'You make a difference with these girls, and can impact someone's life forever'

Jessica Wood, left, and Melissa Bixby are Girl Scout troop leaders in Rochester. (Courtesy photos)

ROCHESTER - Girl Scouting is going strong in Rochester, thanks to the volunteer efforts of two local leaders.

Melissa Bixby and Jessica Wood have been named Volunteers of the Month for November by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, a council serving all of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Bixby, 44, of Rochester, and Wood, 39, of Milton Mills, complement each other in their skills and talents, supporting each other and helping other adult volunteers to make their Girl Scout experience the best it can be. Bixby stepped up to be a volunteer support coordinator for the troops in her area while also leading Troop 60244 in Rochester. Wood is a new volunteer support coordinator for the Girl Scout community as well as leader of Troop 61102 in Rochester.

Girl Scouts in Troop 60244 and 61102 in Rochester at their investiture, rededication and bridging ceremony at the start of the membership year.

They "have done a wonderful job keeping the community's momentum going after the previous VSC (volunteer support coordinator) moved," said Amanda Powell, volunteer support team lead for the council. "They jumped right in to work with the team, have held the first service unit meeting and are helping to work on the community events that are coming up."

While other community organizations also depend on volunteer help, Bixby said there's more of a community feeling in Girl Scouts.

"We actually are living by the Girl Scout Law. Like if we are expecting our Girl Scouts to do certain things, we, as those adults, have to show it to them," she said.

By modeling the kind of behavior expected of their Girl Scouts, both feel they are helping to make the world better.

"As adults, we want to feel like we make a difference in someone's life," said Wood. "You are actually giving them a sense of like ownership and belonging, and you might not feel it. But you really are creating a difference in that kid's life."

The pair were busy last month planning a trunk-or-treat event along with a Friendsgiving event in November. They participate in parades and encourage the Girl Scouts to earn badges and go on field trips. They have planned a trip to Rocking Horse Ranch and look forward to more exciting adventures with their Girl Scouts.

Wood spent many years in Girl Scouts as a child, where it helped get her through a difficult childhood. She was determined to give that experience to her daughter as soon as she found out she was pregnant with a girl. The community as a whole is coming together, said Bixby and planning things. For instance, one of their community members did planning for their Trunk or Treat and Sarah Riley did a bulk of Rocking Horse Ranch planning.

"It was bringing me back to having that safe place where once a week I had that small group of girls my age where I knew everything was OK," she said. "And I had those friendships, and I became a better person because of those friendships. I am actually still in communication and see at least half of the girls in my troop. I still remember our troop number - Troop 543 out of the Abenaki Council. We still meet up yearly, and we all go camping together because we just had amazing friendships."

Bixby was not a Girl Scout as a child but was happy to get her daughter involved. That troop was going through a transition in leadership, and it wasn't long before she jumped in to help. When her daughter expressed excitement over earning a five-year pin, saying "I don't think I'll ever stop being a Girl Scout," she knew she made the right choice. "And that made me just have that just warm and fuzzy feeling. Like, this is amazing. The opportunities she's getting and just having all of these like-minded adults around these girls,"

Wood runs an in-home day care on top of her Girl Scout volunteering and has even worked to get legislation passed to advocate for home day cares. Bixby works for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

Both agree that the effort they put in for Girl Scouts doesn't even feel like work.

"You're dedicating some time to do that," said Bixby, "but it's so much more than work. It's rewarding. You make a difference with these girls, and can impact someone's life forever. And you have the opportunity to have them want to do the same. And so it's just a chain reaction of positive, just caring respectfulness."

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serve girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.