Alum Spotlight: Future Famous Former Sarah Noffsinger

Former Girl Scout and 2020-2021 Future Famous Former Honoree Sarah Noffsinger is the director of development for the Transgender Assistance Program of VA, or TAP VA, and resource coordinator with VA COPES, who aims to end transgender homelessness in the state. Her latest venture is an online store that provides gender affirming clothing to transgender people, packaged and shipped to them at no cost.

Sarah wanted to provide a comfortable online shopping experience to customers that felt good to the user.

“I didn’t want it to feel like a charity thing,” Sarah said. “I wanted them to feel empowered to pick out the clothing that they wanted and have a normal online shopping experience.”

So far the closet has helped hundreds of customers feel more comfortable in their own skin.

Though June is Pride Month, Sarah said that people must educate themselves year round about LGBTQ issues as “once a year is not enough to fully understand the scope of the community and the issues we face.”

At this time TAP VA’s closet is not accepting donations due to the genour outpour of donations received, however those interested in learning more can contact Transactivistva@gmail.com for program details.

Photo by Jonathon Gruenke for Inside Business

Sarah filling Care Packages. Photo by WTKR

Click here for more information about the upcoming Famous Formers Luncheon.

Bronze Award Spotlight: Helping the Puppies

 Girl Scout Junior Peyton of Troop 256 recently earned her Bronze award in her project she titled, “Helping the Puppies,” by helping families with pets in need of vet care. Peyton learned about the high costs associated with taking family pets to the vet and learned a simple but impactful way she could make a difference!

She collected empty medicine bottles from the community with plans to donate them to the Virginia Beach SPCA and the Portsmouth Humane Society for family pets who visit to receive care. 

Peyton said, “The empty bottles help families who need to purchase medicine for their animals. The family would only need to pay for the cost of the medication instead of medication and medicine bottles.” 

Peyton made flyers to hand out to her neighborhood and at her mom and dad’s offices to promote her plans and to allow the community time to plan their donations. Peyton set out collection bins on her front porch and at her parent's offices and allowed donations from the community to come in. After the collection was complete, Peyton thoroughly cleaned all the medicine bottles and donated them to the two locations.

Congratulations, Peyton! Thank you for making the world a better place.

Dairy Queen Meet & Treats Coming Up July 31!

Girl Scouts and Dairy Queen. Turns out, two classics are better together. Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast (GSCCC) is partnering with select Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen locations in the Hampton Roads area to host Meet & Treat events on July 31 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and you're invited! Girls and their parents/caregivers who are interested in connecting with Girl Scouts are welcome to come to participating locations to do an activity, earn a DQ patch and have a sweet treat! If you're already a Girl Scout, bring a friend!

Register here!

 

“We are excited to be able to do something locally based on the national Girl Scout partnership with Dairy Queen,” GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller said. “This will be an opportunity for us to showcase our favorite Girl Scout Cookie, the Thin Mint, and to reach out to new girl members who can benefit from being part of the nation’s largest leadership program for girls.”

This summer, Dairy Queens throughout the country are helping celebrate the skills that girls learn in Girl Scouts through the Girl Scout Cookie Program with the sale of the Girl Scout Thin Mints Blizzard. It was introduced in July 2008 and brought back for August 2009, both times as the Blizzard of the Month.

 

Did you know?

-Dairy Queen was founded in 1940 but the World Famous Blizzard Treat didn't come about until 1985.

-The biggest Blizzard ever made weighed 8,224.85lbs!

 

 Join us for an upcoming Meet & Treat

July 31 Meet & Treat locations:

Grill & Chill: 1418 Armory Dr., Franklin;

Dairy Queen Grill & Chill: 12999 Warwick Blvd, Newport News;

Dairy Queen: 200 S Battlefield Blvd, Chesapeake;

Dairy Queen Grill & Chill: 4024 Portsmouth Blvd, Chesapeake;

Dairy Queen Grill & Chill: 1925 Landstown Centre Way Unit 260, Virginia Beach;

Dairy Queen: 9636 Granby St, Norfolk; and

Dairy Queen: and 219 Fox Hill Rd, Hampton.

 

Silver Award Spotlight: Fuel Up for Food

Girl Scout Cadettes Maura , Olivia F. and Olivia N. of Troop 1579 earned their Silver Award by making a big impact on at risk youth in their community in their project titled, "Fuel up for Food." The three Cadettes became aware of a major issue in their community, youth homelessness, and how widespread of an issue it has become. 

The Cadettes said that once they learned that there are a lot more homeless and at risk high school students in their school system then they realized, often under circumstances out of their control, they knew they had to help make a difference.

To get started, the three researched local organizations that could use their helps and discovered WeareVB. WeareVB is an organization that sets up small food pantries through their "Fuel Up" program in area Virginia Beach City Public High Schools. Students are able to visit the pantry with no questions asked and may discreetly and take as much food as they need to bring home.

Troop 1579 worked together to collect food and toiletry donations from their community, friends, and families during a food drive event they hosted.  

The girls stated, "We all felt really good about doing this project and helping to contribute not only to the food drive portion but also awareness not only for ourselves but also to our surrounding community!" They all hope to continue to be a part of the WeareVB organization going forward in their community service as Girl Scouts.

Congratulations, Maura, Olivia F. and Olivia N!

Bagged donations

Organizing donations

Stocking the pantry

 

Volunteer Spotlight: Full Time Commander, Full Time Girl Scout Dad

Girl Scouts is a great place for girls and dads to build relationships. We’d like to introduce you to Commander (CDR) Christopher Moran who helps lead a troop and has a daughter in Girl Scouts. He’s been a volunteer for a year and is doing an amazing job bringing new activities to the girls in the troop.

