Rob Grossberg is new to the world of Girl Scouts. His nine year old daughter, Emma, started Girl Scouts at the end of 2017 after a Back to School Night. Her awesome troop leader, Brianna Wilcox, is a fan favorite among the girls (and even offers to sew on the girl’s patches all year long).

Rob and Emma

Rob’s life changed in February 2018 when he was involved in a bicycle accident. While recovering, he had to cut work hours and took on a bigger role at home with his daughter. He began helping out at her school, became involved with Emma’s Girl Scout troop, and ultimately stepped up as a volunteer. Recently he’s taken on an even bigger role at Sequoia Day Camp as Facilities Coordinator. “It’s been a blast and I’m having one of the best times of my life right now,” he said. “The women I work with are marvelous. I’m enjoying helping out as much as I can.”

Rob became fully immersed at Girl Scout camp, where his lively personality allowed him to blend right in. One of his favorite memories was getting all of the girls get up and join the Cha-Cha Slide during one of their lunch breaks. “I’m very outgoing,” he said. “I like to be around new people. I feel there’s a lighter side to everything in life. I project it and find it easy to entertain and make people laugh.”

Camp isn’t just a blast for our girls – our volunteers love it too! “I’m having a lot of fun myself. I’m a big fan of tie dye shirts and finally made my first one ever. I even ate something out of a box oven for the first time – pizza bagels! Camp really opened up my eyes to what Girl Scouts is all about. I saw the sisterhood and cohesion that everyone talks about, all of the girls connecting and working together.” 

He’s witnessed firsthand how Girl Scouts is making a positive impact in his daughter’s life, and is able to be there every step of the way. “Girl Scouts has helped her build confidence and self-esteem. She’s been stepping up to the plate more, not just ‘being there to be there,’ but participating,” he said.

Emma can’t wait for cookie season and has told her Dad how much she loves door-to-door sales. She’s consistently growing as a leader, too. “Coming to camp she’s gotten to see PA’s helping and realized she follows leadership from peers, not just parents or teachers like when she’s at school,” Rob said. “And she liked that! She’s mentioned she wants to continue being a Girl Scout and hopefully become a leader herself one day.”

Above all, Rob hopes his daughter learns a few key lessons from her time in Girl Scouts. “It’s hard for me to name just one,” he said. “I hope she gets a lot of things out of it, especially self-respect and respect for others. Not that she doesn’t have it, but it goes further than we think. That includes respecting people we don’t know or haven’t even met yet.”

When asked what motivates him to continue to volunteer, he said, “Up until summer camp, it was 90% for my daughter. But the injury ended up being a blessing in disguise by getting to spend more time with my wife and daughter. Instead of after school care every day, we get to spend it together through Girl Scouts.”

As a Girl Scout volunteer, you can be there every step of the way to help girls develop skills and confidence that will last a lifetime. Interested in starting your journey? Find out the many ways you can get involved and sign up today!