Girl Scouts of Central Maryland P.A.V.E. Camp, continued

For me, today was about personal growth. A few highlights and things I learned from the campers, counselors and myself...

• As a follow up to my presentations yesterday, I was approached by a few girls who attended the nutrition workshops who said, "you've inspired me to eat healthier." It felt great to know that my message was not only valid but was delivered in a manner that reached them. That alone could have been the end of my day but there was much more to go!
  
• I realized that I cannot out-hoola-hoop a pre teen or teen, and I'm ok with that!
  
• On a similar note, no one believes I am in fact 26 years old. Remember to keep identification handy for proof purposes.


• So many of the older campers said they looked forward to turning 14 when they could become counselors and give back to the program they benefited from. Volunteering truly is one of those gifts that continues to inspire!


• I was asked by several of the campers whether or not I would attend next year's camp. When I responded by saying I would come just as "Miss Nicole" and not "Miss Maryland," they were just as thrilled. Although the title is what essentially got me in the door with the Girl Scouts this first time around, a genuine enthusiasm and desire to open yourself up to new challenges is a much bigger prerequisite to being a part of their world.


• There is great confidence and courage to be gained from overcoming fears-- I climbed to the top of a rockwall today. I know Jacob recorded it on his i-phone...I am anxiously Google-ing myself and waiting for a youtube video to come up in the search results!

Photos below are of me with the Howard County Fire Department, at the top of the rock wall and two of my fave counselors (aka Bright Nite).

Girl Scouts of Central Maryland P.A.V.E. Camp

I have a renewed respect for teachers, administrators, or anyone else involved in youth education. Shaping the minds of today's youth is not only one of the most significant roles in society, it's one of the most challenging. After a day at the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland's P.A.V.E. Camp at Camp Ilchester in Ellicott City, I am absolutely exhausted! And never mind the fact I spent the day in wedge-heeled sandals (poor planning on my part), I was entrusted with over 100 children throughout the day, all under the age of 11 for 2 Health/Nutrition workshops!

In typical business-school fashion, I broke the children's groups into three teams. Among their objectives were to come up with a creative, health and nutrition inspired team name. I loved "Ants on a Log," and "The Carrot Clan!" From there, they shared their favorite activites, sports and hobbies which transitioned into a discussion about fueling their bodies for everything they were involved in. Insert a brief discussion about the Food Pyramid here and then let the games begin!

I'm a huge Rachel Ray fan and one of her recurring hosts is the editor of Men's Health who also happens to be the author of a series of books entitled, "Eat this, Not that." So my activity was loosely inspired by his revealing tips and surprising choices when dining out.

Lessons learned included: be aware of portion sizes (Breakfast at Panera for instance: a chocolate chip 'muffie' won out over a reduced fat blueberry muffin because of size and sugar content), and when given the choice, go grilled over fried (Battle mini sliders v. crispy chicken salad at a fast food giant was a hard sell as they were convinced salads are always the healthier option), etc, etc. Not only were they able to think through these hard decisions, they took little issue with sharing their ideas with the rest of the group. You couldn't draaaaag me in front of the class at "show and tell" when I was growing up-- my parents will attest to this. In fact, I believe I went home crying mid day circa 1989.

In any event, I was happy to join several other groups of volunteers including the Young Rembrandts, Howard County Police Department as well as a fun bunch from an old client of mine, T. Rowe Price. Seeing them on site reminded me on the annual service days we had at KPMG except everyone went to the same event and it typically involved rebuilding homes in downtown Baltimore. Not that I didn't enjoy wearing a face mask or tool belt all day, but well... I'm self admittedly the worse DIY-er this side of the city!

And one of the highlights of my day came at the end of camp when I took part in a Q&A with tens of teens.

Teen: Do you ride around the state in a limo?
Miss Maryland US: If you're referring to the black vehicle outside, it's a
Civic! But seriously, no limo. Although! My dad has volunteered to drive me to a
few events!

Teen: How important is school in being Miss Maryland?
Miss Maryland US: School is very important, in fact I always remind myself
I am a student first, Miss Maryland second. I think getting
an advanced degree set me apart from the other contestants!

Teen: Are you a supermodel?
Miss Maryland US: No, but my friend Courtney is!

Looking forward to Day Two, tomorrow-- stay tuned! Photos below are of me and the officers from the HCPD, Nicole from the Young Rembrandts, the T. Rowe'ers, and the executive team at GSCM!

Meeting with GSCM

Growing up, I never even considered being a girl scout. My sister and brother went off to camp every summer, and I foregoed kayaking and getting my boating license for learning about the stock market and other related topics from my dad. True story-- my dad traded often I remember. Since he worked the night shift at Hopkins, he 'hired' me to take notes about how his stocks were faring throughout the day. And so began my interest in business.

I digress.

Back to the girl scouts, because it's not just about tagalongs and thin mints any more. These are young girls actively involved in their community, gaining confidence and taking part in activities that are sure to create lifelong friendship and memories-- sounds similar to pageantry don't you think? I didn't doubt then, that the they would warmly receive the message I had to share about my platform, No Body's Perfect. This week, I met with the Directors of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland at their headquarters in Baltimore to plan the presentations I would be making at PAVE Camp.

PAVE (Project Anti Violence Education) is a peer led camp that brings to light some of the most challenging issues that young people face today-- this years topics include healthy eating (by yours truly), gangs and substance abuse. A "Don't be mean, Go Green," theme is surely in line with the nation's increasing focus on the Earth and our impact on it. Even one of the final questions at Miss United States was geared toward that contestants role, if any, in being more environmentally responsible.

These two presentations and a final appearance at their carnival is just the beginning of an exciting relationship! For more information visit their community outreach site: http://www.gscm.org/communityoutreach.html