Voluntary Product Withdraw: Small Selection of Lemon Chalet Crème Cookies

Hello Everyone - Here is a statement on our voluntary product withdrawal of a small selection of Chalet Crème Cookies. First and foremost, there is no safety risk and second, no other Girl Scout Cookies are affected.

Girl Scouts of the USA received some complaints involving Little Brownie Baker’s Chalet Crème Cookies. The complaints centered on the taste and/or smell of the cookies. After doing some fact-finding, we learned that the Lemon Chalet cookies of the 15 lots in question are safe to eat; but do not pass Little Brownie’s quality test. Thirty-one councils have been affected, and all have been notified with specific batch numbers.

Please keep in mind that no other cookie varieties in our product line are affected by this quality withdrawal. This situation affects approximately 6.5% of Chalet Crème Cookies produced for the current season.

For more information please visit Little Brownie Bakers and, as always, head on over to
www.girlscoutcookies.org if you want to find Girl Scout Cookies near you!

Below is the statement coming from Little Brownie Bakers:

Statement re: Lemon Chalet Crème Cookies

Little Brownie Bakers recently received a few contacts from consumers informing us of an off taste and smell from certain packages of Lemon Chalet Crème cookies. We immediately took the precautionary step of testing product samples. We determined that while the cookies are safe for consumers to eat, they are not up to our quality standards.

Certain lots of Lemon Chalet Crème cookies contain oils that may be breaking down which can result in an off taste and smell. We are asking that the councils that received these batches return any product inventory in their control to us. The affected Lemon Chalet Crème cookie batches have the following lot codes:

7455881
7455882
7455883
7456741
7456742
7456743
7457661
7457662
7457663
7458521
7458522
7458523
7459401
7459402
7459403

All of the Girl Scout Councils that received these lot codes will be notified directly. We will provide replacement product for councils and consumers. No other Girl Scout cookies are involved. In the event that consumers experience an off taste and smell in this product, they should call 1-800-962-1718 or contact us at www.littlebrowniebakers.com.

The quality of our products is a top priority for Little Brownie Bakers. We sincerely apologize to any consumers affected and are committed to working with the impacted Girl Scout councils through this issue. If Girl Scout councils receive a contact from the press or media, please refer them our LittleBrownieBakers@gmail.com for assistance.

Who Says Girl Scouts Can't Be Punk Rock?

Check out this vintage photo of Debbie Harry, aka Blondie, wearing Girl Scout inspired duds. Do you have any photos of other celebrities in Girl Scout apparel? If so, share!

From Washington D.C. to New York City

The Washington Business Reporter is running a story about Jan Verhage - who is stepping down as the Executive Director of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital chapter, ending 25 years in that D.C. post to accept a new position as Chief Operating Officer of parent organization Girl Scouts of the USA. Since her appointment as Executive Director of the D.C. chapter in 1985, the Council has doubled its membership and quadrupled its annual income to $12 million - very impressive stuff! Of her move, Verhage states,

“I have been asked to come to New York at this important time in our movement to work on the things I care about most -membership, program, volunteerism and services to councils... And I must go.”

Surely she will be missed in D.C., yet very welcome in NYC.

Eight Decades of the Girl Scout Promise and Law

Head on over to The Dearborn Press and Guide today for a fantastic article on Bea Elliot, an active 92-year-old who still has Girl Scouting in her heart. Elliot has been a Girl Scout since she was 9 years old and, in August, Elliot will be 93 years old. For more than eight decades she’s lived her life according to the Girl Scout Promise and Law and of the beginning states,

“It was either the fall of 1926 or the spring of 1927 when Dayton, Ohio started their first Girl Scout troop. My mother signed me up and I became a Brownie. I’m still a Girl Scout. I’m a lifetime member. I’ve done scouting in five different
states.”

Elliot later found out that the troop she belonged to in the late 1920s was the first Girl Scout Troop in Dayton, Ohio.

How many Girl Scouts Does it Take to Change 63K Light Bulbs?

