Girl Scouts Partner With Local Bats!

Ann Arbor.com has a really cool story about Girl Scouts and bats! It relates that bats help Girl Scouts by consuming thousands of mosquitoes at Girl Scout camp each day. Now, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Michigan council are helping bats, by launching The Bat Project, to build safe, healthy breeding havens at every camp. Currently, the bat population in the United States is threatened with White Nose Syndrome, which scientists suspect is a fungal illness.

Michigan is free of WNS so far. Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan will celebrate the official grand opening of the council’s first bat haven, the Ann Scott Bat House. Earlier this year, we reported that Alexis Levorse, a Girl Scout from Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, earned her Girl Scout Gold Award for building and installing twenty bat houses in the Rainbow Lakes community in Parsippany, NJ. Do you know any batty Girl Scouts?

National Guard Medic Thankful for the Cookies!

The Arizona Republic reports that last spring, National Guard medic Shawn Malkind was surprised when an enormous box was delivered to his quarters at Forward Operating Base Marez in Iraq. It turned out the package contained more than 60 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, candy, beef jerky, gum, cans of party mix, a few pairs of socks and a letter from an Ahwatukee Foothills Brownie Troop. He was one of 25 recipients of surprise gifts from Troop 1145!

On Wednesday he dropped by Troop 1145's meeting to present the scouts with a flag and shake hands with his young benefactors. The Brownies wiggled and giggled their way through a question and answer session with Malkind, who will be in the National Guard until next April and also served from 2001 to 2006 as a Marine at Camp Pendleton in California.

Do you have any stories about Girl Scout Cookies being sent to our troops abroad?

What Do You Get Out of Being a Girl Scout Leader?

One of my all time favorites from 1976! I love this video. For more Girl Scout Videos, go here!

Healthy Media for Youth Act Introduced in Senate With Girl Scout Support

U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) introduced legislation that establishes a national taskforce that would develop voluntary guidelines and other measures to promote positive images of girls and women. A similar piece of legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives on March 24, 2010 by U.S. Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

S. 3852, The Healthy Media for Youth Act, which was developed in collaboration with the Girl Scouts of the USA and the American Psychological Association, would support media literacy programs, promote research on the effects of media images, and encourage the adoption of voluntary guidelines to promote healthier media images for young people. Senator Hagan, a mother and former Girl Scout troop-leader relates:

“America’s youth are constantly influenced by what they read, see and hear... Unfortunately, the images they see often emphasize unrealistic body images and reinforce gender stereotypes. As the mother of two daughters and a former Girl Scout troop leader, I am concerned that today’s young girls judge themselves against unrealistic portrayals of women and girls in the media, and this bill is aimed at combating this trend.”

A recent survey by Girl Scouts of the USA’s Research Institute, Girls and Body Image, found that 89% of girls say the fashion industry places a lot of pressure on teenage girls to be thin. Further, only 46% think that the fashion industry does a good job of representing people of all races and ethnicities. The American Psychological Association’s (APA) Report on the Sexualization of Girls (2007) found that three of the most common mental health problems among girls—eating disorders, depression or depressed mood, and low self-esteem—are linked to the sexualization of girls and women in media. Boys are also negatively affected by the portrayal of girls because it sets up unrealistic expectations, which may impair future relationships between girls and boys.

The Healthy Media for Youth Act takes a three-pronged approach to promote healthy media messages about girls and women. First, the bill creates a competitive grant program to encourage and support media literacy programs and youth empowerment groups. The bill also facilitates research on how depictions of women and girls in the media affect youth. Finally, it establishes a National Taskforce on Women and Girls in the Media, which will develop voluntary standards that promote healthy, balanced, and positive images of girls and women in the media for the benefit of all youth.

This legislation has been endorsed by the Girl Scouts of the USA, the American Psychological Association, the Alliance for Women in Media, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of University Women, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Children Now, Common Sense Media, Lifetime Networks, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media, Girls Inc., Jess Weiner, Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, Kappa Delta Sorority/The Confidence Coalition, National Collaboration for Youth, National Eating Disorders Association, National Council of Negro Women, National Council of Women’s Organizations, National Women’s Law Center, National Girls Collaborative Project, Eating Disorders Coalition, New Moon Girl Media, Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes, Parents Television Council, Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out, Women’s Media Center, and Wider Opportunities for Women.

“Girls need an advocate who will stand up for them,” said Laurie Westley, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Advocacy and the Research Institute. “By promoting the Healthy Media for Youth Act, Girl Scouts is being a voice for girls on an issue that directly and disproportionately affects them. Girl Scouts recognizes the need to bring attention to this important issue, which affects girls’ self-esteem, body image, eating habits, and social and emotional development.”

