2015 Girl Scout Famous Formers Luncheon

On Thursday, October 29, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast recognized six local Girl Scout alumnae as Girl Scout Famous Formers during a luncheon held in their honor at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. This event is held annually to honor local women who continue to exemplify the values of Girl Scouting through their leadership roles in the community.

During the luncheon, guests heard an inspiring message from keynote speaker Nancy Rodrigues, Commonwealth of Virginia Secretary of Administration. Secretary Rodrigues, who joined Girl Scouts as an elementary school student in New Jersey, spoke about what it was like to grow up in a family with immigrant parents. She talked about how she was constantly trying to find a balance between the culture she was growing up in at home and the culture that she was born into in the United States. It was in Girl Scouts, Secretary Rodrigues said, that she found that balance.

Secretary Rodrigues and Girl Scout Ambassador Julia

"Girl Scouts was the first thing in my life that made me feel like a real American," Secretary Rodrigues shared. "They didn't care where I came from, but rather for what I could do for the community. I am validation of the good that Girl Scouts does."

Before graduating from high school, Secretary Rodrigues earned the First Class Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl could earn in Girl Scouting at the time.

Guests also heard from a Virginia Beach Girl Scout Ambassador, Julia, who talked about the ways that Girl Scouts has impacted her, especially sparking her passion for giving back to the community. Julia inspired guests by talking about the work she is doing to address literacy rates among urban youth on her journey to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, now the top award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

Each of this year's Famous Former honorees were presented with a plaque by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller and Board Chair Cheryle Mack.

2015 Girl Scout Famous Former Honorees: Peggy Birkemeier, Barbara Hamm Lee,
Khadijah Sellers, Emma Jean Brady. Sylvia Weinstein, Susan Colpitts

Across the country, there are an estimated 59 million Girl Scout alumnae. These women got their start in leadership as a Girl Scout and continue to exemplify the values of Girl Scouting at home, at work and in the community. According to a report published by the Girl Scout Research Institute, Girl Scout alumnae display positive life outcomes to a greater degree than women who were never Girl Scouts. Girl Scout alumnae attain higher levels of education, report a higher household income, are more civically engaged and are more like to volunteer than non-alumnae. Girl Scout alumnae know firsthand how Girl Scouts can have a lasting positive impact on the life of a girl, and serve as role models for girls today—the future leaders of tomorrow.

This event was generously sponsored by: Enspyr, LLC, A. Reddix and Associates, Inside Business, Tidewater Hispanic News, Coastal Virginia Magazine, WHRO, Signature Family Wealth Advisors and Realtor Tricia Hudson with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.

Find information about reconnecting with Girl Scouts here.

Girl Scouts Explore the Outdoors at Norfolk Botanical Garden

Since Girl Scouts was founded over 100 years ago, the organization has provided opportunities for girls to get outdoors to explore the natural world around them and learn respect and appreciation for the environment. On Saturday, October 25, this tradition continued as over 150 Girl Scouts visited Norfolk Botanical Garden to learn about local plants and animals, as well as ways to conserve natural resources.

Girl Scouts spent the day in the WOW Children’s Garden, a three-acre area designed with interactive learning stations for families. The girls went on a scavenger hunt to identify different types of plants, made rubbings of tree bark and leaves and learned how to tell time on a sundial. They also decorated their own flowerpots that they later planted a seed in and learned about the parts of a flower. In Exploration Station, an indoor classroom in the garden, the girls made nature journals, where they were able to keep track of what they saw in the garden, as well as jot down the ways they learned to protect the environment.

“One of my favorite parts of the day was the educations station hosted by Merly Konathapally, a Girl Scout Ambassador who completed her Gold Award at the Garden over the summer,” Jen Erving, director of youth education at Norfolk Botanical Garden, said. “Her project not only taught younger Girl Scouts about the importance of protecting the monarch butterfly, but also inspired them to reach the Ambassador level of Girl Scouts themselves.”

For children, spending time outdoors can make them better problem solvers, more creative in their reasoning, less aggressive and better at concentrating; yet, research shows that children are spending half as much time outdoors than they were 20 years ago. Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, with the help of community partners such as Norfolk Botanical Garden, is committed to providing girls with opportunities to explore and discover in the outdoors. In fact, the Girl Scout Research Institute found that 97 percent of Girl Scouts participated in at least one outdoor activity during the past year.

