There are currently more than 50 million Girl Scout alums. Fourteen Faulkner County seniors will be joining that group of women in May as they graduate high school. 

“I have been a Girl Scout leader in Faulkner County for 17 years, and I never remember having this many scouts in a graduating class,” said Girl Scout Volunteer Leader Crystal Kemp. “This is a fantastic group of young women who have dedicated themselves to service to our community and to leadership through Scouting.”

The Faulkner Service Unit of Girl Scouts will honor the graduates at the annual service unit award ceremony at 7 p.m., Monday, May 13 at First United Methodist Church.

The girls are from four different troops: Troop 6717, 6740, 6746 and 6818. They range from being in Scouts for three years to being a scout for 13. They were recently asked to share some of their Girl Scouting experiences with 501 LIFE.

Kate Freyaldenhoven
Troop: 6818
Years in Girl Scouting: 12

As a Girl Scout, one of Kate’s most memorable camping experiences occurred at Woolly Hollow State Park. “Unfortunately, the weather was not very pleasant, but as a troop we worked together to make the best of our experience.”

Setting a personal goal of selling 400 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, Kate was recognized as a top seller as a member of the cookie brigade for five years.

Kate’s favorite badge was “Let’s Get Cooking,” and she still enjoys cooking. She also enjoyed her troop’s community service. “Over the years, I have participated in a multitude of service projects through Girl Scouts. Some of the most memorable service projects were making blankets for the animal shelter, caroling at nursing homes and purchasing supplies for the United Way’s Stuff the Bus program.”

Her most memorable moment has been volunteering at the Girl Scout Ornament Party. “I love getting to help the younger Girl Scouts get into the holiday spirit!

“Through Girl Scouts, I have learned the benefits of giving back to your community. I also enjoyed getting to spend time with my friends as part of a troop.”

Katherine Grigg
Troop: 6717
Years in Girl Scouting: 9

Among the troop activities Katherine enjoyed were outings to her troop leader’s lakehouse on Greers Ferry Lake and a trip to Arkansas Children’s Hospital to deliver Girl Scout cookies to the sick. “Our most recent service project was helping out at Bethlehem House. We spent time preparing breakfast sandwiches for their new breakfast program.”

Her favorite Girl Scout songs were “Johnny Appleseed” and the “Friendship Song.” She also enjoyed scavenger hunts after troop meetings.

“My favorite journey was Sisterhood. I really loved this journey because I was able to find myself.”

Katherine’s most memorable moment in Girl Scouts was influencing younger girls to join Girl Scouts.

“Girl Scouts has made me grow my wings and step outside my comfort zone.”

Lylla Hinchcliff
Troop: 6717
Years in Girl Scouting: 12

Over the years, Lylla has participated in different service projects with her troop. “One project that always sticks out to me is the one we completed for our Bronze Award. For the project, we collected an assortment of items (winter clothes, tents, etc.) to donate to Project 50/50. It was a couple that gave up their comforts and spent 50 weeks of the year travelling to all of the 50 states and helping out/donating items at the homeless shelters around wherever they were.” 

Lylla said that in the 12 years she has been a Scout, she has seen changes in the program. “The people in my troop have changed a lot. Some people left scouting altogether, some people moved and there were even some that added to my troop by bringing in friends from school. Along with the changes in my troop, Girl Scouts of America has also changed. I was there to experience the 100-year anniversary, the introducing and retiring of plenty of cookies and the redesign of the badges and journeys that were offered to Scouts.”

Girl Scouts has shaped Lylla in a lot of ways. “I have friends that I’ve had ever since I’ve started, and I am so grateful for that because I am able to go to meetings and just have fun. Because of Scouts, I feel like I have a view of the world that many of my peers do not. At a young age, my troop was doing badges and journeys that encouraged us to be more conscious about the decisions we were making, whether that regarded the environment or social issues.

“Also, just the title of being a Girl Scout has influenced the way people see me. When teachers or others discovered I participated in Girl Scouts, it not only made them super excited to order boxes of those precious cookies, but it also helped them to understand who I am as a person and the values I try my best to stand by. Honesty, friendliness, loyalty, strength, respect and responsibility.”

Sarah Kemp
Troop: 6717
Years in Girl Scouting: 13

Sarah’s Girl Scout memories include singing songs, including “Johnny Appleseed,” “Old Blue,” “Superman,” “God Our Father Grace” and the “Friendship Song.”

Her camping experiences include getting to groom horses at a fall camp. “That’s when I found out I was allergic to horses.”

One of her troop trips was to Walt Disney World. “Over Spring Break 2016, we took a trip to Disney World. It was planned as a troop and paid for with money we raised through cookie sales and other fundraising and organized by our troop leader.”

The Wonders of Water Journey was Sarah’s favorite. “I was obsessed with the ocean (still am), and it had this cute fairy character. I liked learning about the different roles of water and how we can conserve it.”

Sarah sold Girl Scout cookies throughout her 13 years. “When I was younger, I was a lot more ambitious and made a goal to sell 1,000 boxes. I did sell enough each year to qualify for recognition from our service unit for outstanding sales,” she said. “When we were selling cookies at a cookie booth and someone came up to us and showed us that a snowstorm was coming. We got a patch that year that said, ‘I survived the Polar Vortex!’”

According to Sarah, Girl Scouts has encouraged her to be more adventurous. “I am willing to take risks and to step out from my comfort zone to learn about new things. This year I helped to start an environmental club at my school. Girl Scouts helped prepare me to lead and organize things to start this club.”