Girl Scout Centenarian Receives Proclamation from San Jacinto Council

Helen Barnard was recently honored with a proclamation by the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council on her 100th birthday, the first of its kind ever presented by the Council.

Barnard was a Girl Scout leader for 10 years before taking her troop on a historic trip to Our Chalet in Switzerland, one of the world centers of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, in 1957. As part of the trip, Barnard and Troop #328 traveled first by plane to Montreal, Canada, before sailing to Europe. Mementos from the trip were recently donated to GSSJC to be displayed at the Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History, one of the few Girl Scout museums in the U.S., located in the Greenway Plaza area of Houston, Texas.

Barnard’s niece, Michel Hinton, a Girl Scout alumna, troop leader and Hinton’s daughter, Elizabeth, also a Girl Scout Brownie, presented the proclamation to Barnard during a celebration honoring her 100th birthday. Girl Scouts is a family tradition that has been passed down to three generations. Members of Barnard’s troop who took that memorable trip to Our Chalet were also witnesses to the presentation. Awesome!

Along that note, Girl Scouts itself will be turning 100 in 2012! We are asking all adult Girl Scouts to stand up and be counted by joining our exciting new online Girl Scouts Alumnae Community. Whether you are a recent high school graduate or were in Girl Scouts many years ago, we want to stay connected with you and give you the opportunity to connect with other Girl Scouts. Through this site, you can now access the Alumnae newsletters as well as all that is happening at Girl Scouts on a national and local level. Join now and be counted as Girl Scouts moves towards its 100th anniversary! We hope you will visit the site often. Signing up only takes a moment and is free.

What Did Girl Scouts of North East Ohio Do Today?

Girl Scouts of North East Ohio has a new video! Check it out. For more Girl Scout Videos, go here!

Follow Girl Scouts Twitter!!

Join us in the conversation on Twitter @girlscouts!

Image via I Can Has Cheezburger.

Weekend Run-Down

Good Morning - let's take a look at Girl Scout stories in the news from this weekend:

• In Kansas, ABC KTKA News 49 reports that Topeka Girl Scouts make care packages for troops - definitely check out the video.
• Florida's NBC News Channel 7 has a video of Girl Scouts learning storm preparedness in time for hurricane season.
• The Delaware County News Network in Pennsylvania reports on the newly-merged Ridley-Springfield Girl Scout's recent Fall Kick-off Rally.
• The Florida Times-Union carries the headline "Good News: Girl Scouts get Hooked on environmental project" - specifically, girls were motivated by the impact of litter, fishing line carelessness and oil spills to their favorite animals.
• In Troy, NY, The Record has a story on Jillian Graham, who earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by working with Unity House in Troy to assist underprivileged women and by helping teens learn about dating violence.
• Another fantastic Girl Scout Gold Award recipient, North Carolina Coastal Pines has awarded Rebecca Rena’ Arnold, who held three car maintenance workshops to help women learn more about their vehicles. She taught them 10 car maintenance steps and provided them with a booklet to help them remember what they learned. Read more in The Rocky Mount Telegram.

Enjoy!

Girl Scouts 'Beyond Bars' Program Garners Generous Grant

In Oklahoma, The Tulsa World reports that The U.S. Justice Department has awarded the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma a $300,000 mentoring grant to support its Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program. The George Kaiser Family Foundation has pledged $100,000 for matching support - bringing the total received by Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma to $400,000.

Girl Scouts Beyond Bars has several programs for nonviolent offenders, including partnerships to help incarcerated women get training so they can find employment after they are released. The grant and matching funds will allow the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma to expand services, including the agency's one-on-one mentorship program with the incarcerated mothers.

Do you have any personal stories relating to Girl Scouts Beyond Bars?

Green Thumb Girl Scouts Grow Food and Goodwill

Head over to The Syosset Patch and check out an awesome story with some great pictures of Girl Scout troops in Nassau County, NY, who have been dedicating their time once a week to planting, watering and harvesting gardens at Syosset's Farm at Oyster Bay.They planted string beans, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, grapes and tomatoes that are 100 percent organic and sustainable. The girls celebrated their efforts with a Harvest Festival at the farm last Sunday. Troop members harvested potatoes, sampled vegetables, collected seeds to be stored for use in the garden next season, built a scarecrow and painted a garden scene mural.

