If you ask someone to give you their first thought when they hear the words “girl scout,” I’m betting 9 out of 10 will say “thin mints!” While I’ll be the first to admit, I have a thing for those evil boxes of goodness, I’ll also be the first to tell you there is so much more to girl scouting than cookies. Have you heard of the Girl Scout Bronze Award? Silver? Maybe the Gold Award? Chances are you have not. These are the highest awards a girl scout can earn, the Gold Award being the equivalent to the Boy Scout’s Eagle Award.

As two of my daughters embark on their Bronze and Silver Awards for Girl Scouts, I’ve watched our little community of family and friends rally behind them to get the job done. It’s amazing, really, to watch people give their time, talent, and treasure not only to the worthy cause behind the project, but give support and encouragement to these young ladies trying to make a difference in their world.

There were so many lessons to be had with each of these projects. For my younger scout, it was managing a small group, staying on track, working together, problem solving on the fly and financial management. For my older scout, it was time management, tailoring ideas to stay on track, personal communication skills, and organizing and motivating a team. These are all skills that will serve them well in the future.

If there’s an opportunity to help a girl scout working on a project, know that being a mentor or supporter shows them their actions and efforts mean something. That donating items to a project means you not only believe in their cause, but that you believe in THEM. And when you are grabbing your stash of thin mints from the girl scouts in front of the supermarket, look beyond the cookies and see the future leaders, entrepreneurs and world shapers you are helping to support.