Plenty of Girl Scouts, but where's the leaders

MURRIETA ---- They have their own songs, their special handshake and decades of tradition, but there is one crucial thing Murrieta Girl Scouts do not have ---- enough troop leaders.

"A lot of it has to do with the demands placed on women today ---- where do we fit that extra time in? It's a hard one," said Lorie Abeles, treasurer of the Murrieta Service Unit.

Abeles ---- known in Murrieta Girl Scout circless as the "cookie queen" because she manages the unit's cookie sales ---- said Girl Scouts and troop leaders are a positive influence on a girl's life, someone the girls can look up to and respect.

Girl Scout Leader Kris Thomasian said Girl Scout volunteers need to be at least 18 years old and willing to work with girls. The organization does a background check and provides free training for volunteers, Thomasian said.

Earlier this week, the giggling of big and little girls filled a classroom at Tovashal Elementary School where 17 little girls met as a Girl Scout "supertroop," a troop that acts as a waiting list for girls who can't join a regular troop because there are not enough leaders.

The supertroop, which began three years ago, is led by eight high school-age Girl Scouts, Thomasian, the high-school-aged troop leader said. The older girls lead monthly activities for the younger girls, who range from kindergarten to junior high school, she said. This past week, the supertroop made Christmas cards for soldiers in Afghanistan, she said.

In addition to leading activities for the younger girls, the older Girl Scouts introduce them to Scouting traditions, such as the special handshake and song verses about Boy Scouts.

"If I couldn't be a Girl Scout, a Boy Scout I would be! Here's my compass. Here's my map. Why am I so lost?" the older girls sang while trying not to laugh. The younger girls especially remembering the verse about the Boy Scouts.

In a good-natured way, the troop makes fun of all the stories in the newspaper about Boy Scouts getting lost, said Elizabeth Thomasian, a junior at Vista Murrieta High School and a Girl Scout.

"We never get lost," she said.

The supertroop instills Girl Scout pride in the younger girls. Unfortunately, however, the waiting list remains. As some girls get placed in other troops, more girls are added to the waiting list, said Kris Thomasian.

Recruiting Girl Scout leaders in not a problem unique to Murrieta, Girl Scout officials say.

Many cities nationwide are experiencing a dearth of leaders as well, and have for a while, said Kathy Knox, spokeswoman for the San Gorgonio Council of Girl Scouts, which serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Most people work ---- sometimes with very long commutes ---- and can't commit volunteer time likee they used to, Knox said. Girl Scouts is responding by trying to make the volunteer positions as flexible as possible, she said.

Not everyone has to be a troop leader and, in some cases, the troop leader position is split by a number of people, which lessens the time demand on everyone, Knox said. In addition, troops do not have to meet every week, as they did in the past, she said.

Supertroop girls' parents who were watching the meeting said they were interested in helping.

"I took the class to be a co-leader, but I have a newborn. As he gets older, I'll definitely be volunteering," Shelley Baird said

Lorraine Sattler said she would love to help out, especially as an assistant leader, which would fit more easily into her schedule.

Kris Thomasian said often parents watching the meeting while waiting for their girls will realize they can be a troop leader or will volunteer to help out in some other way. For information on local Girl Scouts, call (951) 308-6692.