Situated on 26 acres of land, the farm has three ponds, and the property dates back to pre-Revolutionary War times. The food donations will go to Our Lady of Mercy Food Pantry and Long Island Harvest.

Help Your Sister Girl Scouts Win a $50K Grant!

That's right - vote to help sister Girl Scouts win a $50,000 grant! The Aetna Foundation is hosting a Fight Childhood Obesity Grant Contest on its website and Girl Scouts of Connecticut has been selected as one of 10 organizations nationwide to compete to win a $50,000 grant. The funds would enhance Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s new Live Healthy, Lead Healthy program for girls. The Aetna Foundation will award the grant to the organization that receives the most number of votes so everyone’s vote is vital! Please support your sister Girl Scouts by clicking here to vote before the contest ends on October 5. You can vote up to 25 times! Let’s rally all of our Girl Scout family and friends to help ensure that more girls will live healthy and lead healthy!

Obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents. It's a rapidly growing problem in the United States, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among pre-school age children 2-5 years of age, obesity increased from 5 to 10.4% between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 and from 6.5 to 19.6% among 6-11 year olds. Among adolescents aged 12-19, obesity increased from 5 to 18.1% during the same period. Vote Now!

Globally Minded and Doing Good

It's widely known that Girl Scouts care not only about their local communities, but also donate their time and resources to learn about, share commonalities with, and offer assistance to other communities around the globe. Take a look at a story posted by Colorado's Longmont Times-Call about Girl Scout Troop 3830 from Carbon County, CO, who have collected 684 pairs of shoes and 434 pairs of socks to send to children in Afghanistan as part of Operation Happy Feet. Boxes of footwear - tennis shoes, sandals, Crocs, flip-flops, boots and baby booties - will be brought to chaplains and soldiers at Fort Carson, who will take the donations to Afghanistan and distribute them to families. The troop is aiming to earn the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national prize given to dedicated volunteers.

An article at I'm United for Haiti points out that when Girl Scout Melissa Freitag was a high school senior in Hadley, Massachusetts, she began to prepare for the process of earning her Girl Scout Gold Award. While her original plan was to go to Haiti with her church group to work on rebuilding a church, her travel plans were derailed by the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 of this year. Instead of giving up on her project, Freitag refocused her efforts and began collecting donations from the community to aid Haiti in earthquake relief. By linking with the non-profit Pan American Development Foundation, she was able to contribute to programs benefiting more than 1.3 million Haitians. In addition to immediate relief, PADF is working on major recovery projects, including evaluating homes to ensure that they are safe for Haitians to use, as well working with the victims of violence, exploitation and trafficking.

Kudos to all Girl Scouts helping to positively impact their communities at home and abroad. Do you have any stories of outstanding Girl Scouts that you would like to share?

Girl Scouts Nut & Candy Sale Begins October 1

Virginia's News Leader reports that Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council are ready to begin taking orders in their Nut and Candy Sale to raise funds for their troop activities and programs! This year, the sale features whole cashews, chocolate-covered pretzels, salsa mix, chocolate-covered raisins, gummie berries, peanut squares, peanut butter dream candies, deluxe pecan clusters, pistachios, malted milk balls, cranberry nut mix and new this year!! POP-O-POP with Cashews & Cranberries, buttery toffee popcorn with cashews and cranberries in a Girl Scout Collectors Tin. Prices range from $5 to $7.

It all sounds like something I want to eat all the time - especially the chocolate covered raisins and the deluxe pecan clusters - Yum! Go here for more info. Do you have any fond memories of The Girl Scout Nut and Candy Sale?

Cat Sanctuary Thanks Girl Scouts!

In South Carolina, The Reflector reports that Girl Scouts Troop 1746 recently took on a project of collecting used books, CDs and DVDs to be donated to The Magoo Room, a blind cat sanctuary. These items will be sold on Amazon and eBay to help support the sanctuary. More importantly, the girls learned how sturdy and capable the blind cats are, despite the common misconception that they are special-needs cats.

This story is, to me, a double whammy - I was born in South Carolina and have a major love for cats!

Girl Scouts in West Virginia Chalk 4 Peace

In Martinsburg, WV, The Journal has a story about Girl Scouts illustrating that chalk is mightier than the sword Sunday, as they gathered in Martinsburg as part of 2010's Chalk 4 Peace campaign. Among the goals of the international project is to promote the arts by coordinating assemblies of young artists of all ages to draw their vision of peace in public and private spaces with sidewalk chalk, as well as advocate for peace in a nonpartisan manner. The global campaign has since spread as far as South Africa and Europe. Outside of Martinsburg's event, more than 100 Chalk 4 Peace events also were held this weekend in Northern Virginia.

