Volunteer of Excellence Award: Antoinette
Antoinette Jackson is a mother to eight children, with a ninth one on the way — and five of them are girls. So, it comes as no surprise that Antoinette and her family have found incredible value in the Girl Scouts.
Originally from San Bernardino, California, Antoinette moved to Phoenix for college before relocating to Milwaukee with her now-husband. It was then that she first discovered the Girl Scouts organization when she became a troop leader for her second-eldest daughter. A few years later, Antoinette also became a National Council Delegate, representing Girl Scouts Wisconsin Southeast on the national stage. It’s for these reasons that she was recently awarded with the Volunteer of Excellence Award.
When Antoinette first moved to Wisconsin, her eldest daughter signed up for Girl Scouts as a middle schooler. From there, Antoinette realized how special the organization was and how much joy and benefit it brought into her daughter’s life. So when her second-eldest daughter hit kindergarten, she signed her up — and took over the role of troop leader. Seven years later, Antoinette now has three daughters in the program, a fourth about to start, and a budding Girl Scout in her belly.
It’s a lot of time to dedicate to the organization, but Antoinette says it’s worth it for the community it develops for the girls. Still, her favorite aspect is the bridging ceremonies when the girls “graduate” to the next level.
“It marks a completion of what we did for the year,” she says. “It’s such a nice celebration and a good time for the girls to show their families what they’ve been working on.”
In addition to being a troop leader, Antoinette was one of nine women selected as a National Council Delegate for her council, acting as a voice for Girl Scouts Wisconsin Southeast on a national stage. As part of this, she traveled to Florida in 2023 for the triennial Girl Scout Convention alongside 10,000 other attendees.
“It was truly eye opening,” Antoinette remembers. “It helped me see that older girls have a place in Girl Scouts too, after seeing so many high school girls at the convention.”
While there, National Council Delegates conferred on broad-scale topics that affect all the local councils back home. According to Antoinette, they voted on topics such as the removal of “God” from the Girl Scout Pledge or a potential increase in the cost of membership. With so many councils spread across the country, delegates like Antoinette are incredibly important as they represent the thoughts and wishes of their hometown communities. She is one of the critical mouthpieces for Girl Scouts Wisconsin Southeast.
But above all else, Antoinette loves the interaction that comes from working with the girls in her troop. As she gets to know the girls over time, she has learned nuances about their personalities and enjoys acting as a positive role model for those who may not have one otherwise.
“I started in the north side of Milwaukee and there’s a lot of girls that don’t get to do a lot of the stuff they do in the suburbs. [Girl Scouts] opens doors and lets these girls know about all of the opportunities available to them,” Antoinette says. “A lot of times, you don’t succeed in life because you don’t know the other side. It’s nice to show the girls different experiences.”
The Volunteer of Excellence Award recognizes volunteers who have contributed outstanding service while partnering directly with Girl Scouts in any pathway using the National Program Portfolio, or who have contributed outstanding service in support of the council’s mission delivery to girl and adult members. Nominees must be active, registered Girl Scouts who has also successfully completed a term of service.
