Girl Scout Discover the Art- and Science- of Glassblowing

Nearly 90 Girl Scouts discovered the art of glassblowing on Saturday, January 19 during a workshop hosted by the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio. The workshop kicked off with an introduction to the studio, where girls took in a brief history of glass and learned about career options in the field.

Then, the girls had the chance to have their own glassblowing experience, which involves taking a pipe, gathering molten glass from the furnace and forming it into a shape with tools and by blowing air into it. Each girl made her own ornament. After selecting a glass color, staff from the studio let girls blow air into the molten glass as they helped them shape the ornament. Before the end of the workshop, girls learned about how to properly cool glass in a kiln.

Through the partnership with the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast is able to offer opportunities, such as this recent workshop, for girls to have a hands-on experience in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) with a creative twist. These experiences help girls develop critical thinking skills, which will last them well beyond their time in Girl Scouts. In today’s world, where women hold only approximately 25 percent of STEM careers, Girl Scouts is committed to providing experiences for girls to explore and discover in a wide variety of STEM fields.

Gold Award Spotlight: Be Bright, Eat Right

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

For her project, Katrina focused on educating students at Thalia Elementary School about the importance of healthy eating. She created a display in the school with information about reading food labels, making healthy food choices, nutrition and more. Katrina also made a presentation to fifth graders about leading a healthy life and encouraged them to take the Pear Pledge, a promise to make healthier choices at home and at school. Katrina provided students with an informational brochure that included the tips she shared in her presentation.

“Today, about one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese, and this is a problem that needs to be addressed,” Katrina said. “I wanted to make a difference in my community by informing youth and adults about the prevalence of childhood obesity and the significance of starting good nutritional practices early.”

In order to reach even more members of her community, Katrina shared her project in three local civic league newsletters and with the members of her Girl Scout troop.

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 Katrina to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Chesapeake Resident Honored with Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Award

United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Engler of Chesapeake was recognized with the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Award for her outstanding public service as a troop leader with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast from January 2012 to present.

LCDR Engler’s troop is one of the few in Hickory that accommodates girls of various age levels, catering to a high percentage of military families. She provides the girls in her troop with opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities, including camping trips and Powder Puff Derby, a pinewood derby event for Girl Scouts. She has also led her troop in projects to make improvements to school grounds and city parks. In addition to making a difference in the lives of girls, Engler takes time to train fellow volunteers with the skills they need to be Girl Scout leaders.

LCDR Engler was presented the award by Rear Admiral J.E. Pitts, Commander of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center.

“It is with great pleasure that I commend you for your outstanding volunteer work, which reflects positively on the command and the United States Navy,” Rear Admiral Pitts wrote in a letter to LCDR Engler.

Since joining the Navy 17 years ago, LCDR Engler has moved all over the country and traveled all over the world. One thing that has been a constant through all of these moves is Girl Scouts. With each move, LCDR Engler says that getting involved with local Girl Scouts allowed her to also get involved with her new community outside of military life. LCDR Engler also spent nine years as a Girl Scout as a child.

Gold Award Spotlight: Snag-a-Bag

Olivia, 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, Olivia wanted to address the often unmet needs of foster children, such as having comfort items when moving to a new home. She focused her efforts on educating the community by distributing informational fliers and brochures at community events and locations and holding donation drives for her “first day of care” bags, where she collected toiletries and other personal items for children. The bag full of items give children comfort during early stages of foster case.

“I plan to be a social worker in the future,” Olivia said. “I wanted to show people how the needs of foster children are important to me and show the different ways we can all help.”

Olivia was able to create a website with information on her project that links to the website of Connect With a Wish, a new organization that helps foster children. The organization has agreed to carry on Olivia’s project by creating and giving “first day of care” bags to children they serve now and in the future.

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 six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Olivia to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Meet Anastasia and Lillian, Cookie Entrepreneur Officers

Anastasia and Lillian with GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller
and Dawn Glynn of TowneBank at last year's celebration
for Girl Scouts who sold at least 1,000 boxes of cookies.