The campaign to make Chalk 4 Peace worldwide began on July 16, 2005, the day after the first Chalk 4 Peace event at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC. John Aaron, the Global Project Founder and chalk events coordinator, began a print and email campaign, sending out more than 5,000 personalized emails and 6,000 full color brochures about the initiative for 2005-6. Last year, more than one hundred individually organized sites with authorized clearances chalked out their messages and visions for a more peaceful planet. Good stuff - Sounds like a fun time!

Feelin' Groovy in San Diego!

In California, SanDiego.com sent A Cause for Celebration - a collective of reporters covering San Diego's social calendar - to the scene of a Girl Scout event called Feelin' Groovy Urban Campout. Five hundred party-goers in hip huggers, granny glasses, go-go boots and tie dye parted a wall of swinging psychedelic love beads to enter Girl Scout headquarters to benefit The Girl Scouts San Diego-Imperial Council.

An Austin Powers look-alike posed for photos with a classic flower power VW bus and a group of Girl Scouts in uniform, passed out daisies to greet their guests. There was also an abundance of support coming in from the community, with a massive list of sponsors! Read the entire article here. Do you know of a similar activity in your community that you would like to share?

Weekend Run-Down

Let's take a look at Girl Scout news popping up across the country from this past weekend:

• In Plymouth, PA, The Times Leader reports on three high school seniors who set out to complete their Girl Scouts Gold Star Project and ended up giving a town a lasting remembrance. The three Girl Scouts decided to create a walking tour of historical sites of Plymouth Borough. They published a flyer that explains the walk and the sites and they even created a garden to beautify the entrance to the Plymouth Historical Society.
• North Dakota's Minot Daily News reports that local Girl Scouts had the opportunity to check out Camp Owetti and enjoy games, activities and informational booths. Members of the Mid-Dakota Chapter of the American Red Cross were there with first-aid kits, and the Minot Fire Department, Minot Public Library and Minot State University Rural Crime and Justice Center also were represented. The event in the park heralds the start of another Girl Scout year, which begins in October even though many troops already have begun meeting this month.
• In Texas, The Victoria Advocate reports that the Savannah birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, who founded Girl Scouts of the USA, will offer free admissions next weekend as part of the national Museum Day.
• In Massachussetts, The Swapmscott Reporter ran a letter from a member of Girl Scout Troop 60807, thanking the community for help in completing a Silver Award Project.
• Similarly, The Mansfield News Journal reports that The Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland Council's Crooked Lane Day Camp wish to express their gratitude to those who contributed to the success of their day camp. Eight Girl Scout Service Units were represented from Crawford, Morrow and Richland counties.
• Louisiana's Shreveport Times reports that The Girl Scouts of Louisiana Pines to the Gulf hosted a Mega Rally Recruitment Day on Saturday at the Barnwell Center in downtown Shreveport that resulted in fun and more new recruits for the Girl Scouts. The event, which showcased the leadership skills and mentoring that Girl Scouting offers, also featured a trade show with book authors and local vendors such as the Shreveport/Bossier Rescue Mission, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries/U.S. Army Corp of Engineers...
• Another awesome Girl Scout Silver Award story - MyCentralJersey.com reports that Warren Girl Scouts are dedicated to helping shelter animals.

Enjoy!

Spotlight on Hispanic Heritage Month!

From September 15 – October 15, Girl Scouts of the USA is proud to celebrate the diversity and rich culture of Hispanics, across America and beyond. During this month we pay homage to Latinos who honor their indigenous, Spanish and African roots.

Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time for girls of all backgrounds to come together to discover, connect and celebrate the Hispanic culture, as well as commemorate the amazing work that is being done every day by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) with locations across the globe including places such as Spain and Nicaragua.

Today more than 48 million people in the United States are of Hispanic origin, 338,900 of whom are young Latinas who proudly call themselves Girl Scouts. Through Girl Scouts, girls can not only earn patches for learning more about Hispanic heritage, they can also hold Quinceañera celebrations, attend leadership development training, and build the confidence and self-esteem to become the leaders of tomorrow.

We invite you to celebrate with Girl Scouts as we strive to provide young Latinas—and every girl—with the leadership skills and opportunities so they can make a powerful, positive, and profound contribution to their community—and to our world! Let’s take a look at some recent media involving Girl Scouting and Hispanic Culture.

