Camp Fury Hampton

Last week, a group of 21 go-getter Girl Scouts took part in Camp Fury Hampton, a summer camp hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue to introduce girls to nontraditional careers for women, including firefighting, and provide them with experiences to try new things, develop teamwork skills and build self-confidence.

After a brief orientation, girls got started with firefighter training first thing on Monday morning. At Hampton Fire Station 9, they climbed an aerial ladder on a fire truck, rappelled four stories down a training tower, took part in fire extinguisher training and competed in a bucket brigade challenge. The following day of camp was also full of firefighting activities, from learning how to tie knots to how to carry ladders. They also took part in CPR training, watched a vehicle extrication demonstration and learned how to use a self-contained breathing apparatus. Highlights of the week included touring the Nightingale helicopter, taking a boat ride with the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue and staying overnight at Hampton fire station.

In addition to learning about firefighting, girls at Camp Fury spent a day with the Hampton Police Department, where they learned about forensics, internet safety, defensive tactics and homeland security. They also watched a demonstration by the K-9 unit.

“This was our fourth year doing Camp Fury in Hampton, and all of the girls who participate get an experience of a lifetime,” Jami Salvio, medic firefighter with Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue and one of the lead organizers of Camp Fury, said. “I hope that Camp Fury taught them courage, confidence, character, respect and teamwork. Whatever they decide to do, I hope that they always believe that they can do anything they put their minds to.”

The concept of Camp Fury originated in Arizona and was brought to the Hampton Roads region by Medic Firefighter Salvio and Lt. Denee Nichols of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue. Since the inception of Camp Fury Hampton, Medic Firefighter Salvio and Lt. Nichols have helped fellow female firefighters start Camp Fury Chesapeake and Camp Fury Norfolk.

Camp Fury is designed to immerse girls in a supportive, all-girl environment where they can develop leadership skills and confidence as they embrace the unfamiliar, take risks and discover what they are capable of.

Hampton Girl Scout Earns Silver Award

Ashlin, a Hampton Girl Scout, has earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For her project, Ashlin worked with The Cat Corner, a nonprofit, no-kill shelter in Hampton. Ashlin refurbished the bench that sits on the porch of The Cat Corner by peeling off the old paint, filling in the cracks, sanding the wood, adding a coat of primer and adding a fresh coat of paint. Ashlin painted cats and the organization’s name on the bench before securing it back in place at The Cat Corner. She also worked with a Girl Scout troop and taught the girls how to make cat toys, which they donated to The Cat Corner.

Ashlin also interviewed a volunteer at The Cat Corner and put together a video about what people should do if they encounter a stray cat, the importance of spaying and neutering cats and how people can adopt a cat from or volunteer with The Cat Corner. In order to share the information with a wide audience, Ashlin placed her video online for anyone to view.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the top award that middle school age Girl Scouts can earn. To earn the award, girls have to identify a need in the community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work.

Hampton Youth in Government Day 2017

A group of Hampton scouts explored their local government during Hampton City Council Scout Youth in Government Day on March 22. The day was planned by Hampton’s Economic Development Department for youth to explore careers and learn about the importance of financial planning.

The day kicked off at City Hall, where the scouts took part in a financial literacy workshop with Bayport Credit Union. Each scout received a real-life scenario, complete with education and a career, and they had to fill out a budget sheet to live within their monthly salary while being able to afford housing, utilities, transportation, clothing and food. After calculating costs, the scouts sat down with a financial coach to review their choices. The morning’s activities ended with a guest speaker from New Horizons Youth Workforce Development, who spoke to the scouts about the variety of career opportunities and training available in Hampton, as well as the skills needed to acquire those jobs. The scouts then had lunch with members of the city council.

After lunch, the scouts boarded a bus and visited TE Connectivity, a sensor solutions operations company, and the New Horizons Mechatronics Lab, where students learn mechanical and electrical engineering and troubleshooting.

