The Girl Scouts of Simi Valley are looking for a few good women.

A shortage of willing and able volunteer troop leaders has left 80plus young ladies between the ages of 6 and 9 without a troop, unable to join the ranks of the more than 900 Simi Valley residents who already call themselves Girl Scouts.

Karey Muller, service unit manager for the Simi Valley Girl Scouts, said it's not unusual to have a waiting list that numbers in the 80s or even 90s. But what is unusual, she said, is having a lack of volunteers for one specific age group-in this case, the Brownies, kindergartners to third-graders.

"And that's usually the age when parents really start coming forward, when their kids start in school," Muller said. "That's what's most surprising."

Girl Scout bylaws, explained Muller, require two trained adults to run a troop, which generally averages between 12 and 14 girls and meets at least once a month.

Although there are already 66 troops active in Simi Valley, Muller said, the Girl Scouts have enough young hopefuls to add at least five more troops.

"Obviously our goal is to service any girl who would want to participate," said Muller, who's been involved with Girl Scouts for 12 years.

In hopes of enticing new volunteers-and new Scouts, too-the Girl Scouts are hosting an ice cream social recruitment event Friday, Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church on the corner of Erringer Road and Cochran Street.

While there will be plenty going on for the kids (both girls and boys are welcome), Muller said, the event is also a chance for women to learn what volunteering for a leadership role in the Girl Scouts could mean to them and how much help is available to those who choose to volunteer.

"There'll be older Girl Scouts doing activities with all the kids who show up . . . and in the meantime, we'll be talking to the parents, doing a presentation, trying to show them how much Girl Scouts gives not just to the children, but to the troop leaders," Muller said.

It's not necessary to have been a Scout or to have a child in the organization to become a troop leader, according Myfanway DeVoe, director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts Tres Condidos, a governing body that overseas troops in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Troop leaders, she said, don't even need to be parents.

"A lot of women today would love to have a way to have a positive influence on young women . . . and they just don't know how to go about it," said DeVoe, who has no children herself. "We think the Girl Scouts is a great way to do that."

Then why the shortage of volunteers?

"A lot of people just don't think they have the bandwidth for it, but let me tell you, people have the bandwidth for a lot more than they know," DeVoe said.

The challenge of recruitment is nothing new to the Girl Scouts, which has been dealing with the issue for decades, DeVoe said. As more and more women have either opted to or been forced to enter the workforce, she said, fewer and fewer feel they have the time and energy to be volunteers.

But what's great about being a troop leader, she said, is the flexibility-making it a viable option for working moms.

"(Troop leaders) set the time and frequency of the meetings so they can schedule the troop around their own busy schedule," DeVoe said.

Still, Muller said there's no doubt that the lives of parents-and especially moms-are busier now then they were a few decades ago.

"It's a sign of the times. There are so many commitments they have kids in already, between sports, outside religious activities and other things, parents are being pulled in a lot of different ways. They're constantly running around," Muller said.

Still, DeVoe said, she believes the sacrifice is worth it when it comes to the opportunity of being a troop leader.

"It is such a neat way to contribute to the lives of young women," DeVoe said. "So many of us sit back and worry about where today's girls are going, where our children are going . . . and Girl Scouts is a way for women to really get involved and be a positive role model for our young women."

Though Muller hopes the upcoming ice cream social will attract several new volunteers, she said even one would make a difference.

"Right now we have a fully trained leader who wants to get a troop going, but we can't because we need one more adult leader- which is really sad," Muller said. "We've got the girls all lined up and ready to go and all we need is one person to step forward. It's tough."

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a volunteer Girl Scout troop leader can call (800) 822-2427, Ext. 201.