3 Generations Of Girl Scouts In Essex County Inspire With Volunteerism – Belleville, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The number speaks for itself: 162. That’s how many years of combined Girl Scout experience three family members in Essex County have … and they aren’t done yet.

The trio – a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter – are lifetime members of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ), with ties to Nutley, Livingston and Essex County. And they all have a common link: they credit their successes and leadership skills to lessons they gained in the Girl Scouts.

Jeanne Van Steen, who has lived in Nutley for the past 65 years, has been a lifetime member of Girl Scouts for 82 years. She grew up in St. Louis and became a Brownie in 1939, when she was in second grade. She continued Girl Scouts through her senior year of high school when she became a Mariner, a natural development as she lived on the Mississippi River and “being a Mariner was just a way of life.”

While in high school, Van Steen was part of an advisory board and her counselor, the late Margaret Price, who later became president of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), was her mentor.

“Mrs. Price was an amazing and influential person,” Van Steen said. “She was one of the reasons I became so involved with Girl Scouts.”

From there, Van Steen was a troop leader in college and continued her involvement until the last of her three daughters finished Girl Scouts.

“I was a leader for 30 years, and even had first and second generations of girls throughout the years,” she said.

Van Steen has held several other positions within the Council, including Service Unit Manager in Nutley, and Vice President of Council for Greater Essex County. From 1986 to 1992, she was president of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex County.

But Van Steen isn’t the only member of her family with deep ties to Scouting. Her daughter, Coralyn Vossler, who lives in Livingston, has been a lifetime member for 57 years.

Vossler joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie in 1965. Her mother was her troop leader and continued until she was a Cadette. Like her mother, Vossler became a troop leader while in college and later became a leader for girls with disabilities and hearing challenges.

“My mother was truly an inspirational woman,” she said. “I wanted to follow in her footsteps and be a positive influence on young women.”

When her daughter, Sara, joined Girl Scouts, Vossler was her Daisy leader and remained the troop leader until the girls earned their Gold Award in 2012.

After being a troop leader, Vossler was a Service Unit Manager of Greater Essex and Hudson County for 14 years and now serves on the Girl Scout Council Gold Award Committee as Chairperson of the East Committee.

“I love being on this committee, I get to meet so many interesting young women and listen to the final Gold Award proposals,” she said. “These young women are our future. Seeing girls with diverse backgrounds come together and become leaders through the skillsets they have developed from being a Girl Scout makes me proud to be part of this amazing organization.”

Her daughter, Sara, earned her Gold Award in 2012, and currently is a lifetime member. Those skills have enabled her to become a teacher in Malaysia.

For Van Steen, the one who first launched the daisy chain of volunteerism, it’s inspiring to look back on what her family has accomplished.

“Being the first of three generations, the one thing that has not changed over the years is the core values and leadership skills that Girl Scouts instill to help build confident, self-assured and independent women,” Van Steen said.

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