Seven girls have earned the highest possible Girl Scout award — the Gold Award — through Angie Zahn’s mentoring.

When Angie Zahn began her search for local Girl Scout troop information in 1987, she embarked on a journey that continues to this day.

Zahn discovered there wasn’t a troop leader in Trenton for her daughter and second-grade classmates, she volunteered to become one, and as her enthusiasm for scouting grew, she volunteered to do more on the local, district and national level. She’s served as secretary on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, trainer, past board chair, national delegate, Kids on the Block Puppeteer, resident camp staff member and several other positions, including numerous committees.

“I often tell people I went to work selling real estate to support my habit of Girl Scouting,” says Zahn, who is a managing broker at the New Baden office for Strano & Associates. She is also a certified appraiser and a mediator/ombudsman for the Illinois REALTORS®. “I have 29 years as a Girl Scout leader and volunteer, and 26 years as a REALTOR®.”

Early in her years as a scout leader, Zahn was a stay-at-home mom who used some of her own natural curiosity to find activities that would teach the girls something new. Even after beginning her real estate career, she never lost that curiosity and she never gave up the gig. “Scouting conveys some very powerful messages, not just for the girls but for all of us,” she says. “It provides some amazing opportunities in a safe environment. It teaches patriotism. It encourages girls to be strong and independent, to help others and to value themselves.”

Zahn is proud of the fact she has mentored seven Gold Award Girl Scout recipients because it’s the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve and only 6 percent of scouts ever earn one. Another Girl Scout is in the process of earning the Gold Award this year.  Zahn says she enjoys planning campouts when groups of about 100 scouts use the camp at the same time.

Zahn is a member of the REALTOR® Association of Southwest Illinois (RASI), and she served on a handful of local and state committees between 1992 and 2008.

Watch the Illinois REALTORS® blog for weekly stories about the community involvement of Illinois REALTORS® during the association’s 100th anniversary year. This is the 17th in that series. If you have an idea for a REALTOR® to highlight with an article, please send it to [email protected]. #MemberMonday#100YearsStrong