Today, The Washington Post is reporting that the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital is challenging its 63,000 members, ages 5 to 17, to each replace one regular light bulb with an energy-saving bulb. On the cost efficiency of the bulbs, it is estimated that if every local Girl Scout replaced just one light bulb per home, collectively, those homes would save nearly $300,000 a year in energy costs. The environmental impact of energy-saving bulbs is already well known - government estimations state that if every home in America replaced just one incandescent bulb a year with an energy-saving variety, it would be like taking 800,000 cars off the road.

At the end of the article, Girl Scout Madison Harris says it best:

"I feel like I'm really saving the environment by just doing simple things".

Simple steps really can make big differences. What are some of the environmentally beneficial actions carried out by Girl Scouts in your communities? Let us know!

Weekend Run-Down

Good Morning and welcome to another installment of Weekend Run-Down.

• It's World Thinking Day - Read all about it here, here, here and here!
• WECT 6 News in Wilmington, NC, is reporting on local Girl Scouts renovating a homeless shelter.
• In an effort to help girls learn about and understand the crisis in Haiti, a unique Taking Action: Helping Haiti program was created by the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council. Read more about it in the Cape Gazette.
• In Park Rapids, MN, Deputy Sheriff Jeremiah Johnson and his K-9 partner, Vulcan, were featured speakers at a Girl Scout troop meeting. Read about it in The Park Rapids Enterprise.
• The Dallas Post, PA, has a cool story about a newly formed troop.
• In West Virginia, The News and Sentinel is reporting on Girl Scouts getting in on some Derby Car action.

Enjoy.

What is World Thinking Day?

Not just any other Monday, February 22 is World Thinking Day for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. It's one day where Girl Scouts in the US devote their time to participate in activities, games and projects with global themes to honor their sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in other countries. Many troops use it as an opportunity to study about other countries and cultures. On the nearest weekend to World Thinking Day, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from across the world come together on Scout Link to chat with each other and celebrate their Founders.

World Thinking Day always has a theme, and this year's theme is "together we can end extreme poverty and hunger" - the aim is to raise awareness among everyone about world poverty, hunger and to improve the lives of the poorest people in the world. Nearly 30,000 children die every day from poverty and neglect, and two billion people live without adequate food and basic needs. More than three million people will die of HIV and AIDS this year - many of them live in poverty.

Do you you have stories about yourself or someone you know honoring World Think Day? If so, please share! For pictures and stories from last year's World Thinking Day, go here.

North Carolina Gold Award Article and Tutorial

The Pilot of Southern Pines, North Carolina, recently ran an article on Shannon Elizabeth Nicole Trudeau, who received the Girl Scout Gold Award for planning and hosting a water safety clinic for underprivileged children in her community. The clinic lasted three weeks, and all participants were taught basic swimming skills.

As the article eloquently illustrates, Trudeau is now in a category with other Gold Award recipients as Eileen Collins, the first woman space shuttle commander; Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard University; Katie Couric, the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast; and Gov. Bev Perdue, the first female governor of North Carolina.

For a more thorough analysis of the Gold Award, definitely read the entire article and, as always, send us examples of outstanding Girl Scouts in your communities.

Some Time Away, Maybe...

Hello Readers!

I am scheduled to be out on vacation for the next week, so I will not be updating the Blog - Sorry for the inconvenience. In other news, please wish me luck getting out of the city, in the midst of this weather. Until next time, Joshua.

Weekend Run-Down

Good Morning and welcome to another edition of Weekend Run-Down:

• As reported in The Tampa Tribune, The Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida and Highlands County Girl Scouts would like to thank several local businesses for their contribution of prizes to the 6th Annual "Cindy's Girl Scout Cookie Eating Contest" that was recently held at the Highlands County Fair.
• NBC Cox Local News in Omaha reports that local girl scouts discovered you don't have to be a big organization to make a big impact.
• In New York, Girl Scouts brought some Sunday cheer to residents of a Niagara County health care facility. Check it out here!
• As the Contra Costa Times is reporting, Jaime Richards is one Girl Scout who's driven to achieve. According to the report, it is a story with two themes: (1) The classy courage of an incredible young woman. (2) What schools can learn from the Girl Scouts. Awesome!
• Even more news outlets - MSNBC, NewsBusters, Stuff and many more - are covering our recent Body Image Survey. Previously blogged about here.
• NBC 2 KTUU in Anchorage, AK, is reporting that more than 700 girls were at the Girl Scouts of Alaska's Women of Science and Technology Day.
• Thank You Berry Munch is one popular cookie!