"The scouts were very interactive and engaged in both civic aspects of local government and their future career choices,” Mei Christine Stukes, a Girl Scout leader who attended the day with members of her troop, said. “They gained valuable insight into how to process and maintain improvements as a community. From this program, they understand that it takes teamwork, collaboration and research to achieve a common mission."

Hampton City Council Scout Youth in Government Day is an annual event designed to give youth an inside look in local government operations, as well as to prepare them to lead successful lives.

2017 Adult Awards Luncheon

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast hosted their Adult Awards Luncheon on Saturday, February 4. Carolene Goodwyn-Harris, the newly installed chair of the board of directors, welcomed guests to the luncheon, which was hosted at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton.

During the luncheon, 41 volunteer received national Girl Scout recognitions, including the Appreciation Pin, Honor Pin, Thanks Badge and Thanks Badge II. Girl Scouts also honored 26 volunteers and staff members who have been a part of Girl Scouts for more than 20 years with a pin for their years of service.

Thanks Badge II- Sherri Sliker

Thanks Badge- Tina Brook, Elise Gore, Cheryle Mack

Thanks Badge- Leann Slater, Bonnie Taylor, Sandra Warren

Honor Pin- Yolanda Butts

Sharon Durrette-Hunt, CEO of ENSPYR, LLC, received the Dorothy Barber Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors a woman who has achieved success in her personal and professional life and has contributed to her community and the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. Durrette-Hunt’s involvement with Girl Scouts started at a young age, when she joined as a Girl Scout Junior. As an adult, she has served on the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast board of directors and has given major gifts to Girl Scouts, including a gift in 2014 to support teen Girl Scouts to attend the National Girl Scout Leadership Institute in Utah.

Alexa Goldblatt, a Girl Scout Senior from Virginia Beach, received the Buck Harris Award, which was established in honor of a former director of the Virginia Tidewater Girl Scout Council and honors a girl who loves the outdoors, relates to others with a respect for their needs and gives back to the community. Goldblatt is an active member of her troop, served on the board of directors for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, planned two encampments and serves as a Cookie Captain to mentor young cookie sellers, among other roles.

After the presentation of awards, the members of the Juliette Gordon Low Society, which is made up of individuals who have included Girl Scouts in their estate plans, welcomed two new members to the group.

Juliette Gordon Low Society
Beth Yates, Helen Kattwinkel, Cheryl McGrenra, Betsy Kessler, Lila Davis,
Tesi Strickland, Eileen Livick, Tracy Keller, Dr. Sandra DeLoatch, Ashley McLeod

Before the closing of the luncheon, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller welcomed a special guest, country singer and songwriter SaraBeth, who performed two songs, including her hit “Girl Scout Cookie Monster.”

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast honors their volunteers annually at the Adult Awards Luncheon. Locally, more than 6,000 women and men volunteer with Girl Scouts to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

View more photos from the day here.

2017 Annual Council Meeting

More than 200 Girl Scouts, volunteers, and staff attended the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Annual Council Meeting on Saturday, February 4 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton.

SaraBeth and Girl Scout Ambassador Anne

After an opening flag ceremony, Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck welcomed Girl Scouts to his city. Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller then welcomed special guest SaraBeth, a country singer and songwriter, who performed two of her hits for the audience, including “Girl Scout Cookie Monster.” Ashleigh Peterson, who ranked as the top cookie seller for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast for the past seven years, was the guest speaker for the meeting. She shared how her experiences as a Girl Scout and a cookie entrepreneur shaped her into the person she is today.

Cheryle Mack, outgoing chair of the board of directors, and Keller delivered annual reports on the state of the council. In her last meeting as board chair, Mack took the time to share some her most memorable moments, which included her trip to Girl Scout National Convention in Utah and playing key role in the passing of House Bill 942, which give Girl Scouts priority access to schools.

