Ontario or bust.

by Monique Johns

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Tri-County United Fund’s Nonprofit Appreciation Open House at the Elks Lodge in Ontario. The Tri-County United Fund can best be described as a mini-United Way. They raise money to benefit nonprofits in Malheur, Washington, and Payette counties. We left Boise at 6 a.m., which meant I was up at 4:30 a.m. staring at a pile of clean clothes crunched together in a cramped laundry basket wondering, “Will anyone notice if I don’t iron my clothes?” That was one of those 4:30 a.m. thoughts…because quite frankly, I think people would be surprised if I actually ironed my clothes. We arrived in Ontario at about 7:30 a.m., set up our booth, and then waited for the throngs of people to pass by, eagerly hoping to learn more about our organization. We stood by waiting to pounce on potential volunteers (okay, okay – not really pounce, but definitely waiting to deliver our spiel). As it turned out, we had very few “off the street” visitors. But that didn’t squelch our plans to get the word out about Girl Scouts. We networked with other nonprofits who were in attendance, including the Boys and Girls Club of West Treasure Valley (is Ontario in the Treasure Valley?) and the Veterans Advocates of Ore-Ida. We talked about our need for volunteers and they talked about their need for resources. We talked through some collaboration scenarios (i.e., “The Girl Scouts do Gift of Caring already during the Cookie drive and the Veterans Advocates want Girl Scout cookies to send to soldiers…). We shook hands, munched on some sugary morning treats, and after a few hours, quietly packed up for the ride back home to Boise.

It’s easy for me, when I’m not out in the field recruiting folks into our programs, to think of the negative: how few people really know and understand Girl Scouts. It is a constant struggle, which many nonprofits share, to get the word out about our leadership and youth development services for girls. I don’t usually get to accompany our membership staff on recruitment events like this so it was really refreshing to see them “in action.” These types of events remind me how much people appreciate the Girl Scouts in the community. My week (including today) has been filled with constant deadlines, but this trip, like a few others I’ve taken into the community, remind me of our mission. The work I do benefits girls. The work that our volunteers do (and all the countless hours they contribute) benefits girls. Donors, other nonprofits, and leaders in our community all help the Girl Scouts to reach their mission – empowering one girl at a time on her journey of discovery.

On a final note, thanks to the Tri-County United Fund for allowing the Girl Scouts to be involved in their nonprofit appreciation event. We appreciate foundations like theirs, whose purpose is to better our community.