Women in the community have the opportunity to impact young girls this year.

Girl Scouts of the North Carolina Coastal Pines is calling for mentors and leaders to join the Girl Scouts team in eastern North Carolina. The group serves about 26,000 girls across 41 counties, including Beaufort County.

Kimberly Boyd, Troop 1016 leader in Chocowinity and Beaufort County media coordinator, has led girls in Beaufort County for about five years. When she was looking for a place in Girl Scouts for her youngest daughter, she ended up starting her own, multi-age level troop.

She said while the task can be daunting, the reward is incomparable.

“It can be a very scary thought at first. Once you get into it, once you get going and you see those smiling faces, it’s an experience like no other,” Boyd said.

Boyd said her experience as a Girl Scouts volunteer has been undoubtedly worthwhile. She said she enjoys learning alongside girls and watching them blossom and grow into leaders.

She said many come into Girl Scouts shy and timid, not really sure what to expect, and by the end of meetings, some are willing to step up and lead their own activities.

“They can grow, and they can trust each other and not judge each other,” Boyd said. “Watching the girls be able to grow and come out of their shells and gain their confidence is great.”

Girl Scouts of the North Carolina Coastal Pine is the largest female-led program in the area. Boyd said she thinks this setup offers a good example for the Scouts.

“I think it gives them very positive role models. It’s able to give them someone to look up to. We’ll be there to help them become leaders. … As girls become older they have the chance to make decisions. We provide guidance for them as they start making their own decisions,” Boyd said.

She said that she typically asks the girls she leads what they are interested in learning about for the year, and then she’ll take the interests and see what badges the girls are able to earn.

Last year, she said she took the girls to an animal shelter so the girls could earn animal badges. It gave them the opportunity to learn about animals and discover how the process works. They even created dog toys and food to bring with them, according to Boyd.

“It’s a little bit of sit-down meeting time and then take them out and discover what’s going on the world around them — connect with it and take action,” Boyd said.

She said it involves getting the girls accustomed to the community, learning how it relates to their lives and how they can make it better.

“There are so many negative influences out there. It’s great to have a positive outlet (for the girls),” Boyd said.

For information on how to get inv