Volunteer Awards

Recognize a volunteer or community member/organization who has made a significant impact in girls' lives with an award. Nominate a deserving volunteer today. Nominations are reviewed and, if selected, presented at our annual Adult Award Ceremony.

View the complete Girl Scout Volunteer Award Guide here.

CONGRATULATIONS VOLUNTEER AWARD RECIPIENTS!

It is with great pleasure that we announce our latest Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest Volunteer Award recipients. Thank you for your inspiration!

At GSDSW we know how hard every volunteer works towards furthering our mission of building girls of courage confidence and character who make the word a better place. Since 1912, Girl Scouting has been led by volunteers that continue to inspire girls, adults and their communities.

“To be inspired is great, but to be an inspiration is an honor.” - Juliette Gordon Low

RSVP for our virtual Ceremony of Honors, June 12, 2021, 10 AM MST - 12 PM MST here.

Award	Name
Appreciation Pin	Allison Herman
Appreciation Pin	Angela Olley
Appreciation Pin	AnnRose Howard
Appreciation Pin	Audrey L. Curry
Appreciation Pin	Brennis Gantz
Appreciation Pin	Christina Arditti
Appreciation Pin	Elizabeth Limon
Appreciation Pin	Jacob Chavez
Appreciation Pin	Janai Rogers
Appreciation Pin	Joanna Arriola
Appreciation Pin	Katie Craven
Appreciation Pin	Molly Wegner Couder
Appreciation Pin	Monica Varela
Appreciation Pin	Sonja Gardinier
GS Support Award	Kenneth “KC” Green
GS Support Award	Krissy Rumpf
Cookie Champion	Danielle Green
Cookie Champion	Lisette Gonzalez
Cookie Champion	Rosa Arzavala
Outdoor Enthusiast	Selena Solis
Volunteer of Excellence	Jeanette Skow
Volunteer of Excellence	Margo Trevino-Torres

Volunteer Awards

In order for an individual to be considered for a volunteer award three unique nominations from three different people must be submitted to council using the form below.

SUBMIT VOLUNTEER NOMINATION

Troop Awards

The Honor Troop serves as a guide for troops to ensure a well-rounded year of Girl Scouting. Use this as a tool to lead your troop successfully and ensure girls are exposed to diverse girl-led leadership opportunities.

Honor Troop Application

Service Unit Awards

The President's Award serves as a guide for Service Units to ensure a well-rounded year of Girl Scouting. It recognizes the efforts of a Service Unit moving its assigned area toward the achievement of our council goals.

Community Awards

Community Thank You Award recognizes any community member or organization that has provided a one-time or episodic service to Girl Scouts.

Community Partner Award recognizes any community member or organization that has provided superior contributions to Girl Scouting over an extended period of time.

SUBMIT COMMUNITY AWARD NOMINATION

Membership Numeral Guards & Volunteer Years of Service Pin

The MEMBERSHIP NUMERAL GUARD recognizes any Girl Scout member for his or her years of membership in 5 year intervals. Years may include combined girl and adult membership years. Years do not have to be continuous or consecutive.

The VOLUNTEER YEARS OF SERVICE PIN recognizes volunteers in Girl Scouting for their active volunteerism in 5 year intervals.

These pins are offered freely to any deserving adult member or volunteer within our council compliments of Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest.

REQUEST NUMERAL GUARD AND/OR VOLUNTEER YEARS OF SERVICE PIN

The President's Volunteer Service Award

Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest is proud to be a certifying organization of the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA).

The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes United States citizens and lawfully admitted, permanent residents of the United States who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period or cumulative hours over the course of a lifetime. Please make sure you track your hours and submit to info@gsdsw.org by the first Monday in April. Below are the various categories of the Bronze, Silver, Gold awards available.

Volunteer Eligibility

United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e., green card holder)
Must be at least five years old
Completes eligible service within a 12-month period (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and over a lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)

Eligible Service:

Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others
- Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may count towards the Lifetime Achievement Award*, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards)
- Travel stipends, transit/parking passes, membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal volunteer support do not impact service eligibility

Eligible Service does NOT include:

Donating funds
Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
Religious instruction
Conducting worship service
Proselytizing
Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
Serving only family members

Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Age Group

Age Group	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Lifetime Achievement Award*
Kids (5–10 years old)	26–49 hours	50–74 hours	75+ hours	4,000+ hours
Teens (11–15)	50–74 hours	75–99 hours	100+ hours	4,000+ hours
Young Adults (16–25)	100–174 hours	175–249 hours	250+ hours	4,000+ hours
Adults (26+)	100–249 hours	250–499 hours	500+ hours	4,000+ hours

* The Lifetime Achievement Award is not available to be awarded at this time.