Families interested in learning more about getting outdoors with Girl Scouts and joining the organization can attend Step Outside with Girl Scouts on November 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. at A Place for Girls in Chesapeake. This event, which is free and open to the public, will include family-friendly outdoor activities and the opportunity to register to become a Girl Scout. Find more information at www.gsccc.org.

View more photos from the day here.

Seeing the World through Teal-Colored Glasses

By Courtney Herrick, GSCCC communications intern

Hailey, a Girl Scout Cadette from Chesapeake, has earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest achievement in Girl Scouting.

Hailey has grown up seeing her entire family of five suffer from food allergies. She is the only one in her family without food allergies. Hailey has seen the struggle of having allergies in a world not so accommodating to people with allergies first hand. She has witnessed her mom doing tedious things, such as reading food labels of unfamiliar foods at friendly get-togethers, and has even seen her sister have to turn down birthday party invitations in fear of her allergens being present at the party. For these reasons, Hailey decided to educate the public about food allergies for her Silver Award project. She named her project "Seeing the World through Teal-Colored Glasses" in reference to teal being the color associated with food allergies.

Hailey created a video explaining what food allergies are, as well as a display board and pamphlet to go along with video, which she presented at local Girl Scout events. She placed the video online so that people from around the world can use it as resource to learn more about food allergies. She also handed out goodie bags with allergy-friendly treats at her presentations.

While working on her project, Hailey learned valuable leadership skills as she communicated with both her peers and adults within her community. She was able to find her voice when it mattered most and reach a broad scope of people.

“I had spoken to many adults within my community for event planning meeting, audio recording sessions and donor consultations,” Hailey said. “This helped me find my voice when it came to working in a professional setting.”

The Silver Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action Project to address the matter through leadership work.

Gold Award Spotlight: The Mighty Monarch

Girl Scout Ambassador Merly from Virginia Beach has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

Merly, who has a strong interest in environmental science, learned about the dramatic decrease of the monarch butterfly, a vital part of the local ecosystem. For her Gold Award project, Merly decided to increase awareness about the issue by educating local children about the monarch butterfly, its decline and ways to help encourage growth of the monarch butterfly population.

Merly developed a curriculum and taught nearly 250 children through workshops she hosted at Norfolk Botanical Garden. At each workshop, she led children in activities to learn more about butterflies, make a butterfly craft and learn how to plant milkweed, a plant that monarch butterflies need to survive. At the end of each workshop, each child received their own milkweed seeds to plant at home to encourage monarch butterfly population growth.

“I think that the most important aspect of my project was being able to help children realize that they could contribute to helping the monarch butterfly in their own way,” Merly said. “Giving them milkweed seeds emphasized that every little contribution can make a positive impact for the butterflies.”

Merly also created a blog, where she shared information she learned while doing research for her project, along with the educational materials from her workshops.

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in their community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Merly to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Design Divas

With merry-go-rounds spinning and handmade cars racing, nearly 100 young scientists put their engineering skills to the test on Saturday, October 17 during Design Divas, a workshop hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and volunteers from Booz Allen Hamilton Strategy and Technology Consulting.

Design Divas was an opportunity for girls in grades K-5 to explore and discover in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields through a variety of hands-on activities. Girls learned about oil spills while cleaning up simulated oil spills using household items and created theme park rides to learn about gears. They also constructed puff mobiles—cars powered by their breath, and learned about fulcrums and kinetic energy by building catapults.

This event was an opportunity for girls to learn new skills and explore their STEM interests in the supportive, all-girl environment of Girl Scouts. Today, women hold less than 30 percent of STEM careers, and Girl Scouts is working to fill the gap by engaging girls in activities where they are free to explore their interests, as well as interact with females in the STEM fields who serve as role models for girls with similar interests.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast is committed to offering STEM opportunities for girls all year long, including Society of Women Engineers Day in November and STEMagination Expo in January. All girls are welcome to attend these events, whether or not they are currently a Girl Scout member. For more information about attending a STEM event or joining Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.

Gold Award Spotlight: Stories We Tell

Virginia Beach Girl Scout Leslie has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For her project, Leslie sought to capture the stories of local citizens who reside at The Gardens of Virginia Beach, a senior living facility. She interviewed 13 residents about their childhood, education, family life, jobs, historical events they may have witnessed and life lessons they would like to share. Leslie then transcribed the interviews and compiled them in a book that she provided to the participants, their family members and other members of the community.

