Volunteer Spotlight: Brian Dow
For this Williamsburg dad who earned the Eagle Scout rank having his two daughters active as Girl Scouts with their eyes on the Gold Award makes him so proud. Not only is he a proud dad, but he is proud of being a Girl Scout volunteer.
Brian Dow has been involved ever since his eldest daughter, Ella, now in 6th grade, joined in kindergarten. His first year was as a supportive parent, cheering Ella on during the annual Cookie Program. By the second year, Troop 1422, a multi-level troop, had expanded and Brian stepped up and joined as part of the troop leadership.
“The troop is really a neighborhood troop,” Brian said. “Probably 90% of the girls live in the neighborhood, go to the same school, and are friends outside of Girl Scouts. The parents all know each other too and are friends, so they all pitch in to help when needed.”
Just like stepping up and volunteering when he saw there was a need, Brian does this for his service unit as well. When he approached Service Unit 140 Coordinator Trish Armstrong about starting a Powder Puff Derby, she did not hesitate to say yes and put him in charge. She gave him the funds and full range to go forward with recruiting other volunteers and making it happen. He was lucky to find mentorship with Yorktown SU 150 volunteer Samantha Cowan who was experienced running a derby for her unit. That was four years ago and it has become a staple and one of the most successful service unit events, even during the pandemic shut-down when the service unit held it virtually and offered help so all members could participate.
Brian and his daughter, Ella, at 2024 Girl Scout Legislative Day
Brian began the popular Powder Puff Derby hosted by SU 140
In addition to being a proactive volunteer who makes things happen, instead of waiting for them to happen, Brian believes in the Girl Scout girl-focused and girl-led program.
“Our troop program is really trying to become girl-led, as it is supposed to be,” he said. “They make the decisions about troop finances, troop activities and are responsible for leading badge work.”
He was excited that his youngest daughter, Charlie, volunteered to lead the troop to earn the Junior Drawing badge. As an engineer who also enjoys drawing as a hobby, he was ready to pitch in and help but said she did all the research and created a supplies list. “She was totally prepared,” he said. “I only had to step in to help teach about perspective.”
Brian, the other troop leaders, and the girls, try hard to ensure their Take Action projects are girl-led. For example, after the girls have brainstormed and shaped a project idea, Brian and co-leader Rachael will help lead discussions or be on hand to answer questions to help girls determine the feasibility of an activity or project.
To date, some of the girls who are now Girl Scout Cadettes earned their Junior Bronze Award last year, completing a project where they landscaped Camp Skimino’s welcome area and created an area to fill fire water buckets in the amphitheater. This year, the younger girls, second-year Girl Scout Juniors, did a Bronze project at Camp Skimino where they placed clothes/towel hooks on all the camp’s sleeping bunks. The Cadettes also volunteered community service hours this year and painted the pool fence.
“Camp Skimino is definitely one of their favorite places to camp and they want to give back by helping improve the camp for others,” Brian said. He and his daughters have also volunteered as a family to do service projects at the camp that included a cleanup of the Virginia Enmeier Program Center, the camp’s main facility and dining hall.
This year, he and Ella participated in the Council’s annual Legislative Day event and traveled to Richmond to visit with legislators. It so inspired Ella, that she is now interested in being a Page in the Virginia Assembly for the 2025 legislative session, something Brian fully supports as a parent and troop leader.
“I spend a lot of time with my daughters. They help me with projects around the house and yard, we go to sports events, and we have Girl Scouts. I asked Ella if she thought Girl Scouting was helping us build a strong relationship and she said, ‘yes,’ so there you go — it’s worth the time!”
Brian knows that it’s not enough to simply hope for the best when it comes to parenting, you have to actually help create that bright future for your daughter. A girl’s relationship with her father lays the foundation for her confidence and her future relationships and expectations of men. Girls need (and want!) their dads and father figures in their lives just as much as they need their mothers and female mentors.
To Brian and all the Girl Scout dads out there, thanks for doing your part, and for helping girls to be the best they can be!
