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Volunteer Spotlight: Leslie Atkins
Leslie Atkins is not a person who looks back with regrets; she would rather focus on the here and now and live the best life she can. However, there is one thing she admits she feels a tinge of regret about, and that is not being a Girl Scout as a girl. As a volunteer she has seen how Girl Scouting changes girls’ lives and knows she would have loved the experience. “If I could turn back the clock and re-do, I’d be a Girl Scout for sure,” she said. “But, I focus on the now and I’m living my best Girl Scout life and loving every second of it!”
Leslie has been a Girl Scout volunteer for 18 years, joining as a Girl Scout leader in 2006. She has also served through Girl Scouts of the USA Overseas during her family’s military service in Germany. There, she served as the treasurer for Wurzburg Girl Scouts and was the Ansbach Girl Scouts Overseas Committee Chairperson for eight years, the equivalent to our service unit coordinator. Since joining Girls Scouts of the Colonial Coast (GSCCC), she has held several positions that include service unit coordinator for SU 350 in Chesapeake. Leslie is a service unit delegate and appointed as a delegate representative on the GSCCC Board of Directors where she is also a member of the Board’s Property Committee. She was also invited to participate on the Strategic Alignment Committee, which she says was a very rewarding experience. In June, she was asked to be a guest speaker and shared information on the successes of her service unit.
“If you were to ask me what I am most proud of as a volunteer this year, I would have to say guiding nine girls to earn their Girl Scout Bronze Awards last spring,” Leslie said. “I am also proud of my commitment to Girl Scouts, and how it has allowed me to make a difference in the lives of girls in the communities I have lived in for the past 18 years. I chose to give my time to Girl Scouts initially for my daughter. If I hadn’t stepped up to be a troop leader, there would not have been that amazing Brownie troop I led. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made! My daughter is now an adult, and I choose to continue to be a Girl Scout volunteer because every girl deserves to have someone committed to her growth and success. I want to be that someone for as many girls as possible.”
Leslie has been able to keep Girl Scouts in her life while working full time. She has been a registered nurse for 33 years, even while living in Germany for 13 years and Japan for 4 years. Outside of her interest in Girl Scouts, Leslie is involved in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Chi Eta Phi Sorority and serving in the Children’s Church at New Life Church.
Thank you, Leslie, for saying “yes” to Girl Scouts!
