The theme of this year’s Glen Oaks Girl Scout Day Camp was “Building a Better Tomorrow,” words that embody the spirit of the camp’s director, Bell Acres resident Barbara Cooley Thaw, who constantly looks to the future to make things better.

“Most people will dedicate themselves for a program one time or for a few years,” said Bonny Diver, a local radio personality with iHeart Radio.

She asked Cooley Thaw to host a fundraising event for Hair Peace Charities, which Diver founded.

“Some people come and go in your circles, especially in the nonprofit world. But Barb is not most people. She does not walk away as long as there is a need. She makes things happen.”

One of those things is the annual Glen Oaks Girl Scout Day Camp, held earlier this month in Walker Park in Edgeworth. The weeklong event welcomes Girl Scouts from all over the region who work on earning badges while experiencing nature.

Cooley Thaw, who grew up in Regent Square and graduated from Pittsburgh Taylor Allderdice, invites women to participate whose work ties to the theme. For “Building a Better Tomorrow,” Cooley Thaw sought out females in the construction business for a panel. The women discussed the importance of coordinating with others on a project and talked about what each of them does.

Reagan Eichert, a rising senior at Quaker Valley High School, brought a sculpture she welded. Eichert shared that 3% of women are in the trades.

“Reagan was great because she told them ‘women can do this,’” Cooley Thaw said. “She was so empowering and inspiring. Her talk was so uplifting.”

Cooley Thaw has been doing uplifting things at the day camp for 29 of its 30 years. She began as a volunteer when her daughter, Rachel, was 6. Cooley Thaw’s goal is to inspire young people to believe they can be anything they choose.

Her experience includes 26 years as a troop leader, including close to 20 years as a service district manager. Her son, Marcus, is an Eagle Scout.

She spends six months planning for the camp and on the Friday of camp week, invites volunteers and campers to her house for pizza. It’s where they come up with the theme for the following year.

Next year’s theme will be “Wild About Animals.” She is thinking about having a veterinarian participate and looking for other possible attendees whose careers fit the theme.

Cooley Thaw coordinates more than 30 volunteers and said their participation is to be commended. Some take the week off work, while others take off a day or two.

This year, there were 65 campers. There is always room for more, Colley Thaw said.

Cooley Thaw invited Sewickley Council Vice President Julie Barnes and Apple software engineer Emilee Betz to help with the badge work.

Scouts collected hygiene products for the Sewickley Community Center Food Pantry, where they also donated leftover food. They performed skits and had an awards ceremony on the final day.

Volunteer Kent McGaughey of Sewickley handles all the equipment during the week for camp and makes sure everything is in working order.

“To see the smiles on the kids’ faces makes it all worth it,” said McGaughney, an Eagle Scout. “The campers get to spend time outdoors, and they learn new things.”

McGaughney, whose wife, Sylvia, and their daughters, Maggie and Kelsey, also volunteer because they are a Scout family, met Cooley Thaw decades ago. He said Cooley Thaw is good at budgeting her time. She compiles a binder full of information for camp, from schedules to menus.

“She loves to give,” McGaughney said. “She’s involved in her church, and she is involved in the community. She thrives on it. She is passionate and an all-around great person.”

Cooley Thaw and her husband, Robert, hosted the wedding of one of McGaughney’s daughters.

“Everything she does is next level,” McGaughey said.

Christine Brondyke, executive director of Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley, where Cooley Thaw is a board member, agrees with that assessment. During the pandemic, Cooley Thaw hosted the Sweet Jazz concerts at her home.

“She is always willing to help and would give the shirt off her back if we asked her to,” Brondyke said. “She is very hands-on and has assisted us in all capacities. She is the true definition of a volunteer. She takes her roles seriously and is a community advocate.”

Cooley Thaw and another board member will be the hosts for a dinner at Sweetwater Center for the Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration on Oct. 18. There will be 24 locations that will host five to 20 people for dinner, and all guests will gather afterward at the Edgeworth Club for dessert.

Cooley Thaw is also on the board for the Union Aid Society, is involved with Art in Motion at Quaker Valley School District and helps in the art room at the Children’s Institute in Squirrel Hill.

She helps raise thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society through Carnival For A Cure, Cooking For A Cure and Bingo For A Cure.

Diver, a cancer survivor like Cooley Thaw, is the emcee for Cooking For A Cure.

“Her church, Girl Scouts and many more are part of her life as a dedicated servant and leader,” Diver said. “People don’t say ‘no’ when Barbara asks. My holidays are usually on my own with my dog since I don’t have any family left. However, Barb invites me to their home and that means so much to me. I have so much respect and love for Barb, with hospitality as one of her many gifts.”

Kelsey McGaughey said it’s great volunteering at camp with Cooley Thaw.

“I grew up here seeing women could be pilots and doctors and whatever they want to be and because of her I know I can be anything,” she said.

“She is the best,” said Hazel Wincovitch, a high school volunteer at camp. “I love being a part of this and hanging with the kids.”

Cooley Thaw is inspiring, Kent McGaughey said.

“When you are around her, you want to do more,” he said. “She is a unique individual, but it’s never an individual effort. We are blessed to have her in my life. Throughout the week of camp, the girls see everything Barb does.”

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