In Lubbock, TX, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal recently reported that Lubbock Girl Scout troops integrate Hispanic heritage into activities. Indicative of their troop's name, the girls of Lubbock's De Colores Girl Scout unit reflect the changing face of America's population and of an American institution.

In Long Island, NY, Hispanic Counseling Center reported that Junior Girl Scout Troop 1541 donated hundreds of new and gently used books for the children of Hispanic Counseling Center, completing the project to earn their bronze award. The girl scouts were in 5th grade. They collected the used books through several book drives. The new books were collected by hosting a bowling event for younger girl scouts.

In California, The Press Enterprise recently ran an article about a group of Girl Scouts who were flown to New York City to shoot a Girl Scouts of the USA commercial that premiered nationwide in mid-July. The commercial is part of our rebranding effort. Also in California, the Hispanic-Latina Initiative has a fantastic placement in The Modesto Bee. It highlights the benefits of girls getting to see their Spanish-speaking moms in leadership positions, so they can better visualize themselves heading everything from Girl Scout troops to companies in the future.

The Miami Herald ran an article about Girl Scouts throwing quinceañera parties for South Miami-Dade teens. In Hispanic cultures, the quinceañera coming-of-age ceremony marks the transition from girl to womanhood. The Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida recently organized a grand quinceañera celebration for a group of young ladies enrolled in the Girl Scouts' Uniquely ME! self-esteem program.

There are also many upcoming events in Girl Scouting in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. Check out these events in Kansas City, KS, Las Vegas, NV, and Paramus, NJ.

You can also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by having your girls earn the Dolores Huerta Girl Scout Patch. The patch, which honors Latina civil rights leader and Girl Scout, Dolores Huerta, was developed by Girl Scouts Heart of Central California in partnership with the Dolores Huerta Foundation. The patch can be earned by any Girl Scout in grades K-12 anywhere in the country. All materials needed to earn the patch are available on-line in both English and Spanish can be found here. There is also the Chicas Patch from Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital.

Arizona Girl Scouts Stick Together!

In Arizona, The Ahwatukee News has a fantastic story about a group of Girl Scouts who have been together since the second grade, and are now away at college and reflecting on their time together. They each give credit to their leaders for their success both in Girl Scouts and in life. The article relates that It seems simple for a group to get together, but staying together is what's rare. Many troops disband when a leader gets too busy or their daughter decides to quit. In Troop 592, one leader decided to stay with the group even after her daughter left.

The girls say they learned a lot from being a part of Girl Scouts for so long, like responsibility, people skills, outdoor skills and they found something they all had in common - a love for volunteering. Definitely read the entire article here!

Coca-Cola Foundation Donates $1 Million to Girl Scouts

I'm excited to announce that Girl Scouts of the USA has received a $1 million grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation, a global foundation established in 1984 and funded by The Coca-Cola Company.

The bulk of the grant will help support healthy living programs with a portion of the grant going towards engaging Girl Scout alumnae as the organization prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2012. Fantastic!

Spotlight on Girl Scout Gold Award Recipients

Let's take a good look at some recent Girl Scout Gold Award stories! As everyone in Girl Scout world knows, The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout 14-18 may earn - and is a huge accomplishment.

In North Carolina, The Garner Citizen reports that Amanda Rose Lazaro received the Girl Scout Gold Award by the Girl Scouts-North Carolina Coastal Pines for creating a program to help preschool children with vocabulary and word recognition. Also in North Carolina, Wilmington's Star News reports that for her Gold Award project, Whitney Michelle Adams designed and made storytelling mitts for all kindergarten classes at Anderson Elementary School. The mitts provide a visual and tactile tool for each of the students while being engaged in literary activities. Raleigh's News Observer reports on April Anya Grossi who led three workshops on mandalas -circular art projects designed to help students reduce stress. Students also learned about coping with stress in a safe manner and created a group mandala. The News Observer also reported on Carolyn Marie Caggia, who hosted a booth at the Museum of Natural Science's Reptile and Amphibian Day to raise awareness of endangered sea turtles. Visitors to her booth stamped a scroll to ban gillnet fishing that she later presented to several state legislators.

Further north in New Jersey, The West Milford Messenger reports that Kayla Vanderbeek's project was the improvement of a well-used trail that leads students to high school baseball and hockey fields. Vanderbeek’s sister is on the field hockey team and her grandfather, who is disabled and in a wheel chair, could not make it down the trail to see his granddaughter’s games. Soon he, and others in similar situations, will be happily attending games.

