During its annual Volunteer Celebration at the San Diego Convention Center, Girl Scouts San Diego spotlighted East County volunteers for making Girl Scouting possible. Honorees included La Mesa residents Lisa Sanchez and Melissa Wehr, who received Volunteer of Excellence Awards; and the Magnolia Trails Service Unit (a volunteer team that serves members in the Santee area), which received the President’s Award. Recipients were nominated by their peers and selected by a panel of Girl Scout volunteers.
During its annual Volunteer Celebration at the San Diego Convention Center, Girl Scouts San Diego spotlighted East County volunteers for making Girl Scouting possible. Honorees included La Mesa residents Lisa Sanchez and Melissa Wehr, who received Volunteer of Excellence Awards; and the Magnolia Trails Service Unit (a volunteer team that serves members in the Santee area), which received the President’s Award. Recipients were nominated by their peers and selected by a panel of Girl Scout volunteers. The recent gathering coincided with the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts San Diego.
“For a century, Girl Scout volunteers have inspired, challenged and empowered the girls of our region,” Girl Scouts San Diego CEO Carol M. Dedrich told guests. “These caring, dedicated adults play a critical role in shaping our next generation of leaders.”
Volunteers are key to unleashing the inner G.I.R.L. (Go-Getter, Innovator, Risk-Taker and Leader) TM in every Girl Scout. New members, including adults, can join any time during the year. Local families (girls in grades K-12 with an accompanying adult) are invited to experience Girl Scouting first-hand by attending “Discover the Outdoors” at Girl Scouts San Diego’s headquarters in Balboa Park on Sunday, Nov. 19, 1-3 p.m. (contact volunteer Alma Harder at GSCVSUevents@gmail.com for details). For information about other upcoming events and Girl Scout membership information, contact East County Regional Recruitment Specialist Ana Luisa Ponce at (619) 610-0715 or aponce@sdgirlscouts.org, or visit sdgirlscouts.org/join.
During the Volunteer Celebration, Sanchez was recognized for her invaluable contributions as treasurer for the La Mesa Service Unit, and for going beyond the call of duty by training other service unit treasurers and organizing outdoor adventures like the annual “Metropolis to Mountain” camp session.
Wehr is the service unit manager and Girl Scout Cookie Program coordinator for Rancho Foothills, which serves Jamul and Rancho San Diego. She is known for enriching the Girl Scout world by organizing girl-led encampments, supporting new leaders, encouraging troops to do community service projects, and overseeing social media for the service unit.
The Magnolia Trails Service Unit was presented with the President’s Award, an accolade that recognizes high-achieving service unit teams for achieving program, recruitment, membership and training goals, and for supporting the SHARE financial assistance program. Magnolia Trails’ achievements included exceeding member registration goals and developing fun and enriching events, including a Girl Scout activity fair, for Santee families. Service Unit Manager Joanie Riegel of Santee accepted the award on behalf of her team.
