Silver Award Spotlight: Birthday Boxes for Local Senior Citizens

Girl Scout Cadette Shealyn earned her Silver Award by collecting donations for senior recipients of Meals on Wheels to make special birthday boxes.

These items collected were filled within a shoe box size box and cheerfully wrapped similar to a birthday present. The wrapped boxes were given on the Meals on Wheel's senior recipients’ birthdays. 

Meals on Wheels is a nationwide network organization of community-based, non-profit programs dedicated to providing seniors in their communities with the support that enables them to remain living in their own homes like a hot meal and safety checks. 

To collect donations, Shealyn created a pamphlet listing ideas of items she was seeking. Her pamphlets were used around the community and were shared with schools, local churches, fellow Girl Scouts, neighbors and libraries

Through generous donations collected, and her hard work, she was able to fill, then wrap, 120 brightly decorated gifts to our local Meals on Wheels for their senior citizen recipients.

In addition to completing the birthday boxes, Shealyn made sure to raise awareness in her community to fellow Girl Scouts about the need to show our local seniors they are remembered- particularly on their birthday!

She said it was important to pass on what she had learned and has even inspired a sister Girl Scout to set a goal to provide enough boxes to Meals on Wheels of Chesapeake Regional Hospital recipients for an additional 120 birthday boxes within 2020 - 2021.

Congratulations, Shealyn!

2020 Famous Former Spotlight: Cathy Fox

Cathy Fox is one of several amazing Girl Scout alum being honored as our 2020 Famous Formers. For over 6 years, she has been the business operations manager of The Adventure Park of Virginia Beach.

She says the outdoor experiences she had in Girl Scouts helped her decide where to go in life. Her favorite memory as a Girl Scout was when her troop camped and hiked up Old Rag Mountain in the blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and she says that's where her love of hiking began! She earned her degree in Outdoor Recreation and has worked in the field for the past 17 years! 

Over the years she has camped & hiked in California, New Mexico and Washington State as well as completed a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail!

"My favorite days at work are when I see Girl Scouts climbing in the trees.  I believe that outdoor activities, like climbing, backpacking, camping, kayaking, and other adventures helps girls to find an inner strength in themselves they might not have known existed," Cathy said.   

"As girls work on badges, sell cookies, volunteer in their community and go on outdoor adventures they learn how to become leaders, problem solve, collaborate and support one another."

Girl Scouts Share Your Voice!

Hello Girl Scouts!

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast (GSCCC) National Council Delegates are excited to represent you and other GSCCC members at the upcoming 2020/55th National Council Session (NCS 2020). 

Every three years, GSUSA holds its National Council Session where policy is made and elections are held for the National Board of Directors and National Board Development Committee.

This year, G.I.R.L. 2020 will follow NCS 2020 and will be a collection of activities, speakers, and numerous fabulous, fun learning experiences just for girls. Both NCS and G.I.R.L. will be held virtually!

 

Our goal as delegates is to bring together the Movement to reinforce our shared commitment to girls and build a common vision and continued excitement for our organization’s future. We are asking for your input on topics/issues that will be discussed. Please take time to give your input by completing a brief survey. With your help, we can take action to collectively and collaboratively create a strong and vibrant future for Girl Scouting!

 

Please complete by October 9^th.

Survey for girls (Cadettes and up)

Survey for adults

 

Girl Scouts Share Your Voice Event

At Girl Scouts, we care about each girl’s experiences as she travels the Girl Scout leadership path. We depend on their input. We’re asking them to participate in the Girl Scouts Share Your Voice event on October 12^th at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

 

Register in advance for this meeting on Zoom here.

Girls Voices Event Registration    

Gold Award Spotlight- Give Them Shelter

Girl Scout Ambassador Jazzlyn took action and addressed homelessness in Hampton Roads and spread education in the community in her Gold Award project, Give Them Shelter!

Jazzlyn started her project by doing research and providing a week’s worth of public service announcements for the morning announcements at her high school that addressed the lack of affordable housing for women, veterans, and those struggling financially in Hampton Roads.

She also worked with the Samaritan House in Virginia Beach and local retailers to collect donations of pantry items, cleaning goods, children’s needs, bedding and more for three local families in temporary housing situations so they could have what they needed.

