Sarah: Paying Forward the Power of Girl Scouts

October 11, 2026

On International Day of the Girl, we’re celebrating the girls who are discovering their voice, finding their confidence, and learning that they have the power to make a difference.

For our CEO, Sarah Waldman, that journey started as a Girl Scout.

One experience in particular has stayed with her. While on a family vacation, Sarah found someone’s lost class ring. She brought the experience back to her Girl Scout troop, where her fellow Girl Scouts and leaders encouraged and supported her as she worked to track down the person who had lost it and return the ring.

What started as one Girl Scout wanting to help someone became an experience that helped shape Sarah’s lifelong commitment to volunteering and serving others.

Today, Sarah gets to experience that same sense of community from a very different seat: leading Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska and serving as a troop leader for her daughter’s troop.

As a troop leader, she gets to encourage girls to have fun, try something new, face their fears, and discover what they’re capable of. And she gets to see firsthand the moments when a Girl Scout realizes she can do something she once thought she couldn’t.

For Sarah, it’s a full-circle experience.

The girl who was once encouraged by her Girl Scout community to make a difference is now leading an organization dedicated to creating those same moments for the next generation.

Today, we celebrate every girl finding her way, trying something new and discovering just how much she has to offer.

Happy International Day of the Girl! 100 years. Countless stories. One lasting legacy.