We’d had a pretty wild meeting.  The weather outside was crazy as there was a strong front coming in.  We were down one Guider because she had a family event to attend.  We had cookie money, rally day money and permission forms for two spring events coming in from the parents.  The girls were super energetic and we’d planned skits which are often a bit disorganized.  There were moments I felt like I was loosing my mind.

At the end of the evening, one of the mothers took a moment to thank me for all the hard work we were doing putting together activities for the girls.  Suddenly it was all worth while.  It made my whole evening and it cost her 10 seconds to do.

Sometimes, however, bigger acts of recognition are needed.  For the girls there are the Girl Greatness Awards.  These recognize girls who accomplish big things. For the adult members there are a variety of awards including The Gold Thanks pin, The Unit Guider Award and Commissioner/ACL Award.  The process for applying for these awards is a little different in each province, so check with your provincial council website for details.  There are even Silver Thanks pins and certificates of appreciation that can be given to non-members or organizations that help Guiding (again check with your provincial office).

So take a moment today to think about whether there is someone in your Guiding community who deserves some extra recognition.

Originally posted to Heartfruit’s own blog, Girl Guide Adventures. Heartfruit has been a Girl Guide since she was 7. As and adult she’s been a Brownie Guider, a Pathfinder Guider and she is currently a Guide Guider.  She has a Guide age daughter and lives in Ontario.