Have a great week!

“Kookaburra” is a Winner in Australian Court

MSNBC is reporting that Australian band Men at Work copied a well-known children’s campfire song for the flute melody in its 1980s hit “Down Under” and owes the owner years of royalties. “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” was written more than 70 years ago by Australian teacher Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition. Federal Court Justice Peter Jacobson said,

“I have come to the view that the flute riff in “Down Under” ... infringes on the copyright of Kookaburra because it replicates in material form a substantial part of Ms. Sinclair’s 1935 work,”

He ordered the parties back in court Feb. 25 to discuss the compensation Larrikin should receive from songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert and Men at Work’s record companies Sony/BMG Entertainment and EMI. Justiced served! In other news, I do still think "Down Under" is a worthy jam.

Follow This Blog: "GS Endeavour 2010"

"GS Endeavour 2010" is a Blog following six high school girls from Girl Scouts of Northern California who were chosen to attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. Each of these girls has a special interest in science and technology. Follow the girls as they spend 8 days exploring Florida's Space Coast.

New York Preteens Comprise Jewish Girl Scout Troop

Chabad News, in New York, has a fantastic article today about Girl Scout Troop 3131 - a unique troop comprised solely of Jewish Girl Scouts. The piece is full of truly inspirational quotes about the quality of the Girl Scout experience, from both girls and adults. Group co-leader Sarah Alevsky, a youth director at the Chabad House says,

“We are lucky that Girl Scouts is such a flexible system with a broad enough
framework that we can infuse with Judaism... Girl Scouts fits our objective and
what we are trying to achieve at Chabad, because we share some of the same
principles, namely, that the girls grow up to be upright, responsible, caring
adults."

Definitely check out the entire article - and as always, let us know about unique Girl Scout Troops in your communities.

Cookie Video Going Viral!

"What Can a Cookie Do?" - our recent video about the impact and power of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, is quickly gaining speed online! USA Today says,

"What begins as a box of cookies sold by a young woman goes to help human beings
of all ages in the most dire of circumstances."

So far, the video has been picked up by Brand Channel, Marketing Daily, USA Today and many more. The video itself is quickly approaching twenty-thousand views - but can certainly gain a lot more. Spread the word! Let's turn twenty-thousand into a million.

Girl Scouts Realignment Success Story in the Wall Street Journal

Today, we are on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, in a favorable light. The article titled
Once-Robust Charity Sector Hit With Mergers, Closings highlights a very successful merging
of councils in Indiana. Of the Indiana merger, the article states that:

By combining administrative functions, property management and audits, the
organization is saving about $1 million a year.

Pretty impressive considering the very turbulent economic environment we are currently experiencing.

Weekend Run-Down

Good Morning - In today's Run-Down there are sporting stories, cookie stories, Gold Award stories and more! Check it out:

• In Alabama, The Clanton-Advertiser has a great story titled Girl Scouts Learn Life Lessons Selling Cookies.
• In Massachusetts, The Clinton Times and Courier has an article about hopeful Gold Award recipient - Krystal Reardon.
• In Southern California, more than 4,000 kids and their families - as well as several Nickelodeon stars - converged on the Ontario Convention Center Saturday for the first ever Believe In Girls Exposition, presented by the Girl Scouts of the San Gorgonio Council.
• In Savannah, GA, local Girl Scouts learned about aviation at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum - read all about it here.
• For "Girl Scout Day" at The Carver-Hawkeye Arena, an impressive turnout of 7,737 attendees came out to watch the Iowa women’s basketball team take on Purdue. Check it out in The Daily Iowan.

Enjoy