By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer 

Sometimes things just fall into your lap.

Six years ago, Jo Wana Opitz took her then first-grade daughter Gwen Cheney to sign up for Girl Scouts, and came home a co-leader of the troop.  Girl Scouts: Jo Wana Opitz and
daughter, Gwen Cheney, have been
involved with Girl Scouts for six years.

As the mothers were sitting around a table one of the coordinators came up to the group of women and told them one had to choose to be a leader.

“I figured I’d probably be at the meetings anyway, so I suppose I’ll do it,” Opitz said. “But I didn’t want to do it alone and have all the responsibility.”

Jennifer McGahan, co-leader of the troop, was new to the area at the time and eager to help. She said through Girl Scouts, she and Opitz have become friends.

“It was just one of those things where you meet a stranger and it goes from there,” she said. “We became leaders and out of that have grown to be friends.”

McGahan said its Optiz’s enthusiasm, creativity, resourcefulness and fun personality that make her a good leader. “She enjoys being a teacher and sharing her knowledge and stories,” she said. “She knows how to motivate people.”

Opitz has stayed at her post as a leader for the past six years because of her daughter. She said Gwen was her inspiration to her initial participation and also to keeping her involved.

Gwen said she likes that her mom is the leader and it makes Scouts more fun. The only disadvantage to having her mom as a leader, the 12-year-old said, was “she hears everything I say to my friends and what we talk about.”

She also said because her mom has been so active in the troop, she someday wants to be a troop leader for her future daughter.

The perks of Girl Scouts don’t hurt either, Opitz said. The troop has gone on annual outings and sleepovers to some interesting local places.

Recently, the troop set up camp at the Minnesota Zoo for a “PJs and Pigs Night.” In years past, she said they’ve camped at the Mall of America sometimes sleeping in the halls or the amusement park. Another time the troop slept in Underwater World, the aquatic marine-life center at the Mall of America.

Opitz has volunteered her time as a leader of not only her daughter’s troop, but also coordinated a summer camp for area scouts for the past few years in Clearly Lake Park in Prior Lake.

Despite having no history in event planning, she has handled the job well and produced successful camps. “She has the ability to take a lot of little steps to make things work,” McGahan said of Opitz’s success. “She’s able to see the big picture and break it down into small groups.”

In addition to volunteering with the Scouts, Opitz finds other venues to donate her time.

For the past five years, she has build houses with Habitat for Humanity through a group at “The Connection” in Burnsville where she works. Opitz recently volunteered to work at a booth at the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District PTC carnival. Through her church, St. James Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Opitz helps with the Armful of Love program. She also is a member of the Jubilation Ringers, a bell choir at the church. She volunteers to help coordinate Sunday School lessons and meals for the youth group,

So what keeps her going?

“I like to work with people in their organization, to find out what they’re all about,” she said. “It’s rewarding to me to work with people on projects.”

 Keighla Schmidt can be reached at kschmidt@swpub.com.