For two Portsmouth first graders, it is their busiest time of year. These young businesswomen are in the midst of their annual entrepreneurial venture—Girl Scout Cookie season. Anastasia, a member of Girl Scout Troop 5717, and Lillian, a member of Girl Scout Troop 53, tied last year for the position of top Girl Scout Cookie seller in Portsmouth, each selling 1,127 boxes of the sweet treats. Both girls have now embarked on their second year selling cookies with their sights set higher—Anastasia intending to sell 1,111 boxes and Lillian with a goal to sell 1,500 boxes. Both girls are excited about being able to sell cookies during the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts selling cookies and giving customers a chance to taste the new anniversary cookie—the Girl Scout S’mores cookie.

Despite being just six years old, both girls took away lessons from last year’s cookie season and have business plans in place for another successful sale. The girls know how important it is to ask everyone that they meet if they would like to buy cookies. Of course, they ask friends and family to buy cookies, but Anastasia makes sure to frequently go out in her neighborhood with her order card, even in the rain, and Lillian brings her cookie business with her everywhere, even to the doctor’s office.

“To sell cookies you have to smile and be polite,” Lillian said.

While Anastasia and Lillian are members of different troops, they have both had a year of fun and adventure in Girl Scouts, and they have learned about the importance of giving back to the community.

“Last year, we used our cookie money to purchase some toys for kids from the Angel Tree,” Anastasia said. “We also went to the pumpkin patch and had a lot of fun, and we had a Halloween and a Christmas party.”

Lillian and her fellow troop members threw a tea party, made pottery, took an acting class and saw a play together— just a few highlights of her Girl Scouting experience. They also made cards and ornaments that they delivered to residents at a local nursing home during the holidays, and Lillian hopes they get to do that again this year.

Powered by the Girl Scout Cookie Program, both Anastasia and Lillian are learning while they are earning. As experienced cookie sellers, they have learned how to count back change and work on a budget. They have also honed their teamwork skills and they work with their fellow troops members to decide how to spend their cookie money. As CEOs—cookie entrepreneur officers—they are learning to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s leaning financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Girl Scout Cookies not only help girls earn money for fun, educational activities and community projects, but also play a huge role in teaching girls how to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders as they learn essential life and business skills.

Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina are currently taking orders for cookies. Cookies will arrive to the region on February 18, and cookie booth sales will begin the following day. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

Gold Award Spotlight: Camille's Melodious Music Program

Camille, a Hampton Girl Scout, has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting. Camille has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and is currently a junior at Bethel Christian School.

For her project, Camille created a program to introduce children at the HER Shelter to a variety of music genres and music theory. Many children at the HER Shelter have been affected by domestic violence or abuse, and Camille wanted her program to create a safe space for the children to learn about music in a group setting to help them boost their self-esteem.

“When I took piano lessons, it inspired me to learn more about music,” Camille said. “It encouraged me and helped me become a better person. I’ve been playing for 10 years, and I wanted to share my love of music with those who might need a boost of confidence in their life.”

Camille wanted to share the success of her program with the community, so she made presentations at her school, her piano recital and a local civic league. She also presented to a group of students in the music education department at Christopher Newport University, who wanted to help. Under Camille’s guidance, college students will continue to run her program at the HER Shelter, and they have expanded the program to also run at the Natasha House in Yorktown.

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 Camille to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Meet Mariah: Cookie Entrepreneur Officer

Mariah with GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller
at the Cookie Entrepreneur Officer luncheon

Mariah may look like your average sixth grader, but when she is not in the classroom, this 11-year-old is an entrepreneur and a businesswoman. This winter, she is on a mission to hit a new sales goal and once again take the title of top Girl Scout Cookie seller in Camden County. Last year, Mariah sold 1,555 boxes of the sweet treats, and she has set her sights even higher for 2017, with a goal to sell 2,000 boxes of cookies.

As an experienced cookie seller, Mariah knows how much work it takes to be a CEO—cookie entrepreneur officer. She always asks everyone she sees if they would like to buy cookies. She even takes her order form to school and asks her mom to take her around to local businesses to sell cookies. This year, Mariah is planning to take her sales into the digital age by setting up her Digital Cookie account, her own online store that her friends and family members can use to order cookies online.