“My project gave people the opportunity to pass down their family history and the lessons they learned in life,” Leslie said.

To share her project with the community, Leslie created a display about her project that she placed at the Bayside Library. She also created a website where she placed the interview questions that she used so that others could replicate her project at senior living facilities across the country. Additionally, she placed the interview questions in a binder at The Gardens of Virginia Beach for residents to continue to add their stories to the book.

In order to make a further impact on the residents at The Gardens of Virginia Beach, Leslie enlisted the help of her fellow troop members to host games and sing Christmas carols at The Gardens, as well as create holiday cards for the residents.

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in their community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Leslie to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Chesapeake Girl Scout Creates Autism Support Group

By Courtney Herrick, GSCCC communications intern

Chesapeake Girl Scout Kaylee has earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest achievement in Girl Scouting.

Autism has directly impacted Kaylee’s life ever since her younger brother was diagnosed with it, and finding support for siblings of children with autism proved to be a struggle for Kaylee.  For her Silver Award project, Kaylee decided to create a support group for the brothers and sisters of children with autism. She proved her dedication to the group by holding monthly meetings that lasted about two hours. Kaylee organized various activities and games that allowed the group to interact with one another in a fun and safe environment. The group served siblings in grades five through eight and allowed them to meet new friends, share ideas and receive support and encouragement from peers that are going through similar situations.

Kaylee connected with her community to spread the word about her group by having a booth at the YMCA Healthy Kids Day in April, which is Autism Awareness Month. She also passed out fliers to educate the public on resources, other than her group, that were available to provide support for families of children with autism.

Kaylee at Healthy Kids Day

“I believe the most successful part of the project was being a resource and support for siblings of autistic children who were going through similar issues as myself and others,” Kaylee said.

Kaylee has plans to continue her group even though she has already received her Silver Award.

“I enjoyed this project; however, it was more than a project to me,” she said.

The Silver Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action Project to address the matter through leadership work.

The State of Girls: Unfinished Business Forum in Norfolk

Fifty-two percent of girls say that being a leader is not that important to them. What is even more alarming is the fact that nearly one in ten girls (9 percent) say that they do not want to be a leader at all. This data, along with other facts regarding girls’ well-being, was compiled by the Girl Scout Research Institute and served as the topic of discussion at the forum held by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the Virginia Beach Branch of the American Association of University Women on September 30 at WHRO Studios in Norfolk.

Barbara Hamm-Lee, executive producer and host of “Another View” at WHRO studios, served as the forum’s moderator and led engaging discussion among the panel of local experts. Panelists included Rebecca Jaramillo, senior educator at the National Institute of Aerospace, Gretchen Edwards-Bodmer, leadership development coordinator for the Tidewater Community College Women’s Center, Dr. Saundra Winstead, family medicine doctor with the Hampton Roads Community Health Center, and Aditi Dutt, parent educator at Bon Secours Health System.

Aditi Dutt, Rebecca Jaramillo, Barbara Hamm Lee,
Dr. Saundra Winstead, Gretchen Edwards-Bodmer

Each panelist had the opportunity to weigh in on the well-being of girls as it relates to their field of expertise. Throughout the evening, they shared their unique perspectives, but agreed on the importance of girls having role models and mentors to help them grow into the women they want to be.

Jaramillo, who has been an educator for over 30 years, shared her thoughts about why women are not represented equally in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers.

“Parents and teachers need to encourage natural curiosity in their girls,” Jaramillo said. “Girls today believe the things they want to do are impossible, and they need a support system to explore and discover with them along the way.”

Gretchen Bodmer-Edwards, leadership development coordinator for the Tidewater Community College Women’s Center, echoed the importance of fostering girls’ interests in order to encourage their leadership skills. She talked about girls and women valuing collaborative leadership, as opposed to the traditional top-down leadership style oftentimes exercised in workplaces today. She suggested that girls should look at leadership opportunities as volunteers or in the home and that will give them the confidence to pursue leadership roles at school and work.

