Are You Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout?

Girl Scouts of Nassau County (GSNC) recently launched its annual Are You Man Enough? campaign in honor of Father’s Day. The initiative commends fathers and father figures who help enrich the Girl Scout experience, and invites other men to step up to the challenge and volunteer with a local troop to support the best organization designed with, by and for girls. GSNC is thankful to know numerous men who dedicate their time to contribute to their daughter’s and other Girl Scouts’ experiences. These include Michael Tolani of Farmingdale, NY; Jacques Germans of Bayville, NY; and Ray Brewer of Levittown, NY.

“Girl Scouts is designed to build the leadership skills in girls. That mission requires the support from parents and other key adults in a girl’s life. Dad, uncles, grandfathers, brothers all are part of that development. My father was a strong influence on the leader I am today,” said Rande Bynum Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “When I was a Junior Girl Scout, my father volunteered with my troop to be one of the chaperone’s on a cycling trip. I often think about how proud I was to see him leading my troop on our adventure. The Man Enough campaign celebrates those men who lead the way, like my father, to support girls as they become the next generation of leaders.”

“If I had to give advice to a father thinking about signing his daughter up for Girl Scouts I would say, ‘Your daughter needs to be in this organization,’ that’s how I feel about it,” said Mr. Tolani, who has been a volunteer for the last five years.

Mr. Tolani is raising the world’s next greatest entrepreneur by assisting with annual Girl Scout Cookies® program. He works alongside his wife, who is his daughter’s troop leader, and believes being involved with the Girl Scouts as a dad is the best thing he has done for their relationship. As a salesman by day, Tolani looks forward to tying his profession together with selling cookies with his daughter. The pair have gone from selling 100 boxes in 2013, to selling 4,100 boxes of cookies and becoming the second highest seller for the past two years, which is one of their greatest accomplishments.

The ways in which Dads can contribute their time to volunteering with Girl Scouts is unlimited. Mr. Germans, a retired father of twin daughters, utilizes his interest in technology to play a role in providing an opportunity for his local troop to have a robotics team.

“It is fantastic to see how the robotics program helps the girls develop confidence and expand the way they think and their willingness to discover new things,” said Germans, who has the girls meet each Saturday morning. “I have the highest regard for the Girl Scouts organization, the time commitment of the leaders, and how much the girls are able to learn. I’m wearing my Man Enough t-shirt with great pride and would recommend all fathers, uncles and grandparents get involved. The bond is beyond anything else, and the memories, values and characteristics will last them the rest of their lives.”

Other dads, like Mr. Brewer, volunteer at events such as the annual Girl Scouts of Nassau County Girls Go the Distance Family FunDay. Mr. Brewer has been a volunteer for more than a decade, and can be found every year helping manage traffic to keep attendees safe at events, in addition to stepping in as a “substitute leader” whenever his daughter’s troop needs an extra chaperone.

“We are a Girl Scout family—I’ve always been the ‘third mom’ whenever my wife or her co-leader need a substitute. I don’t think men realize, dads can do a lot for Girl Scouts. Sometimes we can come up with cool ideas,” said Brewer. “As girls grow up, we can also help encourage them to stay with the organization. I teach girls the famous and powerful women who were Girl Scouts—who earned their Gold Award, are a celebrity, or CEO of a company. Girls need to know they have the power to channel their destiny. Girl power is huge in my house.”

The Man Enough Campaign is intended to inspire other men to get involved—like Mr. Tolani, Mr. Germans and Mr. Brewer—by offering three tier packages of merchandise options to men who sign-up to volunteer from now through October 13. 2018. Men interested in volunteering can visit the website at www.gsnc.org, and choose one of the three tiers of the Man Enough campaign to sign-up.

A Tier I $50 Man Enough package includes a Man Enough To Be A Girl Scout t-shirt and Adult Girl Scout of the USA membership for one year, as well as access to discounted Girl Scout rate tickets for the NY Jets vs. Colts game on October 14th which includes reduced on-site parking based on availability. Tier II includes the same items, plus a Man Enough To Be A Girl Scout baseball cap and Pre or Post-game perk such as a field and photo opportunity. Tier III builds on the previous packages, offering an additional Man Enough To Be A Girl Scout sweatshirt.

We’re the Girl Scouts of Nassau County: We’re 23,000 strong – 17,000 girls and 5,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ from Nassau County to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout Troop, and every year since we’ve honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and throughout the United States and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.

We’re the Girl Scouts. To volunteer, reconnect, donate or join, visit www.gsnc.org or contact Donna Rivera-Downey at 516 741-2550.

###