It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month and we’re kicking it off by celebrating some of the amazing members of our community who have supported the Girl Scouts mission for decades, yes DECADES!
This month, we’ll highlight a few volunteers and the inspiration for their continued support. Including the Knox Award recipients. The Knox Award is a Volunteer Recognition honor created in 1988 in commemoration of sisters Lucy, Irene, and Alma Knox. These three amazing siblings individually showed a lifelong dedication to our council. To this day, the award remains an honor for similarly devoted volunteers.
Continue reading below to learn more about recent Knox Award honorees, Jean Turner, Patty Green, Karen Brown, and Sue Lickiss
Jean Turner
When Frederick County, Maryland merged with Nation’s Capital, Jean Turner was an important voice leading the way for the change with a positive attitude and support. She helped volunteers in Frederick see the benefits of the merger, and also helped staff and volunteers outside of Frederick learn new ways of Girl Scouting from her wealth of experiences like service unit day camps and teen Training events like “Chill Out”.
As association 37 chair and assistant chair, she helped nurture relationships within the service units of her association, so that it would be stronger and more cohesive. She helped mentor new association chairs to help strengthen volunteer networks throughout the council, not just in her area.
She understands how important it is for families to support SHARE and has patiently built a network of family donors in her area - and has also mentored SHARE volunteers throughout the council. She’s been an adult educator for decades, helping troop volunteers understand how to bring the best of Girl Scout programming to their girls. She has been a mentor for council staff members who value her guidance and experience.
Jean has a special place in her heart for teen Girl Scouts, and we have seen her beam with joy as they are recognized for their achievements at council events.
Patty Green
Patty Green remembers having fun with her troop as a girl – including camping and doing service projects, and the friendships she made then that are still treasured today. As an adult, Patty found her way back to Girl Scouts the same way many of us did – through her daughter. There was no troop in their area, so she was asked to start a troop. Little did she know how the Girl Scout way would become so important to her as the years passed. We’re pleased to celebrate Patty’s 50th year as a Girl Scout member today.
In her 50 years as a Girl Scout member, Patty has held many roles. When Frederick County became part of Nation’s Capital, Patty was instrumental in coordinating with the council to make sure concerns were addressed – and also reassured volunteers who were concerned about the impact the change would have on their Girl Scout program. She has been a troop organizer, service unit manager, association chair, an association training manager and an adult educator.
The role of association training manager has had challenges over the last two years as classes pivoted to Zoom and educators felt pressure to learn new computer programs and teaching techniques. Patty’s team of adult educators has been a shining star – leading the way in effectively training volunteers in a virtual setting using a team approach. This method helps improve the experience for the volunteers being trained as well as the educators and has proven to be a model that others work to emulate.
Karen Brown
Karen Brown's Girl Scout history began in 1947 as a Brownie and continued as she earned her First-Class Award. She had great adventures as a girl - Maybe it was her trip to the Girl Guide camp at Doe Lake, Canada as a Girl Scout Mariner that first ignited her interest in the global aspect of this movement? As an adult, she found a love for international Girl Scout events and the World Centers at Pax Lodge, Our Cabaña, Our Chalet and Sangam. She brought back the culture and traditions to girls and volunteers in the U.S. by teaching about World Thinking Day and sharing songs she learned from Girl Scout sisters around the globe. And she’s chaired Friends of Sangam to help support our World Center in India and provide more opportunities for girls and volunteers there.
Karen started three Girl Scout troops in remote Annette Island, Alaska before serving as a troop leader for additional troops in Connecticut and Maryland. She joined the staff of Camp Tuckerman, eventually serving as co-director for almost ten years. Karen continued to serve girls as a troop leader and coordinating trips – like amazing adventures to National Center West in Wyoming! But in 1977 she added a new interest – training adult volunteers. By 1984 Karen had started your Sing into Fall weekends – creating opportunities for volunteers to gain skills and confidence in leading the kinds of Girl Scout singalongs that have kept our girls “Still Singing After All These Years”!
In 1986, Karen joined the staff of the council where she served until 2003 – proving to be a valued member of the team establishing exciting new STEM opportunities for girls. She also led the charge to make a Girl Scout songbook, and then continued to make updated new editions – many of which are lovingly dogeared and worn - still tucked into backpacks of Girl Scouts around the nation. Karen took her expertise in songbooks abroad to compile a Pax Lodge songbook and renew the copyrights for the Sangam songbook, and also compiled CDs to go with them - as well as a CD to accompany the Our Chalet songbook.
In 1994, Karen had an amazing idea for a “Singalong Service” where volunteers and event coordinators could request song leaders who could come to lead singalongs for them! She’s led singing on the National Mall marking the 85th, 90th and 95th anniversaries of Girl Scouting with thousands of girls and adults attending – spectacular events exemplifying the strength of Girl Scout traditions.
Her love of the universal language of song brings people together so they can learn and continue the Girl Scout traditions that have made our movement so strong throughout the world.
Sue Lickiss
Sue Lickiss has spent an amazing 52 years in association 80! She started with her daughters’ troops – and later worked with her granddaughters’ troops! She’s had numerous roles at all levels – including two six-year terms as co-service unit manager in two different decades, and SU registrar for more than 30 years.
Serving in a very diverse area can bring challenges, but Sue worked hard to be inclusive. When cultural and language barriers seemed to be putting up a roadblock, Sue figured out a way to provide training and a structure that would work for the community. Her flexibility and creative thinking opened up wonderful new opportunities for all girls in the area to learn from each other and celebrate other cultures.
When association 80 grew so large that it split to create association 90, Sue served as a stabilizing force to help volunteers adjust to the changes and growth and made sure they stayed on track during the transition. Sue mentored new troop leaders and gave them the confidence to eventually step up to fill service unit roles.
When there was a role to fill, Sue used her extensive network and always could suggest someone, since she knew everyone and their strengths so she could recommend a good fit – not just a warm body. Her decades of work supported a diverse region of volunteers and girls.