“I have been the top cookie seller for the last couple of years,” Mariah said. “My troop relies on the cookies we sell to fund our projects for the year. We want to be able to help our community more and more each year with our cookie earnings.”

Last year, Mariah and her fellow members of Troop 5970 used their cookie money to sponsor local children during the holidays. They purchased toys and clothing for the children through an Angel Tree program. The troop members hope to be able to bring smiles to the faces of more children on Christmas this year.

Girl Scout Troop 5970 also participates in the Gift of Caring program, through which they ask customers to purchase and donate a box of cookies that Mariah and her troop members then send to military personnel serving overseas.

Cookie season is not the only busy time of year for Mariah. Last year, volunteered her time to help care for animals at the SPCA, and she collected cleaning supplies and animal food to donate to the shelter. For her efforts, she earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the third highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s leaning financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Girl Scout Cookies not only help girls earn money for fun, educational activities and community projects, but also play a huge role in teaching girls how to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders as they learn essential life and business skills.

Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina are currently taking orders for cookies. Cookies will arrive to the region on February 18, and cookie booth sales will begin the following day. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

Spreading the Cookie Message

Girl Scout Cadette Alexis has been busy helping get the word out that it’s Girl Scout Cookie season! She recently visited radio station Hot 100 and was interviewed about being a cookie entrepreneur and Girl Scout.

Being a Girl Scout since joining as a Daisy, she’s had plenty of experience being part of the nation’s largest financial literacy program for girls – the Girl Scout Cookie Program! Because Alexis is so busy with sports and other extracurricular activities, she’s chosen to be a Juliette, participating as an individual girl member. Alexis says what she loves most in Girl Scouts is learning new skills, helping others and earning badges.

Three years ago, as a Girl Scout Junior, she earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award. For her project, she chose to be active and serve as a speaker for local organizations that focus on supporting cancer patients and cancer research. She chose this following the loss of her sister, Giovanna, who died from cancer. Alexis was able to participate in a special Girl Scout Daisy pining for her sister just few months before Giovanna passed.

Alexis is now hoping to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award. Her cookie goal this year is 500 boxes – a 200 increase over last year.

2017 Cookie Classic

More than 300 runners and walkers took part in the third annual Girl Scout Cookie Classic Run on Saturday, January 30 at Bells Mill Park in Chesapeake. The race, which included a 5k Trefoil Trek and 1-mile Samoa Stroll, was organized by Girl Scout volunteers from Community 3, a membership area within Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast that includes Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk and surrounding cities.

Julie, a member of Troop 5563, was the first Girl Scout to
cross the 5K finish line.

The Trefoil Trek 5k race competitors took off at 9 a.m., following an opening ceremony with the Girl Scout Promise and Law and a welcome from Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller. Participants in the 5k ranged in age from 2, riding in a stroller along the course, to 63. Everyone was awarded with a Cookie Classic medal at the finish line.

An hour later, the 1-mile Samoa Stroll participants assembled at the starting line. They were awarded with a patch at the end of the race. Both races ended with a sweet treat, as participants had the opportunity to taste the new Girl Scout S’mores cookie.

Between the two races, Girl Scout alumnae served as judges to choose winners for the Best Spirit and Best Costume contests. Many Girl Scouts were dressed as their favorite cookies, while others were decked out in tutus and other fun outfits. Top race finishers for each age category were also recognized during the event.

Girl Scouts who participated in either race completed requirements towards earning a badge for their age level, including the My Best Self badge for Girl Scout Brownies and the Staying Fit badge for Girl Scout Juniors.

Proceeds from the Cookie Classic will help provide programs for Girl Scouts, learning opportunities and training for Girl Scout volunteers and financial assistance for girls who would otherwise not be able to participate in Girl Scouts.

