St. Marys Sparks and Embers leaders seeking volunteers to keep group going

Stephannie Metcalfe (right) and her mom, Janet Moore (left), started the 1st St. Marys Sparks/Embers unit eight years ago. Now, they’re looking to transition the unit to new leadership so they can continue to lead Metcalfe’s daughters as they move up to Guides and Pathfinders.

By Galen Simmons

After eight years spent building the 1st St. Marys Sparks/Embers group, Stephannie “Sparkle” Metcalfe is hoping to begin a transition in leadership, one that will allow her and fellow longtime volunteer Janet “Tawny Owl” Moore – who also happens to be Metcafle’s mother – to step back without seeing the program disappear.

Metcalfe launched the 1st St. Marys Sparks/Embers unit in 2018 when her oldest daughter was just starting in Sparks. What began with 12 girls and three leaders has since grown into a full program that regularly serves about 25 girls ages five to eight and acts as a feeder for the community’s older Guides and Pathfinders groups.

Now, with her youngest daughter entering her final year in the program, Metcalfe said it is time to start planning for what comes next.

“We’ve put so much effort and energy and love into this that we don’t want it to fall apart,” Metcalfe said. “Our goal here is to just find someone to help. … We want to make sure that we find some people to fill in those spaces. Even if it takes a while, we’ll stick around to kind of train them.”

Metcalfe and Moore are looking for volunteers to fill several key roles including contact guider, treasurer, cookie coordinator and co-guiders who help plan and run meetings. While some of those roles involve attending weekly meetings and working directly with the girls, others can be done from home.

“There are even positions within it that you don’t have to go to the meeting,” Metcalfe said. “We need someone to help with the cookies and a treasurer.”

Moore said there is also plenty of behind-the-scenes work involved in keeping the unit running.

“There’s the administration of it that isn’t for everybody,” she said. “You’ve got a lot of paperwork.”

Both women said the group has largely been sustained by family over the past eight years, with Metcalfe handling much of the administration, communication, cookie sales and creative planning, while Moore and other relatives have helped with meetings, outings and special events.

Over the years, the group has offered girls a wide range of activities, from baking, crafts and science projects to swimming, skating, nature hikes and an annual camp at Camp Bimini. Along the way, the girls build skills and confidence, often without even realizing they are working toward badges.

“Sometimes they don’t even know that they’re working towards a badge,” Moore said. “It’s just sneaking in there.”

That mix of fun, friendship and learning is exactly why Metcalfe and Moore want to make sure the unit continues.

“This group needs to stay or there’s not going to be a Guides,” Metcalfe said, noting the younger unit has helped rebuild numbers in the older branch as girls move up through the program.

The pair said volunteers do not need to be parents of current members. Seniors, newcomers, high-school students looking for volunteer hours and anyone with a passion for working with children or sharing a skill are all welcome.

“The main thing is it’s volunteer,” Metcalfe said. “It’s a lot of fun for the adults. We’ve made so many good friends over the years.”

Metcalfe said the hope is to have the transition largely in place by next year so she and Moore can follow their girls into Guides while leaving the Sparks and Embers unit in good hands.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Metcalfe at stephanniemetcalfe@gmail.com.