Dr. Saundra Winstead, a family medicine doctor with the Hampton Roads Community Health Center, and Aditi Dutt, parent educator for Bon Secours Health System, weighed in on the physical and emotional well-being of girls. Dr. Winstead emphasized the importance of educating girls, as well as their parents, about leading healthy lifestyles because children often mimic the healthy and unhealthy habits of their parents and role models. Dutt discussed the issue of self-esteem and shared tips for parents to help build confidence in their daughters. She ended the forum with an important reminder for parents.

“Praise girls for being and for doing,” Dutt said. “It means so much more when they know you love and appreciate who they are, not just what they do.”

A report similar to The State of Girls: Unfinished Business has never been conducted, making it a much-needed resource in the field for educators and advocates. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

GSCCC CEO Recognized by Women’s Leadership Council

Tracy Keller with Girl Scout Cadette Tyra from Norfolk.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller and nine other local women were recognized at the United Way of South Hampton Roads Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) Luncheon for being champion donors this year. Their donations support the WLC Endowment Fund, which was created to provide a legacy of continuous support for programs that serve the needs of disadvantaged women and their families.

In the past year, the WLC Endowment Fund has invested over $100,000 in the local community to support low-to-moderate income women and their families. Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast is one of the organizations supported by the WLC for preparing the next generation of leaders with strong values, a social conscience and a deep sense of self-empowerment through programs at United for Children’s P.B. Young Elementary School, Tidewater Park Elementary School and Ruffner Middle School. Other organizations supported by the WLC Endowment Fund during the past year include: Salvation Army’s H.O.P.E. Village, YWCA of South Hampton Roads’ childcare program, Samaritan House’s Housing Now program and Children’s Health Investment Program.

Tyra, who spoke on behalf of GSCCC at the luncheon, with

Girl Scout volunteers Carol Spellman and Toni Taylor and

Deb Butler, keynote speaker

The luncheon, which was held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, was attended by 750 women in the community. Deborah Butler, recently retired executive vice president planning and chief information officer for Norfolk Southern Corp., was the keynote speaker for the luncheon. Butler, who is a Girl Scout alumnae and was honored as a Girl Scout Famous Former in 2013, spoke about the power of collaboration. Butler was recognized as a champion donor by the Women’s Leadership Council in 2008.

The Women’s Leadership Council is a local network of nearly 900 women leaders dedicated to improving the quality of life for women and their families in South Hampton Roads. For more information, visit www.unitedwayshr.org.

Gold Award Spotlight: Blaze a Trail

Virginia Beach Girl Scout Isabelle has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For her project, Isabelle created Turtle Trail, a nature trail at Munden Point Park. She began her project by mapping and marking the trail. Then, with a team of volunteers that she organized, Isabelle removed fallen trees, pulled weeds and took out poison ivy and thorny bushes along the new trail. She then spread mulch along the trail to prevent weeds from growing back. Once the trail was created, Isabelle added signs to inform people about the wildlife they may see along the trail, as well as information about how to identify poison ivy.

Isabelle chose to do this project in order to encourage people to spend more time outdoors engaged in physical activity.

“Many people assume that there is nothing to see at the park and this has led to people’s unwillingness to go outside and experience nature,” Isabelle said. “With the addition of Turtle Trail and informational signs, people can look at nature with a keen eye and observe everything it has to offer.”

Isabelle is an avid trail runner and enjoys the many trails in Virginia Beach. She hopes that her trail can be a new enjoyable spot for runners and non-runners alike.

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in their community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Isabelle to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Gold Award Spotlight: Spreading Music Awareness

Virginia Beach Girl Scout Maryanne has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement in Girl Scouting.

Maryanne has always had a passion for music as it has been a huge part of her life. For her project, Maryanne created a Music Awareness Club at her school to create an opportunity for students share information about the importance of music education with the community. The club members performed at a local nursing home and handed out fliers about the importance of music education.

Maryanne also wrote and illustrated her own book to encourage young children to join band. She shared her book, “Bernie and the Saxophone,” with children throughout the community, including those who attended Vacation Bible School at St. John the Apostle Catholic Parish. Maryanne also created a blog about the importance of music education in order for her project to reach a larger audience.

“I chose this project because I am very passionate about music,” Maryanne said. “I think it’s very important for people to know how significant music education is and why it should not be cut from any school system.”

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Maryanne to an elite group of females across the country with honor.