Volunteer of the Month: Kim Shumway
April is Volunteer Appreciation month, but EVERY month is an opportunity to celebrate and show gratitude to our amazing Girl Scout volunteers! Join us each month as we highlight the oustanding volunteers who help guide, mentor, and inspire local Girl Scouts to unleash their limitless potential, shatter expecations, and be the change-makers our world needs.
February 2025 Volunteer of the Month: Kim Shumway
Kim Shumway is a dedicated, longtime volunteer at Girl Scouts of Western Washington, bringing her passion and leadership to multiple roles within our community over the last 15 years. Kim has helped shape countless Girl Scouts' experiences—whether cheerleading them through setting and reaching goals, mentoring as they build community service projects, or modeling how to advocate for themselves and their interests. She believes in the power of Girl Scouts to create confident, capable leaders and has seen countless examples of the impact Girl Scouting has on girls* and on herself. Read on to learn more about Kim and what she loves about being a Girl Scout volunteer!
How long have you been a Girl Scout volunteer?
Fifteen years
Are you a Girl Scout alum?
Yes
What types of volunteer roles have you filled as a Girl Scout volunteer?
Troop Leader (13 years), Troop Product Manager (11 years), Twilight Camp Volunteer (15 years), Service Unit Product Manager (ten years), Co-Service Unit Leader (ten years?), Kitchen Manager (eight years), Service Unit Volunteer
What is your favorite part about being a Girl Scout volunteer?
When a Girl Scout is excited to see me and tells me something they've learned about, or when a Girl Scout reaches a goal and then creates a new goal to reach.
Is there anything surprising or less known about being a Girl Scout volunteer that you want to share with others?
Girl Scouts is an amazing program that welcomes all who want to be a member. Troops can be catered to whatever the Girl Scouts want them to be. Never hesitate to share something you think others might like. You will make connections in the most unexpected places. Sometimes that connection will make more of a difference in that person's life than you will ever know.
What makes the Girl Scout Leadership Experience such an important program for Girl Scouts to participate in today?
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience helps parents and educators teach Girl Scouts that they are valued. They are encouraged to voice their wishes, and those wishes are then acted on. Girl Scouts are taught how to plan events from the beginning, to manage time, work a budget, and offer projects that will engage and excite everyone in the room. Sadly, this kind of encouragement isn't always offered in the world "outside of Girl Scouts."
What does Girl Scouting mean to you and why?
I introduced my (now adult) daughter to Girl Scouts when she entered kindergarten so that she could have fun like I did when I was growing up. I became a volunteer about three months later. Sometimes I think I have learned more over the years than my daughter has. Over the years, my daughter and I have had many bonding moments that we wouldn't have had otherwise. I have acquired skills I never thought I would learn. My daughter had an opportunity to try things I never would have offered. Because of this, as a senior in high school, she surprised me when announcing what she would study in college. She had wanted one degree for as long as I could remember, but she chose to study something else that she had learned about through volunteering as a Girl Scout and through various camps. Prior to volunteering, I had never slept in a tent. Now we take an annual camping trip. I have made friends that I wouldn't have made otherwise. Girl Scouts taught both my daughter and me that we can make a difference. We have done our best to live up to that.
What would you say to someone who is considering becoming a Girl Scout volunteer?
You WILL make a difference in someone's life. Girl Scouts will make a difference in yours!
What has been one of your most memorable moments as a Girl Scout volunteer?
In 2016, a Girl Scout was looking for an idea for her Silver Award. I had been trying to get a food drive off the ground, so I asked her to take lead on that. We created the "Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat" Food Drive, which is held every October. The first year we held the drive on a Saturday and donated over 800 pounds of food to our local food bank. Other service units heard about it and wanted to participate in the following years. I have promoted that event each year. We now have troops from across the council, as well as a couple in Florida, who participate. Each troop donates the food collected to the food bank(s) in their area. Marysville Girl Scouts now hold the drive over three days, and we donated over 2,700 pounds of food to our food banks last year. All-in-all, the Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat food drive has donated over 35,000 pounds of food since 2016.
If you had to describe what it means to be a Girl Scout volunteer in one word, what word would you choose and why?
Hopeful. The Girl Scouts I work with continually give me reason to be hopeful for the future leaders in our community.
Is there anything else about being a Girl Scout volunteer or Girl Scouting in general that you'd like to share with us?
Girl Scouts is a wonderful organization that allows troops to cater to the wishes of their troop members, thereby allowing Girl Scouts to thrive in the areas that they want to excel at. Some troops are more "outdoorsy", some are more involved with STEM, some are more arts and craft based, while some focus more on the "traditional lost art" of being a homemaker. All of this is without regard to financial ability, thereby allowing some Girl Scouts to experience things they would never be able to otherwise. When a Girl Scout finds a troop that ignites their passion, everyone can see the Girl Scout open up and thrive. Girl Scouts really does shape the women of our future.
Do you know an amazing Girl Scout volunteer who deserves to be recognized as a Volunteer of the Month? We want to hear about them! You can nominate a volunteer by sending an email to stories@girlscoutsww.org with the volunteer's name and a few details about why they should be highlighted. Please include "Volunteer of the Month" in the subject line of your email.
*Girl Scouts of Western Washington uses the term girls inclusively to speak to everyone who identifies with the Girl Scout experience, which includes cisgender girls, gender-expansive youth, transgender youth, non-binary youth, gender nonconforming youth, genderqueer youth, and any girl-identifying human.
