Rebecca Picek’s history with Girl Scouts stretches back further than the existence of the branch she’s currently a part of. Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast (GSCCC) wasn’t formed until 2007 after the merger of two former branches, but Picek, troop leader of Service Unit 550 in Santa Maria, first ventured into scouting decades ago.
“What inspired me to stay involved in Girl Scouts were the positive experiences and role models I had with my own troop as a girl,” Rebecca said in a press release. “Looking back, scouting fostered my adventurous and creative spirit.”
Through the union of Girl Scouts of Monterey Bay and Tres Condados Girl Scout Council, GSCCC encompasses the counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Service centers are located in Castroville, Atascadero, Goleta, Ventura, and Santa Maria, where Rebecca has volunteered as a troop leader for the last seven years. Her daughter, Lauren, decided to join the Scouts right around the same time.
“Being my daughter’s leader hasn’t always been easy, but it has benefited her life in many wonderful ways,” Rebecca said. “It’s helped her find a voice to speak up, self-reliance, confidence to believe in herself, and a love of the outdoors.”
Like Lauren, Rebecca first joined Girl Scouts to follow her mother’s footsteps. Rebecca’s journey with Girl Scouts began as a child when she was inspired to start scouting with encouragement from her mother, Carol, who joined Girl Scouts in 1956 while her family was stationed in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. The pattern didn’t start there though, as Carol’s mother, Jessie, Rebecca’s grandmother, was a troop leader at the time.
Through her current leadership role with GSCCC, Rebecca has strived to pass down the values she learned during her time as a scout, passed down from her mother and grandmother, to every member of the troop including her daughter, who is on track to receive a Girl Scout Silver Award this year. Over the course of this year alone, the two have enjoyed GSCCC visits to three national parks, where their troop got to rock climb and kayak among other activities.
“When I started out [became a troop leader], I had no idea how much I would get out of being involved. Volunteering is worth my time because it is such an important and rewarding job,” Rebecca said. “I want them [the scouts] to know that they are truly supported and are capable of great things. If I get to play a role in letting them know that someone cares, it’s a fulfilling experience to me.”
For Rebecca, one of the key life skills Girl Scouts teaches is adaptability. One recent campout during a storm illustrated it particularly well, she explained. The plans the troop made for the evening had to be scrapped entirely.
“Instead of freaking out, I asked the group. ‘OK. What’s the next plan?'” Rebecca said. “That event taught the troop that in life you don’t always get your first choice in outcomes, so you might as well always plan for what’s next.”
For more information on GSCCC, visit girlscoutsccc.org.
Highlights:
• Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab is partnering with Vitalant, formerly United Blood Services, to host a blood drive on Jan. 21 from 2 to 7 p.m. For every pint of blood donated, Doc Burnstein’s will give a donor a voucher for one block of Silk Fudge or a pint of premium ice cream. The drive takes place at Vitalant, located at 1170 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. Call (805) 543-4920 for more info.
• Emerald Digital is hosting free digital marketing workshops on Jan. 23 at 8:30 a.m. and 4: 30 p.m. and Jan. 24 at 8:30 a.m. and noon at the Santa Maria Business Development Center, located at 731 S. Lincoln, Santa Maria. Topics of discussion include click-to-call tactics, household IP targeting, and digital and display ads. Call (805) 925-2403 or email register@santamaria.com to register.
Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or email at spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 17-24, 2019.