Leader Lady Linda: A Lifetime of Girl Scout Bonds

When Linda Arend started Troop 332 with 23 bright-eyed third graders, she never imagined the journey ahead would span decades, shape lifelong friendships, and even fund a senior-year cruise with cookie money. Though the troop eventually narrowed to six young women, the bond they built became unshakable.

For Linda and her Girl Scouts, their story didn’t end when they graduated. For more than 20 years, Linda’s troop has stayed connected. They Zoom, keep up with each other through a lively text thread, and gather around the holidays to laugh, reminisce, and share life’s joys and challenges. To Linda, these aren’t just former troop members — they’re her girls.

Today, those girls are leaders in their own right. They work in fields from marketing to banking to wildlife grants to history preservation. Linda’s daughter even inspired the nonprofit Blessings to Share, the first program of its kind in the nation that serves transition-age, neurodiverse adults, and offers social programming, art classes, community nights, and more.

What stands out most to Linda is not just the achievements, but the way Girl Scouts gave her troop a place to be themselves. She recalls one member saying at camp: “You know what I like about being here? I can just be me.”

For Linda, that’s what’s so special about Girl Scouts. Childhood meant fun and adventure; adulthood has turned those connections into a lifeline. Her troop leans on one another during hard times, celebrates milestones, and cherishes every tradition. They even gave her a nickname that’s stuck through the years: Leader Lady Linda.

Her advice for today’s Girl Scouts? Treasure every friendship and every moment. Because, as Linda and Troop 332 show, those bonds can last a lifetime.