For 25 years Brenda Bentley has been volunteering with Girl Guides of Canada.
When her daughter was five years old, she enrolled her in Sparks after a friend told her about the program.
“We became part of the First Glendale Brownies,” she recalled.
All these years later, Bentley is still involved as a leader and is encouraging parents to sign their daughters up for this season.
She will be leading the Embers, ages seven to eight.
Embers meet at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
“We will start up as soon as we have some girls registered,” she said.
Personally what she loves about Girl Guides is the sense of belonging because she struggled to fit in, she said.
“It’s that sisterhood, that spirit, getting together as a unit, having adventures and real-life experiences.”
She also finds it rewarding to work directly with girls to help them grow into confident young woman, she added.
“Guiding has always been a place for girls to shine. You can do the things you love to do to develop your strength to the fullest.”
Her commitment has remained with guides because of the people she has met along the way who are independent and strong, passionate about crafts, cooking and camping.
“I also love campfire action songs,” she admitted.
Leading themed camps at Tyee Lake each year is always a highlight.
She also enjoys the cooking lessons and said they’ve made homemade butter, biscuits, ice cream and armpit fudge.
When asked about the last one she said the fudge ingredients are placed in a plastic Ziploc bag.
“The girls put them under their armpits when they are hiking and it makes fudge,” she explained, smiling.
To register online go to info@girlguides.ca or to find a unit call 1-800-565-8111.
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