Note: As of May 2019, PVSA no longer offers volunteer account creation and volunteer hours’ tracking to individuals. Please use this spreadsheet to track your hours, and once complete send it to info@gsdsw.org by the first Monday in April for recognition.

Informal Ways to Thank Volunteers

Giving and receiving recognition is an important component of any volunteer experience. A card from the girls, a handmade gift, an e-mail message or a surprise party are informal ways to say “thank you” to adults in Girl Scouts.

View the complete Girl Scout Volunteer Award Guide here.

Congratulations to all of our past GSDSW Adult Award Recipients. For a comprehensive list of all past GSDSW Adult Award Recipients, 1975-2020, click here.

Not sure how to wear your awards? Click here to see an example of an adult Girl Scout uniform.

Questions? Contact us at info@gsdsw.org or 915-566-9433.

2021 Volunteer Spotlights

Thank you to all of our volunteers who help create girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Each month we would like to shine the spotlight on our dedicated volunteers in our council! Know someone who goes above and beyond for our Girl Scouts? Submit a nomination at info@gsdsw.org.

January - Misty Frank: Please congratulate Misty Frank as our January 2021 Volunteer Spotlight. Misty is a volunteer out of the Fort Stockton Service Unit. She helps volunteer with her daughter’s Senior Girl Scout troop. She has always helped within the Service Unit but just recently took roles on the SU Team as a Communications and VTK Champion team member. She has been volunteering in Girl Scouting since 2015 when her daughter was in 5^th grade, and was a part of Girl Scouts as a girl, from a Brownie to a Junior. Misty is always a smiling, friendly face and a helping hand. She loves watching the girls grow and mature, and become their best selves! Girl Scouts is very lucky to have her!
February - Lisa Rodriguez: Congratulations to our Volunteer Spotlight for the month of February 2021 - Lisa Rodriguez! Here’s a little more about Lisa. Lisa was born and raised in Wisconsin, joined the United States Marine Corp in 1991, moved to Minnesota when she left the Marine Corp and worked as a retail store manager for 20 years. In July 2016, she moved to Carlsbad, NM. Her daughter Christina, and she joined Girl Scouts in October 2016, with her youngest daughter Lillian, joining soon after in May 2019. Lisa has been their Troop Leader, the Service Unit Treasurer and Cookie Coordinator for the last two years. Lisa volunteers with Girl Scouts because she likes the safe environment it creates for her girls and others. She also enjoys how it allows girls to be themselves while trying new things. “There is no judgement and they can feel empowered to step into being a leader. Thank you for letting me be a volunteer!!” No, thank you, Lisa!
March - Lucy Lozano-Lerma: "I love being part of Girl Scouts and being a facilitator to the girls leadership growth and development. The girls make the activities fun and engaging and I love that we keep reaching for challenges and journeys along the way. It is inspiring to see self confidence and their perseverance kick in. What a wonderful organization to have skill building and character development every step of the way. Thank you Girl Scouts!"
April - Lisette Gonzalez: Lisette Gonzalez is a troop leader, the SU Registrar, and a part of the SU Product Team. She is a vital part of Midland Girl Scouts and our council. She is a valuable help to the SU during cookie season and has helped to keep the local cookie cupboard open for the full time, so that all girls are able to get the most out of the cookie program. She is a treasured member of the Midland Service Unit Team and her team of volunteers really enjoys working with her. Thanks Lisette!
May - Betty Garcia: “Being involved in Girl Scouts I have learned a lot and being able to pass that on to the girls is so fulfilling. Some of our girls have been with us for over 6 years and seeing the person that they have become is so rewarding. Knowing that I had a hand in helping them become our future leaders is why I continue to do what I do.” – Betty Garcia
Thank you for all that you do!
June - Monica Reed: Monica has been such asset to her troop and to Girl Scouting. She is always willing to help and lend a hand. Monica was amazing during cookie time, being present at almost every cookie booth. If there wasn’t anyone else available she was always the first to sign up. She also helped organize a food drive during the holiday season for the girls to feel like they were giving back to their community. Even though it seemed like everything stopped because of COVID, Monica made it a point to show the Girl Scouts in her troop that there are still needs to be met in their community. Troop 55914 is grateful and delighted to have Monica Reed and her daughter in the troop.
July - Brennis Gantz: Brennis Gantz is troop leader, SU Recruiter and SU Events Coordinator for the Odessa Service Unit and our council. She has helped to plan great events and get Girl Scouts back in the community in Odessa. She has lots of great ideas and is always ready to help with a smile! She leads a multi-level troop of girls Daisy-Cadette. There is always room for another in her growing troop and she is excited to share Girl Scouting with everyone! Brennis helps to make Girl Scouting available to every girl with her wonderful ideas to promote Girl Scouts in schools and her local community, as well to help engage adults in her Service Unit. Thank you for your hard work, Brennis! Girl Scouts is lucky to have you!