She more than exceeded her goal of helping three families through her outreach after she received hundreds of donations to stock the Samaritan House to help many more families!

Jazzlyn spoke at Hampton City Council monthly meeting to share her project and how the community can help. Mayor Donnie Tuck of Hampton awarded Jazzlyn with a Coin of Honor for her efforts.

Way to go Jazzlyn!

Silver Award Spotlight: YWCA Book Nook

Ophelia and Kailey of Girl Scout Troop 759 earned their Silver Award through their project YWCA Book Nook. The two dedicated their project to helping local women and children facing really difficult situations that led them to seek safety and assistance with the World Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Hampton Roads.

YWCA helps women and children who are displaced from their home due to domestic violence situations with resources and housing. Ophelia and Kailey were inspired to do their project after learning that there was no designated reading space for young children temporarily living in the shelter managed by YWCA.

To complete their project, the pair met with YWCA staff and researched the children's needs. Next they created flyers seeking community support and donations. The two toured the facility, took measurements, and used those for their blueprints and planning.

The two girls learned how to cut, measure, and use power tools safely in the construction of their nook. Once completed, they dropped off the book cases and benches they built and began to assemble the children’s reading space along with other donated children’s decor.

“We are ecstatic to have finished this project because we now know that they (YWCA) have a

plan to keep the project ongoing and we hope it will continue to encourage reading,” Kailey said.

Congratulations to Ophelia and Kailey and thank you for making the world a better place!

How to Be Part of Girl Scouts of the USA National Council Session Video!

Be Part of Girl Scouts of the USA National Council Session Video

As part of providing the most fulfilling, inspirational, and memorable experience possible we're going to create a Council Shout-Out video that will play during National Council Session. The session is all virtual this year, so there are several ways for involvement. Videos are due to GSUSA by October 4. 

This video will be seen by thousands nationally and will set the tone for the entire event. What will the Finished Video look like? The final video will be a photo montage of 112 Girl Scouts portraits, one from each council and from USAGSO. 

Girl Scouts are encouraged to find a creative, visual way to represent their council. It could be choice of background or holding an object that represents something special about your council. The 112 most creative, interesting and appealing photos will be chosen. 

Is this activity safe? 

Yes! You can make the video safely at home or outside while social distancing. 

What’s the dress code? 

You can choose to wear your Girl Scout uniform or you can dress to represent what you love about your Council. 

 What do I need to take the photo? 

All you need is a phone or camera and a stable place to put the phone HORIZONTALLY. Once you’ve taken the photo, you’ll need an internet connection to send the photo(s). What do I do once I’ve taken the photo? Send it to us! To be considered, you have to send us two things: 1) your full resolution photos and 2) a completed materials release, signed by your guardian. 

Who can participate? 

Any active Girl Scout can participate of any age, from Daisy to Ambassador. Parents are welcome to help behind the scenes. I’m Interested! 

What should I do? 

Dream up an interesting way to take a portrait of yourself while also representing your council. Think about what backgrounds, objects, props, and uniform elements can best represent your particular council. Find a bright room or spot outside, and take a HORIZONTAL shot of yourself standing about three feet away from your camera. Take as many photos as you want, then choose the best two (2) photos and send us those. 

How can my photo look awesome? 

We’ve included guidelines for taking great photos for this project. Please read them carefully. It’ll increase the chances your photo gets selected! How do I send the photos and signed release? Upload everything to the following link: https://bit.ly/2QncaDW 

At the bottom of the form, include the project name “GSSHOUT” 

When are they due? 

Get your submissions in ASAP! The sooner we get your photos, the more likely we are to use it. All photos should be submitted by October 4th, 2020. What if I have a question or problem? Contact us! You can email Morgan, mrobinson@girlscouts.org

Bronze Award Spotlight: Garden of Peace

The girls of Troop 1041 decided that the gardens at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, where they usually meet, needed some attention. Due to years of weathering, wear and tear, the benches in the garden of the church were no longer being enjoyed by visitors and the gardens were covered with grass & weeds. 

