Girl Scout Troop fun, friendly, ‘a family’; open to new members

Girl Scout Troop #389 has been in existence for 20 to 25 years, and it’s gone through many changes over that time, including recent fluctuations in Scout numbers.

“We were 30 strong two years ago,” says Troop leader Debbie Smith. “But everybody aged out, so we’re slowly rebuilding.”

Membership in Troop #389 dropped to 12, but has inched up to 14, representing ages kindergarten through 11th grade. And the message Smith — backed by Troop members, leaders and volunteers — wants to send out is this: The troop enthusiastically welcomes new members at any time.

Of utmost importance, Smith says, is that people understand how inclusive the group is. “Girl Scouts is open to everyone…I’m not going to have a girl come in here and not be comfortable,” she insists.

“These girls have been told from the time they get here, this is your safe haven,” she continues. “You will not be bullied here. You will not be made fun of.”

Brittany Schroeder, mom to 9-year-old Katherine, echoes this sentiment. “We’re a family. We take care of each other.”

The word family can also be applied in a literal sense to this troop. Smith points out that the level of involvement from her Scouts’ moms, dads and even grandmothers is outstanding, noting that they have a wide variety of talents and skills to share. “I have people that do computers, I have people that bake, I have people that organize, I have people that do crafts,” she says. (Every adult that volunteers with the troop undergoes a background check.) Interestingly, Smith doesn’t have a daughter or granddaughter in the Scout ttroop; she became involved because of her goddaughter, RaeLynn Smith.

“All the girls gain from every parent here, every adult here,” Smith notes. “We’re really lucky in that none of our parents play favorites. If they see a child that needs help, they’re there. I’ve noticed that from the very beginning of this Troop.”

Many of Troop #389’s parent volunteers were once Scouts themselves, as is the case with Trelvia Cromartie. For her, Scouting helps young people — including her 11-year-old daughter, Ava — gain leadership skills. “That’s the main thing about Girl Scouts that I’ve always loved,” she says. She also believes the experience helps instill confidence.

While developing confidence and leadership skills may be foremost in the minds of parents, Ava is representative of her fellow Scouts when she says her reason for being involved is that she gets to be with her friends and do fun activities.

Over the past few years, a few of Troop #389’s activities have included: visiting Goldsboro’s Mar-Mac Volunteer Department, learning about fire safety and riding in the fire truck; learning about beekeeping from Beekeepers of the Neuse; decorating a float and riding in the Mount Olive Christmas parade; making the Girl Scout emblem using a 3D printer; providing cookies and hot chocolate after the town’s October Cemetery Walk; getting a visit from Mount Olive native and three-time Olympian, Sam Jones; making dog treats and donating them to an animal rescue farm; making Valentine’s Day cards for residents of a nursing facility; and giving out popsicles at the Exchange Club’s Fourth of July celebration.

Under the tutelage of Brittany Schroeder, the Scouts baked cookies from scratch. With instruction from Ava Cromartie’s grandmother, Carolyn Williamson, they learned to make compost. In honor of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday in October, they collected items for a baby basket, which they donated to the Wayne Pregnancy Center in hopes that it would be given to a baby born on or around Low’s birthday.

Three members of Troop #389 went to Camp Hardee in Beaufort County in October, and several Scouts made the trip to Goldsboro’s Odom Farming Company for pumpkin-picking. Twice in recent years, members of the Troop have gone to Savannah, Georgia, the home of Low, to participate in an annual city-wide, Girl Scout scavenger hunt. According to Smith, Troop #389 won $5000 in 2017 for taking first place in the event.

Community involvement is a major focus for this troop. Katherine Schroeder’s dad, Robert — one of several dads who volunteers — praises Smith for her commitment in this area. “Miss Debbie’s open to things that we’d like to do in the community,” he says. “She asks for input from all of us.”

An upcoming — and, hopefully, ongoing — community project the Troop will be taking on is maintaining the raised beds in the George Allen Fulghum Community Garden. This is particularly fitting, says Smith, because this Troop donated blueberry bushes to the garden years ago.

Another upcoming project will have the troop helping the Mount Olive Presbyterian Church pack 24 backpacks for the Backpack Buddies program next month. This gives the Scouts a chance to thank the church for being so accommodating in serving as their “home.” Regular monthly meetings of Troop #389 take place at the church the first Saturday of every month, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (unless they have an activity scheduled somewhere off-site).

“We want to give back to the community, because without this community, without this church being our base foundation, I don’t know where we’d be,” Smith notes.

Regarding opportunities to help in the community, she says, “Anything that we get offered to do, we’re down for it.”

In addition to the many parents and grandparents that help Troop #389 in non-official roles, several also hold official roles as leaders. The troop is divided into groups based on grades, and those groups (and their leaders) are as follows: Daisies (grades K-1) are led by Samantha Grady; Brownies (grades 2-3) are led by Belinda Parent; and Juniors (grades 4-5) are led by Trelvia Cromartie. Smith leads the older groups: Cadettes (grades 6-8), Seniors (grades 9-10) and Ambassadors (grades 11-12).

“I can’t tell you the blessings I’ve got from this group,” Smith says, making it clear that she is referring both to the Scouts and to the adults.

If you know a young person who is interested in joining Troop #389, the group can be contacted through www.nccoastalpines.org. Additionally, any of the leaders listed in this story can provide information.