Colleen Allen of Bennington has been involved with Girl Scouts nearly her entire life, and her commitment has now earned her recognition as the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains’ Volunteer of the Month for November.
Allen, 40, leads Troop 20889 in Bennington, a group of 14 girls in grades four through six, co-leads Troop 60248 for five Girl Scouts in grades eight through 12, and recently started a Daisy and Brownie troop in Dunbarton to give her niece—and other young girls—a chance to experience Girl Scouting. She also helps other troop leaders as a volunteer support coordinator.
“Colleen Allen is invaluable,” said DeeDee Rice, membership finance specialist with the council. “Her leadership, dedication, and enthusiasm have been instrumental in supporting volunteers and ensuring that the girls and adults in her community have meaningful and memorable experiences.”
Allen was also recognized as a Volunteer of Excellence in 2019, an award given to volunteers who have performed beyond the expectations of their position and have supported the council’s goals.
For Allen, it’s all about providing opportunities to her Girl Scouts they wouldn’t get from school or home, along with teaching them the skills to earn badges and do good in their community. Six of the Scouts in Troop 20889 recently earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest honor for those in grades four and five, for weeding and planting new vegetation at the VFW hall where the troop meets. Allen said they love to go camping and plan to go horseback riding later this month.
Prior to her time in Bennington, Allen led a troop in Alaska, having enjoyed working at Girl Scout camp.
Now that she’s here in New Hampshire, she’s making sure her daughter, an 11-year-old Cadette, is getting the full Girl Scout experience along with the others in her troops.
She credits her mother for signing her up for Girl Scouts when she was in kindergarten and honored her request to spend a week at overnight camp when she was just 7 years old.
“Girl Scouts shaped my life,” she said. “I even went on to earn a BS in Adventure Education because of a passion for summer camp and the outdoors. I’m a lifetime member and see myself continuing well beyond when my daughter is grown,” Allen said.
Camp became a huge part of her life, spending 19 summers at Camp Hoffman in Rhode Island. She’s also a Gold Award Girl Scout, earning the highest possible honor for a Girl Scout in high school.
More information about volunteering or joining can be found at www.girlscoutsgwm.org.