In Eden Prairie, MN, Eden Prairie News reports that The Eden Prairie service units of Prairie Star and Prairie Sun of the Girls Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys recognized several girls who earned their Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scout Silver Award, Girl Scout Bronze Award and Diamond Troop Award this past program year. Gold Award winners this year include Miranda Anderson, Monica Nicholls, Cassie Norby, Simone Turner. Meanwhile Sarah Busse, Krista Anderson, Amy Cornish and Michele Knudsen have all begun their Gold Award Project this summer!

Last but not least, California's North County Times reports that as Hannah Gingrich was thinking of a way to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award - she looked to her younger sister, Elyse, who has Down syndrome, for inspiration. The Wildomar teen organized a winter formal dance for special-needs high school students in her area. She worked to find a venue and deejay for the event, secure donations for food and decorations, and round up volunteers to chaperon. It took more than 100 hours to put the dance together.

Kudos to all of these amazing and inspirational girls! Let's make sure the world knows the importance of The Girl Scout Gold Award and the impact Girl Scouts have on their communities.

Weekend Run-Down

Let's take a look at what's been going on around the country this weekend in Girl Scouting:

• In Stockton, CA, The Record has a fantastic story about the Girl Scouts Spanish-language marketing plan - including $10 million in donated space on Telemundo, in People en Español magazine and other media.
• In NY, The Queensbury Post Star reports that Abigail Rae "Abbey" Harriman's Girl Scout troop dedicated a cedar bench and plaque Sunday at the Girl Scouts’ Hidden Lake Camp on state Route 9N in the town of Lake George. The memorial bench happened to be the latest effort to recognize Abbey, who died from a brain aneurysm last year at the age of 13.
• In Clinton, MA, The Times & Courier reports on how two sixth-grade girls are putting the finishing touches on their Bronze Award project.
• In New York, The Citizen reports on flexible pathways - specifically relating that there are many pathways to becoming involved with Girl Scouts.
• An awesome Gold Award story, Delaware's News-Journal reports that a Delaware Girl Scout is helping transform Ashland Butterfly House.

Enjoy

Tools for Success

Automotive Body Repair News reports on a new program for the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada centered around educating young women on career opportunities within the collision repair industry will be hosted by Collision Hub. The program, "Tools for Success", will give the Girl Scouts access to leading women in the field, learn about the diverse career opportunities within the collision repair industry and the work being done by people in this field. Collision Hub will be partnering with the National Autobody Council; Women's Industry Network, and the I-CAR Education Foundation to educate, encourage and empower young women. Awesome!

Sadly, when looking for statistics to show female growth in the mechanics industry, I turned up very little information. In 2000, Women Tech World reported that between 1989 and 1999, the number of female automobile service and repair technicians had doubled. It would be nice to see those numbers today. Does anyone have them?

The Golden Eaglet, Part 2

The Golden Eaglet, Part 2 - A continuation on yesterday's theme! Enjoy:

The Golden Eaglet, Part 1

Let's go back in time to 1918. After World War I, The Golden Eaglet, a feature film about Girl Scouting WAS shown in theaters across the country - Enjoy! The Golden Eaglet, Part 1:

Happy Labor Day!

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September - This year it fall on September 6. The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority.

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. Traditionally, Labor Day is now celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. Happy Labor Day everyone - hopefully this summer was fantastic for all!

Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout!

Girl Scouts of the USA has recently launched an Alumnae Online Community. A fantastic resource for all Girl Scout Alumnae - it serves as a site for Alumnae to reconnect with and to rediscover Girl Scouting. Definitely check it out!

Since 1912, Girl Scouts has been dedicated to building girls of courage, character, and confidence who make the world a better place. In two years, 3.5 million active Girl Scouts and volunteers will join some 50 million Girl Scout alumnae in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting. This momentous occasion provides a unique opportunity for alumnae to reconnect with each other, discover what today’s Girl Scouts are doing as well as learn about our plans for the 100th Anniversary. We invite all adult Girl Scouts (18 years and older), including former Brownies, former and current volunteers, and former and current Girl Scout staff to register for the New Girl Scouts Alumnae Association; Online Alumnae Community. This is the place to reconnect with old friends, make new ones and learn about our plans for the 100th Anniversary.

Actresses Joey King and Selena Gomez Have a Special Message for Girl Scouts!

Over the summer, Girl Scouts of the USA held a live online chat with actors Joey King and Selena Gomez, stars of the movie, Ramona and Beezus. It was a success with thousands of girls participating! Check out a message below, from the actresses themselves to Girl Scouts: