Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Gold Award Spotlight: Toiletry Shelving and Healthy Recipe Book

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

For her project, Megan focused her efforts on improving the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center (JCOC), an organization that works to empower homeless families and individuals. Megan built four shelving units to improve the area where the JCOC stores toiletries and other donated items. She also created a labeling system so that donated items stay organized and can be accessed easily.

“Through my church, Lynnhaven United Methodist Church, I have volunteered at the JCOC over the years,” Megan said. “For my Gold Award project, I was naturally drawn toward working with the JCOC because I love what they do to help break the cycle of homelessness in Virginia Beach.”

In order to make an even bigger impact on the JCOC, Megan then shifted her focus to the kitchen. Oftentimes, groups visit the JCOC as volunteers to cook meals for those who are homeless. Megan created a recipe book with healthy meal options to help guide the groups when choosing a meal to prepare. Megan worked with JCOC staff to make sure that her book will be passed along to volunteers and the book will be updated annually with new recipe options.

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 six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Megan to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor. In 2016, Girl Scouts are celebrating 100 years of girls changing the world during the centennial year of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Gold Award Spotlight: Sand Dune Conservation and Restoration

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

For her project, Dana installed sand fencing at Little Island Park in Sandbridge to help conserve and restore the sand dune line that has been damaged over the years by hurricanes and other coastal storms. She worked with the City of Virginia Beach to ensure that the fencing will be maintained until it is buried under the sand, at which point it will help to maintain the dune line.

“I grew up in Virginia Beach, and I have seen coastal storm damage to our local beaches,” Dana said. “Not only will the sand fencing help repair the dune, but it will also help to conserve it against future damage.”

Dana also wanted to educate the public about the importance of erosion control. She conducted research of local beaches to identify which areas would benefit most from erosion control programs. She then developed targeted email campaigns for civic leagues in those areas, in which she included photographs of their beach, a summary comparing erosion control methods and information about the benefits of sand fencing. Her emails went out to coastal residents across the region, including those on the Southside, Peninsula and Eastern Shore.

Over the summer, Dana hosted an informational booth at the Virginia Aquarium, where she was able to teach families from all around the world about the benefits of sand fencing to conserve and repair beaches.

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 six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Dana to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor. In 2016, Girl Scouts are celebrating 100 years of girls changing the world during the centennial year of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Leadership in Action

Girl Scout Ambassador Emily Rogic was a special guest at a luncheon held at Town Point Club and hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Board Chair Cheryle Mack. The luncheon, the President’s Lunch, is held each year by the current Council’s board chair and is a way to help former leadership members stay connected with Girl Scouts and hear from a girl member who is an up and coming leader.

Emily is striving to earn the Gold Award, the highest award a girl may earn in Girl Scouts. She’s been a Girl Scout for 10 years and has been involved in many leadership building opportunities, including the Hampton Roads Chamber’s eXcel Leadership program. Her Gold Award project, Diamonds in the Rough, was approved in August. She plans to carry out activities throughout most of the school year to complete the project which will make more people aware of the human impact on Diamondback Terrapin turtles.

“I would like to educate our community on the simple things that it can do to help reduce the human impact on Diamondback Terrapin turtles,” Emily said. “I am planning on holding workshops and being at events - two Lynnhaven River NOW events, next spring's Earth Day event at Mt. Trashmore and workshops at Bayside library and the Virginia Aquarium. To help promote my initiative beyond the events, I will post photos, facts and update on the local Terrapins on Twitter and Facebook.”

Diamondback Terrapin turtles are a species of concern. Today, they face many threats, some of which can be easily controlled by our community. Emily wants to convey to the public that by changing some personal habits, we can make a tremendous impact on the species survival.

“Turtles mean so much to me. I grew up vacationing at Bald Head Island learning about the threatened loggerhead sea turtles. I want to make sure Terrapins have a chance.”

While girls going for the Gold do amazing projects, girls of all ages in Girl Scouts are involved in making the world a better place through their community service and take action efforts - living the Girl Scout Promise in their daily lives!

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Powerful Celebration of G.I.R.L.

Here at Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, girls are being empowered to empower themselves, and encouraged to try new things, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and take the lead in their communities.

We’re excited to announce a new brand platform that tells just how these girls are empowering themselves! The “I’m Prepared” PSA celebrates every girl’s inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™. Applauding girls who never give up, who try new things, and who make their ideas a reality, the PSA is a visual representation of how Girl Scouts prepares every G.I.R.L. to practice leadership like a Girl Scout––uniquely encouraging girls to cultivate grit, problem-solving, risk-taking, and leading with empathy. It is a call for girls to embrace their leadership potential and empower themselves through Girl Scouts and for consumers to invest in the future of girls for the betterment of our world.

Best of all, the PSA is set to Girl Scouts’ new powerful pop anthem, “Watch Me Shine,” co-written by songwriters Liz Rose and Emily Shackelton, and performed by Shackelton with Girl Scouts singing backup vocals. The song exemplifies how Girl Scouts empowers girls to find the strength and confidence they need to take the lead every day and to create impactful change in themselves and in their communities. Both songwriters, as Girl Scout alumnae, are go-getters and risk-takers themselves: Rose is a two-time Grammy Award winner who has collaborated with well-known female artists like Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Jewel; Shackelton’s songs have been featured on TV shows like American Idoland Nashville. “Watch Me Shine” will be available to stream or download on iTunes, Amazon Music and Google Play.

If you have a G.I.R.L. story to tell, we want to hear it! Email marcyg@gsccc.org.

GSCCC Honors Jerry Hansen

This blog was written by Tracy Keller, CEO of Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast

Tracy Keller and Nellie Hayes- both members
of the Great Bridge Rotary
This time of year is a time to reflect and to thank those who made 2016 a great year. Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast (GSCCC) wants to extend a thank you to the Great Bridge Rotary for the support they have given Girl Scouts over the years. From helping build boardwalks and small bridges to connect our properties to donating funds for girl programs, Rotary members have provided hands to work and hands to care.

I’m proud to be part of this collective leadership who gives their expertise to make the world a better place, and who tackle challenges, such as getting kindergarteners, especially from families in need, ready for school with health checks, supplies and other support. I am also proud of the fact that they have chosen Girl Scouts as one of the organizations they regularly support, with many of their members prioritizing their volunteer time to advance Girl Scouts. Jerry Hansen was one of those members.

Jerry's family and friends
Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast honored Jerry Hansen on October 24, 2016. Jerry was charter president of the Great Bridge Rotary Club which started 22 years ago. He and past GSCCC CEO Nellie Hayes were instrumental in raising funds for A Place for Girls, the headquarters and program center located on Cedar Road. To celebrate his life, the Jerry Hansen Tagalong Trail in The Outback- an 8.5 acre nature area that lies behind A Place for Girls- was named after him. On what would have been his 75th birthday, Jerry was also honored by the Great Bridge Rotary Club.with a bench in his name.