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Preparing young women for the future

I’ve been a chief executive officer for just over two months, but I’ve been a parent for nearly a decade.

When I think about why I chose to work at Girl Scouts, and you strip away the agenda and the titles and the career that I have, I’m here because I’m a parent. A really worried parent – worried that I’m not doing a good enough job. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the truth is I don’t think I can do it alone.

Let’s think about this. Children today are tasked with something heavy. More information than we have ever seen. More decisions. More temptations. Bullying and peer pressure is pervasive and relentless and it’s all around our kids. When I spend the day with my daughter at the basketball complex, I look around and ask myself, “Do our kids look healthy? Do they act healthy? Do I see character, good sportsmanship and children and adults who reflect values of responsibility?” I know others think the same things I do.

My 7-year-old has a vocabulary that includes words like terrorism, human trafficking, cyber-stalking, lockdown. I can say with a lot of faith that my job as their mother is one that I take very seriously and put my whole heart into. I have great tools. I can support them, feed them, clothe them, encourage them, coach their teams and help out at their classroom parties. (Even though the last time I did that my theme was “Happy and Healthy Halloween” with bananas and grapes instead of chocolate and suckers so there might be a first-grade classroom out there that I am not invited back to.)

On the surface, I have all the tools you would need in 2016 to raise happy, healthy, successful children. I hope they grow up to be those people that will change the world and step up to the plate to be a mentor, a coach, a helping hand. But I’m scared because I, like many others, am worried that what I’m doing for my children is not enough.

The thermometer of our culture is telling me the world is harder and this next generation is the first to show us that our efforts are not keeping pace with the challenges. Character and responsibility are muscles. Over time we practice and practice and practice. And eventually, those muscles are strengthened. Do we feel 100 percent confident that 10 years from now, as they grow and take the lead as our emerging politicians, our physicians, our directors on boards, our teachers, our philanthropists, that we did everything we could to shape that outcome in a positive way?

It’s tempting to think those problems – the scary stuff – won’t affect Iowa children. If we think that way – we are wrong.

The thermometer of our culture is telling us very plainly that our youth, our collective future, needs some help. Girl Scouting is the largest and single best equipped machine in the world, with the infrastructure, staff, programs, and property to make a sweeping, positive difference for girls. We need to proactively address the issues that our youth are facing and stand together to make sure our children are given every opportunity to participate. What we need is the thermostat. The mechanism that determines how much power is delivered. That’s you – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and family members who support Girl Scouts through their programs (like the Girl Scouts Cookie Program) but also by teaching girls to lead by your example and giving them opportunities to do and learn more. By being a volunteer for Girl Scouts – by investing financially in our future so girls have every chance to try something new.

Investing in Girl Scouts ignites the switch for the future. I remember when I took my first business class in high school, and learned about compound interest. And it seemed so magical. How one initial investment could snowball into something remarkable over time. Think of the compound impact of each Girl Scout. The opportunities, the growth, the character development, the service projects. You have the power to ignite the leaders who will change the world. As a parent, I can feel confident that Girl Scouts makes the world less challenging for my daughters, and helps them learn skills to make them tomorrow’s leaders. With volunteers and supporters in our communities, girls can dream to be anything, and Girl Scouts can help get them there.

Beth Shelton is the new CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. Shelton has experience with various nonprofit organizations, including the American Heart Association and Simpson College. She is a graduate of Simpson and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Drake University. She lives with her husband and daughters (both Girl Scouts) in Des Moines.

Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa is the largest girl-serving nonprofit in Iowa, with nearly 14,000 girl and adult members, and offices in Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Mason City and Sioux City.

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