Meet Maureen: Cookie Entrepreneur Officer

Maureen shared taste of the new Girl Scout S'mores cookie
with Chesapeake Vice-Mayor Rick West and Mayor Alan Krasnoff

Maureen is a 10-year-old on a mission. With her go-getter attitude and innovative ideas, she became the top Girl Scout Cookie seller in Chesapeake last year. This year, she has set her sights even higher and has set a goal to be the top cookie seller in the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast council, which covers southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Never afraid to step up and take on a challenge, she has set a hefty goal—intending to sell 3,500 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies this year.

For months, Maureen has been making plans to find success and reach her goal. Her first step is to contact her customers from the year before to see if they would like to place a cookie order again this year. She keeps a spreadsheet of customers on her computer and spends the first days of cookie season making phone calls, even reminding customers of the cookies they ordered last year and asking them if they would like to place the same order or update it. This year, she is excited to be able to offer her customers a new option—the Girl Scout S’mores cookie.

Maureen has also taken her sales online. She uses Digital Cookie, an online platform where she sets up her own store and sends emails to friends and family members asking them to purchase cookies online.

"With Digital Cookie, I send emails and then I am even selling cookies when I am sleeping or at school because people can log on to order when it’s convenient for them,” Maureen said. “I also love that I can track my sales online. There are pie charts, and I can see which cookie I sell the most of.”

Maureen’s inspiration for success comes from a fellow Girl Scout, Ashleigh Peterson, who held the region’s top cookie seller title for seven years before graduating from high school in June. Maureen has gotten to know Ashleigh over the years at Girl Scout events, and carries with her an inspiring and motivating message from Ashleigh.

“One time, Ashleigh told me that for every 10 times a customer says no, you will get one yes,” Maureen said. “This gives me the courage to keep asking people and not get discouraged if someone doesn’t want to buy cookies.”

Last year, Maureen helped load Gift of
Caring cookies into a truck to be donated
to the USO.

Part of Maureen’s goal includes selling cookies for the Gift of Caring program. Through this program, Maureen asks customers to purchase an extra box of cookies to be donated to members of the military. Inspired by her troop leader who is a veteran, Maureen likes to do her part to send a taste of home to soldiers overseas as a thank you for the sacrifices they make to protect our country.

After cookie season, Maureen and her fellow members of Troop 805 have big plans for their cookie earnings. They have scheduled a trip to attend the Girl Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. They are looking forward to a long weekend of high adventure activities, including zip lining, rappelling and mountain biking. They also intend to use a portion of the money they earn from cookies to give back to the community.

Last year, Maureen earned her Bronze Award, one of the top awards a girl can earn in Girl Scouting, for her project with the Crayon Initiative, which collects broken and used crayons and turns them into new crayons that are donated to children’s hospitals for patient entertainment and learning programs. Earning her Bronze Award showed Maureen how she can make the world a better place and has inspired her to continue to give back to others.

Meet Kristen: Cookie Entrepreneur Officer

Kristen with GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller

It’s a big year for Kristen, a Suffolk Girl Scout. She’s a high school senior busy with classes, college applications and scholarship forms. She also holds an afterschool job and is an active member of her church. And now, she’s gearing up for her annual business venture—Girl Scout Cookie season. She’s excited about being able to sell cookies during the 100^th anniversary of Girl Scouts selling cookies and giving customers a chance to taste the new anniversary cookie—the Girl Scout S’mores cookie.

For the last five years, Kristen has been the top Girl Scout Cookie seller in Suffolk. Last year, she sold 1,304 boxes of the sweet treats. This year, her last year as a Girl Scout, she has set her sights high and set a goal to sell 3,000 boxes of cookies.

“I am planning to go to more cookie booths than ever before this year,” Kristen said.

She also plans sell cookies the traditional way, going door-to-door with cookies in tow in mid-February when cookie delivery begins. And, as a goal-oriented businesswoman, she is going to try a new sales tactic this year—Digital Cookie. This online platform will allow her to set up her own online cookie store, and she can email friends and family members who can then order cookies from her online. There’s even an option for them to have the cookies shipped directly from the bakery to their homes.

