By: Kim French, GSNI Recruitment Specialist
Congratulations to Lori Janis who has been awarded GSNI’s Volunteer Spotlight for January 2024!
Lori shared that she was only in Girl Scouts for one year during junior high school, but she remembers loving it! This surely made an impression on Lori. Years later in 2012, she found herself registering her older daughter as a Girl Scout and volunteering to co-lead their then-kindergarten troop—now Ambassador Troop 1424! Lori is also a troop leader for her younger daughter’s Cadette Troop 1336. She is a GSNI Council Archery Trainer and helps as fire marshal with their service unit day camp under the camp name “Jitterbug”.
Besides assisting with camp and outdoor activities, Lori volunteers as Genesis Service Unit’s Registrar, Volunteer Mentor, and as a Girl Scout Organizer. In 2022, GSNI happily recognized Lori as a recipient of GSUSA’s Volunteer of Excellence Award.
GSNI’s Member Support Specialist Lauri Doyle nominated Lori commenting, “She has taken on the role of friendly face in the Genesis Service Unit. In her role as Registrar, she is incredibly diligent about reminding troops to renew early and on time. As a result, Genesis had the highest on-time renewal percentage in the council! In her roles as Volunteer Mentor and Girl Scout Organizer, she helps to organize all their service unit troops. At service unit meetings, she gives a shout out to each new troop and makes sure they feel welcome and supported. Lori is a dedicated volunteer with a goal of helping all volunteers feel like a part of the Girl Scout community.”
When asked about favorite Girl Scout memories, Lori replied, “My favorite memories are the ones with the most laughter. In my older daughter’s troop, we did a Segway tour of Chicago, which was so much fun. In my younger daughter’s troop, we decorated a Christmas tree at Brookfield Zoo with all emoji-themed ornaments. For me, the meaning and value in volunteering comes every time I see pride in the girls’ eyes when they find their bravery or overcome their discomfort—while troop camping, around the fire scar learning how to light a match, talking to adults at a cookie booth, attempting a new outdoor cooking method, trying archery for the first time, or leading camp songs for a crowd of younger Girl Scouts. The meaning has been clear in all those moments.”
Lori explained, “The Three Processes (girl-led, learn by doing, and cooperative learning) have been both rewarding and challenging to work through. Now that the girls are older, we troop leaders are trying to lean heavily on being girl-led, encouraging the girls to design and lead the troop activities as much as possible. This is proving difficult alongside creative adults who love to learn by doing just as much as the girls do. Sometimes integrating these processes brings an outcome of failure when troop members can’t come to a consensus on something, but they’re still girl-led, learning by doing, and experiencing a version of cooperative learning.”
“I volunteer because I believe in the mission of Girl Scouting,” Lori continued. “I see the way the girls grow and become stronger, braver, bigger, better versions of themselves. I love the supportive community that is created within the troop and within the service unit, where girls and volunteers alike all explore their interests and figure out new things together. My daughters and I have formed some very special friendships among our Girl Scout sisterhood.”
When asked if she had any advice for other adult volunteers or parents, Lori responded, “To add value to Girl Scouting, adults volunteering do not need to have all the answers, the background experience, or the wise knowledge of all things. We just need to show up and be there for the girls. I apply the old African culture proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ I believe this is the best mindset while volunteering in Girl Scouts. It takes a team of volunteers, all willing to show up and be there for the Girl Scouts. As the Girl Scouts are building their courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place, so are we.”
Many thanks to Lori for her dedication to Girl Scouts!
GSNI wants to thank Patty Donahue and Image Awards Engraving and Creative Keepsakes in Geneva, Illinois, for providing the beautiful trivet awards for our Volunteer Spotlight Program.