Troop 1041 puts together care packages for military members

For Veteran’s Day this year, with the help of Master Sgt. Gueston, Girl Scout Troop 1041 worked together to create 29 care packages for the deployed airmen and airwomen of the Langley Air Force Base 633rd Medical Group. 

From candy and granola bars to handwritten notes and uplifting cards, the packages were stuffed full of things to help the men and women deployed have better days. 

“It makes me feel that someone cares about our troops. It warms my heart that someone cares enough to put these together so they feel a sense of home,” said Master Sgt. Gueston. 

Troop Leader Vicki O’ Neill wanted to create a project that would be hands-on for her Girl Scouts and allow the girls to show their gratitude for those men and women who serve our country. 

“The military is a huge part of our community and on top of that, we have so many active duty and veteran families. They are our community. We want them to know we are appreciative of all they do,” O’Neill said. 

This project hits close to home for Troop 1041 because several girls, including the Girl Scout Brownie Skylar and Girl Scout Daisy Rylee, are family members to active duty and veteran families. 

“My hero is my dad,” said Skylar in an interview with WAVY-TV. “He helps our country.” 

Great job, Troop 1041! 

Leadership Opportunity Through 2019 Juliette Low Seminar

GSUSA is seeking 26 participants, including volunteers and alumni, age 18 (as of 11/13/19) to 30 for an exciting opportunity. Meet your Girl Guiding and Girl Scout peers in a unique environment, explore how to actively tackle gender barriers to leadership, and bring about positive change for girls in your community when you return. If selected, applicants will be matched to a US hub location. Applicants must be 18 years old by November 13, 2019. Click here for more details, requirements and application.

Application Deadline: December 28^th.

Meet 2018 Famous Former Honoree Daun Hester

Daun Hester has worn many hats in her professional life. Over the years, as an educator, Norfolk City Council Member and state representative, she has made a difference in many lives. In January of 2018, she was sworn in as Norfolk City Treasurer and became Norfolk’s first female African American treasurer. She says there are no boundaries that one cannot overcome with the right kind of determination and commitment.

Where did that determination and commitment come from? Daun says much of it came from her many years as a Girl Scout. Starting as a Girl Scout Brownie, she rose through the ranks and says the experience helped shape her character and gave her skills she still uses, such as overcoming a fear of public speaking. She attributes her interest in public office to the years spent as a Girl Scout where she performed countless community service projects with her fellow troop members. She also learned how to be a team player in Girl Scouts and formed life-long friendships that she still depends on to keep her grounded.  

“The Girl Scout organization provides opportunities for new experiences, making new friends, building confidence and self-esteem, earning badges, doing things you wouldn’t necessarily think about doing, and the discovery of potential professions,” she said. “As a Girl Scout, you learn what you’re passionate about and what’s going to be a part of your mission.”

When asked about her fondest memory, Daun recalled a camp overnight in her troop leader’s backyard.

“We couldn’t afford to go to camp, so she improvised and made it very special,” Daun said. “She was a wonderful leader who I’ve kept in touch with throughout my life.”

Because of Girl Scouts, Daun has found what she is passionate about, whether that’s deciding if seniors will have a good life, making sure that all children have a good meal, or being a teacher. She found her passion because Girl Scouts has provided her with those experiences.

Help us celebrate Daun and our other Girl Scout Famous Former honorees at our annual luncheon happening on November 29^th at 11:30 a.m. at Hilton Norfolk The Main. Tickets are on sale until November 21. Click here to reserve your spot. 

Grow Your Troop

Grow Your Troop

Patch Program

December 1, 2018-February 28, 2019

Increase Your Troop Size And Earn Make New Friends Patches!

Did you know that GSUSA research shows that the most successful troops have at least 12 girls? Just imagine what could happen if your troop added at least one new girl? Not only would more girls be able to participate in Girl Scouts, it allows existing members to flex their leadership and social skills which builds confidence as they mentor their new Girl Scout friends.

1. How can my troop participate?

Step 1. Be open to adding new girls to your troop.  Email customercare@gsccc.org and let us know what openings you have available.  The placement team will help steer new girls to your troop.  When someone joins your troop, you will receive an email with the family’s contact information to reach out to them directly. Make sure you contact new families right away!

Step 2. By February 28, 2019, add new girls to your troop.