Willow Harper
Troop: 6740
Years in Girl Scouting: 13

Willow’s troop went on many camping trips and made trips to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. “When we were younger, our troop leaders would plan our trips, but as we got older, we took on most of the planning ourselves.”

Her favorite camping experience was one summer at Camp Survivor. “We learned how to camp and hike responsibly and survive in the wilderness if we ever got lost. We learned to build shelters, campfires and makeshift rafts. We also went canoeing, learned to use a compass, identify and track animal prints and identify plants like poison ivy,” she said. “My most memorable moment in Girl Scouting was at Camp Survivor, when my group was competing in a contest to build a raft and have one of us paddle it across the lake. I got to paddle it across.”

Willow said Girl Scouting has influenced her life in several ways. “It has given me many friends, who I expect to have in my life for the rest of my life, and a deep love and respect for nature and the environment. Scouting has given me direction in life and inspired me to become a conservationist. I will take everything I’ve learned from Scouting with me into my work and my life in general.”

Elena Wiltgen
Troop: 6740
Years in Girl Scouting: 10

One of Elena’s most memorable camp experiences was Camp Survivor! “We had to canoe out into the middle of a foggy lake to get breakfast.”

Elena’s favorite has been the MEdia Journey. “Media is such an important part of our day-to-day lives, and having this journey, surrounded by great friends, helped me develop a good relationship with media.”

Selling Girl Scouts was among the activities Elena participated in with her troop. “I always tried to sell and put my entrepreneurial skills to the test. My goals were more group-oriented with cookie booth sales as my focus.” 

Elena’s most memorable Scout moment was Bridging from Junior to Cadette. “It felt almost magical, and I knew that I was part of something bigger than me.”

Elena said Girl Scouts has influenced her life in several ways. “I have had so many lessons taught to me because of Girl Scouts, and I am a better person because of it. Plus, now I have connections everywhere through Girl Scouts.”

Sara Massa
Troop: 6717
Years in Girl Scouting: 11

While singing songs and playing games were common activities, Sara said no one game sticks out. “I love them all and playing them with friends is a wonderful pastime.”

Her camping experienced included horse sessions at Camp Crossed Arrows for five years and CIT at Camp Cahinnio last summer. “Both were really great experiences where I learned a lot and make lots of wonderful friends.”

Sara really liked working on the creative writing and nature photography badges. “It was fun and interesting to see what kinds of creative things the members of my troop came up with.”

Sara sold Girl Scout cookies every year. “I like to count each box sold as a personal success,” she said, adding that her most memorable Girl Scout moment was selling cookies at a booth outside Kroger in the snow. “It was freezing!”  

She also participated in troop service projects. “One of the most recent ones was helping Bethlehem House with breakfast sandwiches.

“With Girl Scouts, I feel like I’ve gained a lot of experience and leadership skills. It has helped me become adaptable to new situations and more confident in myself. I feel like it has really helped me to make good decisions for myself and others.”

Annette Quinn
Troop: 6740
Years in Girl Scouting: 13

As a Girl Scout, a camping experience that sticks out occurred several years ago at Woolly Hollow State Park. “It was a great trip, except for one thing: everything was covered in daddy long-legs. That didn’t ruin the trip, though.”

Annette enjoyed traveling with her troop to Silver Dollar City at Branson. “As we were pretty young then, our troop leader planned the trips. For the past few years, however, we’ve been saving money to do a bigger trip. We are still planning it out.”

One of her most memorable moments in Girl Scouting was attending Camp Survivor, a fall camp, with her troop. “It was a great camp, even if we had to canoe to the middle of the lake in the fog in order to retrieve our breakfast.”

Annette said during her 13 years in Girl Scouts, she has experienced a lot and been able to do many incredible things. “However, I believe these experiences still haven’t had as much impact on me as the people have. All of those diverse girls and women have influenced me, as they have taught me about different points of view, helped me collaborate and compromise and exposed me to different subjects and ideas. To them, I am truly grateful.”

Taylor Hardester
Troop: 6717
Years in Girl Scouting: 7

Among the Girl Scout outings Taylor enjoyed were FBI Camp and a trip to Walt Disney World. “We went to Disney World after ninth grade, and we did all the planning,” she said. “My most memorable moment was when we all went to Disney World because we had so much fun and it brought us closer.”

The MEdia Journey in 2014 was also one of her favorite Girl Scout experiences “because we made a video about how the media defines beauty and shared it with others.”

Her Girl Scout troop service projects included helping to make meals at Bethlehem House, helping to plant trees and volunteering at EcoFest.

“Girl Scouts has influenced my life by teaching me how to be a leader and how to come up with ideas to help our community. It has also given me the chance to make good friends.”

Haley Hornecker
Troop: 6717
Years in Girl Scouting: 3

Haley said a trip to Hot Springs over spring break was a highlight for her while a Girl Scout. “We visited Garvan Gardens and the National Park on Bathhouse Row.”

Her favorite was the first aid badge. “It was my favorite because I got to lead it with one of my good friends.” Among the service projects she participated in was making breakfast sandwiches at Bethlehem House.

Her most memorable moment in Girl Scouting was “selling Girl Scout cookies in the freezing cold.”

Haley said Girl Scouting has influenced her life in several ways. “It taught me to always be kind and how to be a leader. It taught me all kinds of ways to help others and make more friends, which is amazing.”