How one person took her experience and used it to help encourage our future leaders
Tami Karol, one of Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida’s 2023 Emerald Awards honorees, is a Girl Scout alum who pays it forward by spending countless hours coaching young entrepreneurs with their cookie businesses. She lifts up others as a mentor and friend for young business women and is actively engaged on several non-profit boards and committees. Tami is the first to step up when someone is in critical need and believes that Girl Scouts are our future leaders.
I believe Girl Scouting is raising our future POWER WOMEN. Girl Scouts is more than crafts and field trips, it teaches the girls life lessons and how to run a small business, along with how to be a part of a team. It creates challenges for them to meet. When my troops sold their cookies, we decided on the best way to spend our money. Then we figured out how many cookies we needed to sell to meet that goal and made sure that everyone was a part of that team to make the end goal.
That is similar to running your own business. You have to have a product, believe in the product, market the product and figure out how to sell it and meet your goals. Girl Scouting has been a big part of my life. I was a Brownie and a Junior as a child, then I was a leader for both of my daughters, who are 15 years apart, so I have sold and eaten A LOT of cookies. Friendships that are made in Girl Scouts last a lifetime. These girls learn to count on each other to meet the end goal, whether it is on a field trip, or making a craft, or hitting their cookie goals.
I believe that all youth are our future and we as leaders in the community have to mentor and shape those youth to become the best members of our community that they can be. In my time in leading Girl Scout troops, we focused always on helping others. We took pride in bringing joy to nursing homes with handmade crafts for their doors and to children’s hospitals with new pajamas for kids who may be spending their holidays in the hospital instead of at home. We participated in community events such as 5K runs and charity events. These are all things that I do in my day-to-day life as a business owner and leader in my community and I hope that I have helped pass that on to the young ladies that have passed through my life in Girl Scouting.
I am so very honored to be recognized by Girl Scouts for this outstanding award. I know that being part of the Girl Scout community has helped make me the POWER WOMAN and leader that I am today in my business.
We invite you to join us on March 10th, 2023 as we celebrate the generosity, compassion, dedication, and leadership of Tami and four more amazing women. Get your tickets for this can’t miss event.