Troop Size	# Girls ( approx. 20% increase)
> 12	Increase to reach 12
12-14	Add 2 girls
15-18	Add 3 girls
19+	Add 4 girls

2. How can we find new girls to add to the troop?

• Talk to your service unit coordinator or your service unit placement coordinator to see if there are girls in the area on a wait list.
• Have the girls in your troop pass out fliers to their friends. 
• Have the girls in your troop bring a friend to a meeting. 
• Wear Girl Scout swag often, especially on meeting days!
• Add your troop to the Troop Opportunity Catalog.
• Bring a friend to a Girl Scout program event.

So there you have it! Six awesome ways to grow your troop. Concerned about the work it will involve? Be sure to encourage parents to register and lend a hand with your troop throughout the year!  If you need help with creating a flier or an invite contact customercare@gsccc.org.

3. How will we receive our patches?

We’ll deliver your patches to your service unit leader meeting.

Have questions?  Email customercare@gsccc.org

Thank you for making Girl Scouts possible for more girls!

Stay healthy, Girl Scouts!

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast recently partnered with “Now You’re Cooking,” a local culinary studio, to teach Girl Scouts about the benefits of healthy eating habits. The workshop, Nutritional Science, took place on November 3 and was open to Girl Scout Brownies. The girls who attended created healthy snacks and earned their Snack badge.

According to a report by the Girl Scout Research Institute, learning about healthy eating at an early age is important. Although girls demonstrate basic knowledge about healthy foods and eating behaviors, they often do not put this knowledge into practice, and it is normal for many girls to make poor choices with respect to diet and exercise.

Want to earn your Snack badge? Get started by creating some of the recipes below!

Applesauce Parfait (Sweet Snack)

*Makes one serving size

Estimated time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

-          1 single serve applesauce cup 

-          4 tablespoons of granola

-          4 tablespoons of whipped cream

Instructions:

1. In a cup or bowl, scoop three spoonfuls of applesauce into the bottom

2. Add two tablespoons of whipped cream for the next layer

3. Top with a layer of two tablespoons of granola

4. Repeat steps 1-3 one more time

After completing step four, your parfait should look like this:

This snack is easy and sweet! To make it your own, substitute any of the ingredients for a different healthy option! 

Italian Skewer (Savory Snack)

*Makes two serving sizes.

*If you do not have skewers, substitute by using two straws.

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

-          1 cheese stick

-          4 tortellini (cooked) 

-          2 tomatoes

-          2 slices of pepperoni

-          2 basil leaves

Instructions: 

1. Place your cheese stick on plate and cut it into fourths (Reminder: ask a parent or guardian for help when using knives!)

Your cheese stick should look like this:

On each skewer add:

2 pieces of cheese

2 tortellini

1 tomato

1 peperoni

1 basil leaf

This is a quick an easy snack that everyone will love! Mix and match ingredients to make your own take on this healthy snack.

Trail Mix (Energy Snack)

*Makes one serving

Estimated time: 5-10 minutes

The key to a healthy trail mix is that it should include a carbohydrate, protein and a sugar.

Choose from the following to add in your trail mix:

-          Special K Red Berries cereal

-          Chocolate Chips

-          Cheerios

-          Walnuts

-          Marshmallows

-          Sprinkles

Instructions:

          Take equal parts of each item you would like to put in your trail mix and add it to a Ziploc bag.

 This is a perfect snack to pack for lunch or a day when you’re on the go!

                 

Engineering and Robotics day at ODU

More than 50 Girl Scouts had the chance to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in new ways on October 20 at Old Dominion University (ODU). The event was made possible thanks to the help of engineering student volunteers and the Theta Eta members of Kappa Delta.

The workshop activities on Saturday helped girls earn robotic badges that are available for all Girl Scout levels.

The event kicked off with a motivational talk led by Girl Scout alum and Dean of ODU’s Batten College of Engineering and Technology, Stephanie Adams. Her excitement for engineering filled the room and inspired the girls in attendance. She talked about her journey as a Girl Scout and how it shaped her to be the woman in engineering she is today. Throughout her years as an engineer, she has gone from making sandpaper to designing surgical staplers and electrodes. After years of engineering Adams became the first female engineering dean at ODU, making each day a new and exciting challenge.

“No day of mine is ever the same,” Adams told to the Girl Scouts.

During her time spent with the girls, Adams had them guess the percentage of women studying engineering nationally. The girls shouted answers like “72 percent!” and “56 percent!” Once all of the girls had given their guesses, Adams gained their attention and told them news that shocked them. The number of women studying engineering nationally is only 20 percent, a statistic that will increase thanks to Girl Scout programs like the Engineering and Robotics event.

Along with earning their badges for the day, the girls were instructed to use the engineer design process: brainstorm, design, build, test and redesign while doing various activities like creating bloopers for a robot design and building small scale bridges to support the weight of books.