Kristen, who has been a Girl Scout for 12 years, is a member of Troop 649. And, thanks to their successes during cookie season, the troop is able to use their earnings to give back to the community. Last year, they purchased schools supplies for an elementary school in Suffolk, purchased food to help feed more than 150 families through East End Baptist Church and bought Christmas presents for six girls from the Angel Tree at the church. The troop also donated Girl Scout Cookies to the food pantry at the church. Powered by the Girl Scout Cookie Program, Troop 649 is working to make their corner of the world a better place.

“As a graduation requirement, I have to complete 50 hours of community service,” Kristen said. “Through Girl Scouts and my church, I was able to complete my hours my freshman year of high school. Community service has become a big part of my life, and I will continue to give back to others when I start college in the fall.”

For Kristen, making a positive impact on others is just one of the many life lessons she will take away from her time as a Girl Scout. Through Girl Scouts, she has learned to me a risk-taker, a leader, an innovator, and, thanks to the cookie program, a businesswoman.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s leaning financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Girl Scout Cookies not only help girls earn money for fun, educational activities and community projects, but also play a huge role in teaching girls how to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders as they learn essential life and business skills.

Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina are currently taking orders for cookies. Cookies will arrive to the region on February 18, and cookie booth sales will begin the following day. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org. 

Meet Remedy: Cookie Entrepreneur Officer

Remedy and Raylan

Remedy may be just 10 years old, but she’s already running her very own business as a Girl Scout Cookie entrepreneur. Last year, Remedy was the top Girl Scout Cookie seller in Surry County, selling 677 boxes of the sweet treats. For the 2017 cookie sale, Remedy is looking forward to sharing her experience with a cookie colleague, her five-year-old sister Raylan who joined Girl Scouts this year. The pair will work together to reach out to family members, friends and neighbors in search of cookie customers. This year, Remedy has set a goal to sell at least 700 boxes of cookies, and since she’ll be sharing sales with her sister, she knows that she will have to work harder than in year’s past to reach her goal.

With five years of cookie-selling experience, Remedy is always eager to share helpful tips with fellow Girl Scouts. One of her favorite ways to boost her sales is to talk to customers about the Gift of Caring program. Through this program, she asks people to buy an extra box of cookies to be donated to a hometown hero. Last year, Remedy and her fellow troop members gave the donated cookies to the USO to distribute to members of the military. This year, Troop 1197 plans to personally deliver donated boxes to local charities and first responders so that they can meet the hometown heroes who will be enjoying the cookies.

When it comes to the cookie program, however, Remedy knows that it’s about more than just sales tactics. It’s about the girl selling the cookies too. Her can-do mentality and determination to succeed makes her a leader among Girl Scouts in Surry.

“I love to help younger Girl Scouts build their confidence at cookie booths,” Remedy said. “I show them how easy it is to ask people to buy or donate cookies, and I remind them to say ‘thank you’ even if they don’t make a sale.”

And, although Remedy loves cookie season, there are so many other things that she loves about being a Girl Scout. She’s already looking forward to going on camping trips, earning badges and taking field trips with her troop, all activities made possible thanks to the funds they earn from the cookie program.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s leaning financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Girl Scout Cookies not only help girls earn money for fun, educational activities and community projects, but also play a huge role in teaching girls how to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders as they learn essential life and business skills.

Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina are currently taking orders for cookies. Cookies will arrive to the region on February 18, and cookie booth sales will begin the following day. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

Girls’ Choice Badges Are Back: Voting Is Open Through January 22!

At Girl Scouts, girl-led programming that speaks to and nurtures girls’ interests and skills (they have so many!) is at the very core of our mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character. At every turn, we want her to know the world is hers, and so we give her countless opportunities to unleash that inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ who will take the lead to change her world, and ours.

That’s exactly why Girls’ Choice badges are back, and we’re so excited! This year, girls can choose their favorite badge topic from four new and exciting options. And for the very first time, there will be a Girls’ Choice badge for our littlest (and sometimes mightiest!) Girl Scouts. That’s right—Daisies will get a Girls’ Choice badge of their very own. Yes!

