waiting for godot was easier

Dear Girl Scout people:

I contacted the Girl Scout council a few times last year in hopes of plugging my daughter Evangeline, then 5, into a Girl Scout Daisies troop in the area. At the time, I was told there were no troops she could join, as the only active troops in the area were tied into other organizations and therefore had other criteria for membership.

Evangeline is now 6, I'm still willing to help lead a Girl Scouts troop at whatever level she's in, and we still haven't heard anything from any Girl Scout organization in the area. Nor have we heard any announcements through her school, as we had been told by a council representative last year that we could expect.

I'm sure you can imagine my frustration. We live in a state where most children are overscheduled and have very few opportunities to develop friendships with other children their own age. Girl Scouts generally is viewed as such an opportunity. It's low-pressure, it's heavy on group activities and knowledge-building, and it's been a part of the American landscape for dozens of years. If there is a troop in our area, including neighboring municipalities, that is accepting new members, we are interested in having our daughter join.

I'm told by a friend of ours who is a Scout leader a few miles from here, under a different Scouting council, that she's not allowed to accept new members in her daughters' Brownie troop because there is a waiting list two to three years long. If that's the case for the local council, I'd like to repeat what I said last year, that I am willing to assume a leadership role in Girl Scouts, particularly if it opens up the opportunity for my children to become involved. If there are other children her age who have been waiting to join a troop, this would be a win-win situation for more parents than just us.

Please contact me and let me know what options are available. Thank you.