Girl Scout Daisies started by brainstorming with the ODU engineering students about what characteristics made up a robot. The girls came to the conclusion that robots can do tasks on their own unlike some machines. During their activity they were asked to design their own robots.

“I made my robot out of titanium and I programmed her to have feelings because everyone has to have feelings in some way,” Girl Scout Daisy Oliva Kemmerzell said as she drew her robot she named ‘Live.’

The focus of one of the other activities was to understand program coding. The goal of the activity was to “program” the girls' friends to direct them from point “A” to point “B.”

Girl Scout Junior Aliya Summers talked about her success where she was able to program her friends to get around the shape of an oval.

“It’s all about teamwork when you do it, and we were all working together! Today taught me that I should listen to others and their ideas. It shows that I am able to do more teamwork, not just in games, but in everything I do,” said Summers.

To end the day, Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors met to build bridges. The goal of the activity was to be able to create bridge that wouldn’t break when pressure was applied.

According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, STEM and the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a natural fit and one that allows girls to improve skills like teamwork. Of the girls surveyed in the Imagine Your STEM Future program, 70% indicated that they learn by working with other girls. More than 80% of the girls in the study also indicated that their cooperation and team building skills improved. By hosting STEM events, Girl Scouts helps girls improve skills that will last them a lifetime.

Adams is a 2018 Girl Scout Famous Former Honoree who will be celebrated at the luncheon scheduled for November 29 at The Main. Join us as we celebrate Adams' accomplishments, including the partnership she initiated with GSCCC. Special early bird pricing is available until November 15. Tickets are on sale until November 21. 

Meet 2018 Famous Former Honoree Lisa Schulz

For over 24 years, Captain Lisa Schulz has served our nation as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. With the help of Girl Scouts, she saw there were no limits to what she could accomplish. Since joining the military, Schulz has helped lead more girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities, served as a leader in the Coast Guard’s response to natural disasters and assisted her community in several other ways.

As a Girl Scout Brownie in Indiana, Schulz conquered her fears and learned how to be resourceful and persistent- two things she said have made an impact on the woman she is today. One of the things that drew her to the Girl Scout organization was the environment of inclusivity that Girl Scouts creates- something that also drew her to the Coast Guard.

“There are no limits as a female in the Coast Guard. You can be anything,” she said. “I think between those two organizations, they are really empowering of girls and I really feel girls today need that feeling of empowerment and that feeling of positivity.”

A Girl Scout alum and leader in her field, Schulz said her most significant professional achievement has been being able to help others advance and succeed in the Coast Guard.

Schulz continues to be a leader for her peers, current and future Girl Scouts. Through events like the recent Coast Guard Pride event where girls learned things like life jacket and boating safety, Schulz also serves as a role model for Girl Scouts.

Help us celebrate Schulz and our other 2018 Famous Formers honorees at our annual luncheon happening on November 29 at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are on sale until November 21. Click here to purchase.

Camp Song Video Contest 2018-2019

Calling all Girl Scouts! We want to hear your voices in our Camp Song Video Contest! Choose your favorite camp song, sing it loud and proud in the outdoors, and send us your video for a chance to win!

Contest rules:

• Contest period 11/1/18 - 4/15/19
• Winner will be announced at Girl Fest on 4/27/19 and will be asked to sing the song from their video
• Eligibility: Currently registered second-year Girl Scout Daisies through Girl Scout Ambassadors
• Troops or groups of individually registered girls can submit a video with their members singing (not lip syncing) one of the songs from the approved song list only 
• Multiple troops/groups may use the same song
• All video participants must be dressed in Girl Scout attire (uniform or T-shirt)
• Video must be recorded/staged in the outdoors
• All participants must have permission to be videoed on file with the Council. The media consent form is available on our website and should be emailed to customercare@gsccc.org prior to submitting your video entry. 
• Only one video per troop/group

Contest Entry Instructions: 

• Submit your contest entry online: https://tinyurl.com/ycp444mk
• If your video is approved, Council will share your video on our Facebook page during the contest period. At that time, we encourage you to share our post with your Facebook connections.
• Council reserves the right to not share content they deem ineligible. 

Prizes: 

• 1st place- $300 credit toward summer camp, camp sampler weekend, or Spring Break camp to be divided among troop/group members
• 2nd place- $200 credit toward summer camp, camp sampler weekend, or Spring Break camp to be divided among troop/group members
• 3rd place- $100 credit toward summer camp, camp sampler weekend, or Spring Break camp to be divided among troop/group members

Questions? Contact customercare@gsccc.org or call 757-547-4405.