Volunteer Spotlight: Jennifer McBride

Can I take a moment to remind you why at Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast we adore our volunteers?

Volunteers were ready to help troops load up.

With pre-orders flooding in and many cookie-lovers across the region eagerly awaiting their first boxes of Thin Mints or Samoas, our council was preparing to receive a huge shipment of over 1.3 million boxes of cookies. Once the cookies arrived at Harrison’s Moving and Storage in Chesapeake, we knew we would need a lot of help getting cookies to where they needed to go. We had three locations to cover with nearly 500 troops that were ready to get orders filled and booths started.

This is where our absolutely amazing volunteers stepped in. On Saturday, February 15 we had so many groups lend their assistance to our Girl Scout volunteers by unloading cases of cookies from the shipping trucks and getting them loaded into campers, mini-vans, trucks, and U-Hauls of troops across the region.

Lead Volunteer and Navy Sailor Jennifer McBride

Jennifer McBride, a Navy sailor and Second Class Petty Officer from the USS John C. Stennis, was a very important piece of the operation. This was her second time volunteering with Girl Scouts and she decided to bring more than a couple friends. Jennifer recruited around 50 of her fellow USS John C. Stennis Sailors to assist Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast with unloading and loading the cookies.

“I volunteered with the Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast for the 2020 Cookie Classic Run back in January and had a great experience,” Jennifer said. “The positive energy radiating from the volunteers, Girl Scout Moms, and participants was enjoyable to be around, which is what led me to volunteer again.”

Jennifer believes the Girl Scout Cookie Program is about more than what’s inside the box and that her Sailors have something to gain from volunteering.

“I believe that volunteering is the best way to give back to the community and help make a difference,” Jennifer said. “With new Sailors checking in and out of the command almost daily, volunteering gives us the opportunity to meet new people outside of uniform and create partnerships with the community while accomplishing tasks and developing new skills, experience, and knowledge. Volunteering with the Girl Scouts is more than just giving back to the community; we are supporting an organization that prepares young girls for a lifetime of success, leadership, and accomplishment by demonstrating first-hand what dedication and teamwork can achieve.”

Other outstanding groups who volunteered their time were Gamma Phi Beta- Christopher Newport University Chapter, USO, Girl Scout Cookie Captains and Adult Volunteers, Great Bridge Rotary Club, Chesapeake Rotary Club, students of Christopher Newport University and the North Carolina A&T Alumni Association- Tidewater Chapter.

Our volunteers make the dream work. There are so many ways to get involved as a volunteer with Girl Scouts! Visit our Volunteer Page to find out how. http://bit.ly/2V1qF3A

Check out this video of the action at Harrison’s in Chesapeake:

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