FORT KNOX, Ky. – This 1st Theater Sustainment Command military child learned the value of volunteering and helping others for the first time as a Daisy Girl Scout.
Military child Sara Walton is the daughter of Maj. Charles Walton, executive officer for Special Troops Battalion, 1st TSC, and Nancy Walton, an Army veteran and Soldier and Family Readiness Group Volunteer.
“I have never missed a cookie booth sale,” Sara boasted, explaining that she has been selling cookies in person and staffing booths for years. However, being a Girl Scout is so much more than selling cookies, which helps fund programs and events.
It’s living by the Girl Scout Law, which is doing your best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what you say and do, and to respect yourself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
This law, that guides Sara Walton and other Girl Scouts, parallels the Army Values.
Additionally, the Girl Scout Promise is how Girl Scouts agree to act every day toward one another and others, which has similarities to the Soldier’s Creed.
Her mother, Nancy, often raised her hand to lead Sara’s Girl Scout troop, thus getting the entire family involved in programs, events, and volunteering.
Sara’s favorite volunteer experience occurred when she was in second grade. “We went to a dog shelter, and we washed all of the dogs, took them for walks, and gave every single dog a treat,” she said.
The 17-year-old said she absolutely loves dogs and animals!
Sara volunteered a lot with Girl Scouts. She placed wreaths on Veterans’ graves as part of Wreaths Across America. She has taken care of animals, staffed trick-or-treat parties and worked countless events for younger children.
“I like to volunteer because it is fun,” she shared. “It also makes me feel needed.”
The Girl Scout also babysits. She took the babysitting certification with her troop and earned a babysitting badge.
She volunteers with her church too. “I work with the younger kids, and we like to do skits and little plays,” she said. She also volunteers to provide snacks and drinks to the kids. Additionally, Sara has volunteered with First Team’s SFRG.
The Fort Knox Middle High School junior tells anyone wanting to get involved in volunteering, “Find a group and just start volunteering,” she said. “Trust me; it’s a lot of fun and it will also make YOU happy.”
“We’re in this together,” she says to other military kids. That’s something that she likes about attending school on Fort Knox. “We all have a parent in the military.” That provides comfort in knowing that they truly can be empathetic.
Sara hopes that by volunteering she can be a sister to all people – not just every Girl Scout.
She volunteers and helps others in her military community and church, putting the needs of others ahead of her own, and overcoming obstacles in her own life.
Nancy Walton said, “I am very proud of Sara and everything that she does.”
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