The girls took action and spent over 20 hours of hands on time working in the gardens. They completely restored 3 teakwood benches by scrubbing them down several times each to remove dirt or debris then sanded down the rough areas and refinished the benches. They also weeded multiple gardens, did trash pick up across the whole property, and collected any other sticks and debris that had fallen into the gardens. 

They used knowledge from their Outdoor Journey as well as their Animal Habitat badge and Outdoor Art badge to guide their project.  In addition to creating a peaceful space for church members and the community to enjoy the gardens and relax, they also included animal habitats for any visiting critters. The girls researched both bird & butterfly houses, built one of each and installed them in the garden. For finishing touches, they also created hand painted rocks and 2 stepping stones to add pops of color to the gardens and to immortalize the name of their project.

Fall Product Program #ThrowbackThursday

 Yumm - Fall Product Program is starting September 19 and it's time to buy Girl Scout nuts and candies. Did you know that not that long ago, you could order Girl Scout calendars along with those nuts and candies? 

The official Girl Scout calendar sales began in 1944 when sugar rationing and other restriction of World War II made cookie sales difficult. Over the decades, the calendar covers helped us celebrate special occasions in Girl Scouts like our anniversaries and the start of new programs and awards such as the Gold Award. For those alum who were around in the 80s, you'll recall selling full and pocket size calendars for $2 each! 

Calendar sales slowed with the increase of technology and eventually stopped being part of the Fall Product Program offerings in 2008. There have been a few national Girl Scout calendars created and sold through retail such as the calendar produced for our 100th anniversary.  Do you remember selling Girl Scout calendars?  

Be sure to check out our Fall Product Program website page with full details of this year's exciting program. 

Earn Your First Aid Badge- September is National Preparedness Month

Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month?  You can find out how to make a plan, create an emergency kit and teach readiness at Ready.Gov!

September is also a perfect time for girls to earn their First Aid badges so they can be prepared!

 

It is very important to teach girls how to be safe and how to respond when emergencies happen. Learning basic first aid skills will empower girls to help themselves, and maybe help others, too.

You can find some first-aid learning resources at Girl Scouts at Home. 

While the videos don’t replace hands-on learning, they’re another way to connect Girl Scouts with the resources and education they need to complete the Senior First Aid badge. 

Here's a few we found: 

Brownie First Aid Badge

Junior First Aid Badge

A series created by a sister council to help girls earn the Senior First Aid badge: 

Step 1:  Find out how to perform triage

Step 2: Know how to help someone with neck or head injuries

Step 3:  Learn how to use everyday objects as splints

Step 4:  Recognize the signs of alcohol and drug poisoning

Step 5:  Share Your Knowledge With Others

GSUSA Needs Your Help to Celebrate Global Sisterhood

It’s time to celebrate the global sisterhood of Girl Scouting at National Council Session(NCS)! Would you like to be part of the opening? Since this is a virtual event, that can truly be possible. 

As part of providing the most fulfilling, inspirational, and memorable experience possible GSUSA is going to create a virtual flag processional video that will kickoff NCS. This video will represent the Flag Processional that is a time-honored tradition and officially marks the start of an in-person NCS.  It will be seen by thousands nationally and will set the tone for the entire event. 

The final video will be a photo montage of councils, USAGSO and others, each representing an assigned country which is a WAGGGS Member Organization. Any active Girl Scout can participate! 

GSCCC members interested, should research our Council assigned country, Cameroon, and then use their imagination in the design of the country’s flag, which will be held by the girl in the photo. 

Girls must follow instructions and submit to marcomm@gsccc.org by September 8. Be sure to send your photo permission form with the photo you send. ONLY send one photo per email along with the photo permission document.

Girls must be in full uniform. 

Find a bright room and set up a stable HORIZONTAL shot of the girl standing about three-five feet away from your camera. 

What do I need to take the photos? All you need is a phone or camera that shoots photos.  Be sure to shoot your photos HORIZONTALLY. Once you’ve taken them, you’ll need an internet connection to send the photos. 

 For any photo to be considered, you have to send us two things: a) the full resolution photo and b) a completed  photo release for each submission, signed by the girl’s parent or guardian. You can find this on our website's Forms page or click here.