Christopher saw a way he could make difference in his daughters' Girl Scout experiences and jumped in! "I decided to volunteer because there was a need to help with the Brownies and I saw a good chance to spend time with my daughters," he said. "Girl Scouting has helped my daughter see me in a different way. She sees me as a leader and teacher and we’ve been able to bond over activities.  I think she enjoys seeing me lead the Brownie meetings." 

He has helped lead the Girl Scout Brownies of Troop 396 through exciting badgework. "The troop decided to work on the outdoor journey which was a lot of fun," he said. "We were able to get in the field instruction and practice at first aid, learn about, plan, and participate in a hike, and learn about camping. We are really looking forward to being able to do overnight camping again so that we can complete the journey."

This Girl Scout dad firmly believes Girl Scouts is important for girls today and is excited to help girls have opportunities they'll love. He said, "I think Girl Scouts offers an environment for girls to find out who they are and what they like and to develop their leadership skills.  Fostering leadership in today’s young girls and giving the space for girls to figure out who they are is incredibly important.  And I love that Girl Scouts offers the chance for the girls to pursue their interests. Our job as volunteers is to guide them as they plan out their own path."

Christopher said that the involvement and interest of the parents is what makes our troop successful.  "Leading a trip is a team effort and is not possible with the support of all of the parents and volunteers. In honor of Father’s Day, I think it’s important to thank all of the fathers that are active in our troop. We have several active fathers who routinely bring their daughters and stay when needed.  It’s great to see so many men interested in developing the leadership and independence of their daughters."

 

Silver Award Spotlight: Creating an Oyster Reef

 Girl Scout Cadette Bermuda of Troop 505 earned her Silver Award this Spring by completing her project, “Creating an Oyster Reef.” Bermuda worked with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Virginia Marine Resource commission to create a 70 square foot oyster habitat in the West Branch area of the Elizabeth River. After obtaining the appropriate permissions and permits, Bermuda worked with a team of volunteers from the organizations and her troop to assemble donated and recycled materials into concrete oyster habitats.

Oyster growth around her structures will continue to be monitored semi-annually to ensure the health and longevity of the habitat. Oysters are an integral part of the Tidewater's ecosystem and declining populations threaten bay health and the existence of other species. Congratulations to Bermuda for taking a step to protect our planet, ultimately making the world a better place!

Top Ten Cookie CEOs "Saddle Up" for Horseback Adventure

Girl Scouts who were the Top Ten Cookie Entrepreneurs from the 2021 Cookie Program season were treated to a special outdoor afternoon of fun this past Saturday, June 5, 2021! The event, hosted by GSCCC at RRR Ranch in Chesapeake, VA included lots of fun for our top cookie CEOs like horseback trail rides, a barn tour and holding 3 week old piggies! GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller and other team members joined the ten Girl Scouts to help celebrate the outstanding successes of our cookie CEOs Girl Scout style.

Each girl arrived and was given horse riding tutorials from staff at the ranch. Once comfortable and acquainted with their new equestrian friends, everyone “saddled-up” and headed out for a group trail ride through the forested property.

After the trail ride, the Girl Scouts were given a tour of the horse stables, shown how to care for horse hooves, and daily feeding routines. Following, the girls were able to meet and greet with goats, baby pigs, mini horses and more!

Everyone received a certificate and special Girl Scout patch of achievement personally from CEO Tracy Keller.

One of the hallmarks of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is our Girl Scout Cookie Program. Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program, our girls learn important skills and gain confidence and earn the foundation for a lifetime of success! During a pandemic, our girls came up with innovative ways to connect with customers and we applaud all the girls who participated.

A special congratulations to our Top Ten cookie sellers! These ten girls sold over 42,000 boxes of cookies combined and we are proud to celebrate their accomplishments!

GSCCC Alum Grace Jeffrey to appear on Jeopardy!

Tune in Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 where GSCCC Alum Grace Jeffrey will appear on “America’s favorite quiz show,” Jeopardy!

GSCCC Alum Grace Jeffrey

Grace was a GSCCC Girl Scout from first grade as a Brownie until she graduated high school in 2017, and is now a Lifetime Member! She was in Girl Scout Troop 952 for the entirety of her Girl Scout career, and earned all three highest awards, her Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards along the way.

Grace recounts two of her fondest Girl Scout memories: the times spent with the Colonial Coast Cavers, as well as traveling to the 2014 Girl Scout National Convention in Salt Lake City as a representative of GSCCC.

Last month, Grace graduated from Duke University with double majors in Global Health and Environmental Science & Policy. She recently started her first full-time job as an Analyst for Ketchum, a global marketing and communications consultancy. Grace is currently working from home, but looks forward to moving to Los Angeles next month.

Grace said, “Girl Scouts encouraged me to be curious, to invest in my passions, and to advocate for what's right.” She continued, “Girl Scouts really showed me the value of follow-through, being thorough, and building community. The Girl Scout community is incredibly diverse and full of very accomplished women, but we differentiate ourselves from others by fostering an environment of support rather than competition. This is so important for everyone to remember.”

How did Grace end up on Jeopardy?

Grace told us she has long had an interest in trivia and as a child, was an avid reader and loved to absorb all the facts about the world around her. In middle school, Grace competed on her school's trivia competition team and even had the confidence to apply for teen Jeopardy! She didn't make it on the show back then, but she persevered!

Over the past few years, she joined her dad on a pub trivia team, which reinvigorated her love for the game. She decided to take the online test in hopes of getting on the Jeopardy! College Tournament before graduation, but ultimately got cast on the traditional show!

Tune in tomorrow, June 3 to catch Grace on Jeopardy! Check your local listings for show times.