If a Tree Falls in the Forest

I have a dilemma. Two years ago the Girl Scout council awarded me the Thanks Badge. This is the highest honor a Council can award. While I was surprised and delighted to be given this great honor, I was also a little disappointed. The Thanks Badge is a cumulative award to be given to the volunteer who puts in 50 years of service--it is for extreme honor, not just I was a girl scout leader for the largest troop for longer than my niece was in the troop, and chaired camps, and trained leaders for years, and was service unit manager longer than anyone else, and cookie chair for many years, and volunteered for anything asked--it was supposed to be for something really BIG, like attaining that 1 million dollar donation to open a new girl scout camp. Anyway, in my acceptance speech, I stated that I was accepting this honor early, since I intended to be a lifelong volunteer to live up to the honor.

How quickly I forget. Fast forward to two years later (now) and I am not a leader, I haven't chaired a camp in years, I don't even attend the service unit meetings, council wanted me to write a solicitation letter to get money from Glendale parents and I never got around to it (I hate asking for money), yes I'm the cookie chair, but just barely and I'm making a lot of noise that this is my last year, yes I'm still a council trainer--but just two trainings this year--outdoor camping--I hate outdoor camping--not my best stuff. I came into a little bit of money from my Aunt, so I was thinking about making a nice donation to girl scouts. Thank goodness I waited because some of my troops had left over cookies, so they could not pay council. I bought a lot of girl scout cookies this year--at least $400 worth and several troops still barely paid off council. This was a very bad cookie season and I'm not happy with how council ran it at all. I am disconnecting from girl scouts.

I just found out that I've been awarded the Thanks II Badge. In my mind you are supposed to be 600 years old and have donated millions of dollars to attain the Thanks II Badge. I have no idea why they are watering down the award so much, but what do I do now? Disconnect and go my separate way? Go to the award ceremony and push my way onto the Board of Directors? Volunteer to be the service unit chair next year, recommence training, revolunteer to be cookie chair and run a camp next spring--really what should I do?