year, they asked me to be the cookie mom. Eventually I became a co-leader and then took the troop over when the girls reached 6th grade. That summer, we took the girls to Washington DC for the 100-year celebration of Girl Scouts. I have held just about every volunteer role available such as Service Unit Product Chair, Service Unit Manager, Service Unit Program Chair, and Recruiter. In 2014, I was offered a role on staff as the Regional Manager for Northern New Mexico. This was just the career change I was looking for and gladly accepted.
Girl Scouts is an organization that I believe is vital for shaping the future female leaders of our nation. I strive to instill courage, confidence, and character in every girl and woman that I encounter. In my opinion, any female who possesses these three attributes are able to go out into the world and make a positive difference. Over the past 10 years, I have led 10 different troops and have been able to pass them on to new volunteers; a handful of the girls have graduated high school and are off at college, taking the world by storm. What I value most about this experience is that I have gotten to spend a great amount of time with my daughter. She and I have such a close relationship; we have gotten to share so many wonderful experiences together. My mom has also come out of Girl Scout retirement as my co-leader, allowing the three of us to share these great adventures. Memories, friendships, and sisterhood is why I am a Girl Scout.
Business spotlight is written by Sarah Ruiz, Girls Scouts of America