Walker Girl Scouts Kick Off Third Year

Walker Girl Scout Troop 63052 will kick off its third year under the new leadership of Linette Murphy, a Walker volunteer and the parent of a Walker student.

Started by Walker residential staff members in 2010, the troop of nine Walker students will continue to meet at Walker’s Needham campus, participate in local activities and special field trips, earn patches and badges, and, of course, sell Girl Scout cookies.

“I have lots of ideas and I am really excited to get started,” said Murphy, whose daughter Sapphira is a troop member.

And planning is already underway. To gear up for the year ahead, she traveled to Houston in early November for the National Girl Scout convention.

“I had the opportunity to speak with Marlee Matlin about inclusion of girls with various abilities, and I heard Katie Couric speak about how important it is to have these enrichment activities for girls. It was such an empowering and inspiring trip.”

After-school clubs and extracurricular activities are particularly important at Walker, where students in the residential program sometimes have limited opportunities to participate in activities in their own communities. Groups like the Girl Scout Troop 63052 offer young students at Walker the chance to explore their own creativity, collaborate with peers, and develop the social skills they will need for the rest of their lives.

But for Murphy, program sustainability is critical. “I am more excited than ever to make sure that the girls at Walker have the ability to access the Girl Scout program for a long time to come,” she says.

To make this a reality, Murphy is also working to raise funds to support the troop, and she has recently created a First Giving page that anyone can give to directly. The online donations to the troop will help support the cost of meeting activities, patches, badges, uniforms and special opportunities such as tea parties and enriching field trips. Please visit the Troop 63052 First Giving page and lend your support!