Here are this year’s choices:

Outdoors
• Troop Camping
• Outdoor Cooking

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
• Water Around Us
• The Secret Life of Plants

The poll is officially open, so go on and vote now for your favorite badge topic. Voting is open through January 22. We can hardly stand the suspense!

Once the winning topic is selected, girls will also have a chance to vote on the design of their badge—awesome! The design poll will be open from February 13 to 17, so stay tuned.

For now, we ask you to encourage every Girl Scout you know to vote, vote, vote. We need every adult standing with us to make sure girls take advantage of this very important opportunity to create their own Girl Scout experience and make their voices heard. It’s such an important part of the magic and leadership potential that Girl Scouts unleashes in girls every day.

The time to vote is now.

Graduating Ambassadors Eligible for KPMG Future Leaders Program and Scholarship

The KPMG Future Leaders Program selects top female high school seniors from around the country to participate in the program and receive a KPMG Future Leaders Scholarship of $10,000 per year through four years of college. Selected students attend a three-day retreat at Stanford University the summer before their freshman year of college; in 2017, the retreat will be held July 17–19. Students also participate in a yearlong mentoring program, paired with a female leader participating in the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit.

Learn more about the program and fill out the application, which is due to the Office of Condoleezza Rice by January 30.

Cookie Blitz with TowneBank

Dawn Glynn, President and Regional Executive Officer with
Morgan Davis, President and Chief Banking Officer

Thanks to TowneBank, the annual Girl Scout Cookie Program season has had a super rocket launch! Not only has TowneBank supported the 2017 Cookie Kick Off held mid-November for girls, they are sponsoring this week’s Cookie Blitz. Throughout the week, GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller and select staff will be “cookie blitzing” donors, community leaders and friends, offering them a chance to sample and tell us what they think about the new Girl Scout Cookie - the S’mores cookie! The actual door-to-door, order-taking visits made by girls in neighborhoods begins Saturday, January 7.

TowneBank President and Chief Banking Officer Morgan Davis was on hand today at the bank’s headquarters in Suffolk to taste a Girl Scout S’mores cookie. He gives it a thumbs up!

Dawn Glynn with Jerry Kent, TowneBank Senior Vice President
of Private Banking

This year is a perfect time to have a cookie blitz because 2017 marks the 100th year of the first known sale of cookies by Girl Scouts. In 1917, the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project. Becoming more than a bake sale, the program has evolved into a highly recognized financial literacy and entrepreneurship program for girls that teaches them five essential skills – goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. There’s quite a bit of history when it comes to Girl Scout Cookies!

Nationally, nearly 1 million Girl Scouts participate in the annual Girl Scout Cookie Program – nearly 10,000 of those right here at Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast! Proceeds help fund troop activities, unique programs that girls may not get elsewhere, support the training of adult volunteers, and help maintain camp properties. We’re looking forward to a successful cookie season in 2017. We know it will be a whole lot sweeter for our girls, thanks to our TowneBank friends!

Gold Award Spotlight: Stay Sand Smart

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

For her project, Angela focused on educating the community about sand safety. When her brother was a child, he fell into a hole he was digging at the beach and it collapsed on him, suffocating him. He was buried for 20 minutes, which caused a severe anoxic brain injury, leading to severe disabilities.

“Prior to beginning my Gold Award project, I viewed my brother’s accident as simply an issue within my family,” Angela said. “This project helped me realize that this is an accident that could happen to anyone in my community, and I felt the need to take action.”

Angela worked with the aquatic staff at the City of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Department to develop a lesson plan about sand safety that is now taught in the Learn to Swim classes at recreation centers in Virginia Beach. The lesson focuses on sand hole collapses, but also teaches children about germs in sand, protecting themselves from hot sand and what to do if they get sand in their eyes. Angela also created a brochure and poster to go along with the lesson.

In order to reach even more people, Angela placed her brochures at the Virginia Beach Visitor Center and the Oceanfront Library and hosted an informational booth at Scout Ready, a safety and emergency preparedness expo. Angela plans to continue to educate as many people as she can about sand safety and hopes to be able to work with local elementary schools to educate their students about sand safety.

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 Angela 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.