Dr. Sandra DeLoatch, former chair of the board of directors, presented the newly elected board members who were installed after a vote by Girl Scout volunteer delegates. Carolene Goodwyn-Harris was installed as the new chair of the board of directors. Barbara Tierney will serve as vice-chair, and Megan Poppe will serve as treasurer.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Board of Directors
Tracy Keller, Michael Mendelsohn, Barbara Tierney, Tricia Hudson, Marie Vesely, Carolyn Pittman,
Carolene Goodwyn-Harris, Megan Poppe, Catherine Magill, Carletta Waddler, Maria Mills,
Lu Ann Klevecz, Dr. Ann Campbell, Avery Berge, Lara Overy

Before the closing of the meeting, Hailey George, a Chesapeake Girl Scout, shared a story from her Girl Scout experience about earning the Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the second highest honor a girl can earn in Girl Scouting. George said that being a Girl Scout allowed her to become a leader about an issue she is passionate about and that affects her family—food allergies.

Following Annual Council Meeting, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast hosted the Adult Awards Luncheon.

View more photos from the day here.

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.

Camp Fury Hampton

Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue Station 9 is abuzz with young recruits this week. It’s the third annual Camp Fury, a special summer camp session held in partnership between Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue to introduce girls to firefighting and emergency preparedness techniques, as well as a variety of other nontraditional careers for women.

On Tuesday, day two of camp, the 25 girls challenged themselves to reach new heights as they completed an 85-foot aerial climb on the ladder truck and rappelled out of a fourth story window. Other activities during the day included fire extinguisher training, a ride on a fire engine and a presentation from Hampton’s emergency management department.

“I conquered my fear of heights,” Girl Scout Cadette Krystina Brook proudly shared after completing the aerial climb. “We’ve get to do a lot of things this week, but the climb and rappelling are what I was looking forward to most.”

Additional highlights for the week include a visit from Nightingale, bucket brigade competitions and an overnight at a fire station, complete with an early morning wakeup. The girls will also be spending a day with the Hampton Police Department, where they will learn about forensic science, crisis negotiation, internet safety, crime scene investigation and more.

Camp Fury is made possible through a partnership between Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue. The idea for the camp was brought to Hampton Roads by Medic Firefighter Jami Salvio and Lt. Denee Nichols, who both work for the City of Hampton and learned about a firefighting camp for girls while attending a conference for women in the fire service in 2011. Salvio and Nichols continue to organize and lead the camp.

“We were able to add some new things to the camp this year to introduce girls to even more career options for their future,” Salvio said. “They’re getting to meet an attorney, Navy commander and NASA scientist, just to name a few of our guests at camp. Our goal at Camp Fury is to show girls that they can do anything.”

At Camp Fury, and at all Girl Scout camps, girls are immersed in a supportive, all-girl environment, where they develop leadership skills, build self-confidence and are more likely to try new things and take risks. Through their camp experience, girls also have the chance to develop teamwork skills, discover what they are capable of and develop new and lasting friendships.

There is still time to register to attend a Girl Scout camp session. Find more information at www.gsccc.org.

Gold Award Spotlight: Straw Bale Gardening for The Welcome Table's Meals

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

For her project, Shannon worked to supply fresh vegetables for The Welcome Table, a program at First Christian Church where a free meal is provided for approximately 100 people in need each week. In order to do this, Shannon planted a straw bale garden at the church. After setting up the bales and conditioning them for planting, she planted lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and herbs. After her first harvest, Shannon had more than 27 pounds of produce.

“I am passionate about gardening and helping to fight hunger,” Shannon said. “By creating a straw bale garden, the church can cheaply and easily grow their own fresh produce for those facing food insecurity.”

As part of her project, Shannon also wanted to inform community members about how they could reduce their own fresh food expenses by building straw bale gardens at home. She taught three classes, made up of more than 35 people in all, about how to start and maintain their own straw bale gardens.

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 Shannon 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.

Gold Award Spotlight: Straw Bale Gardening for The Welcome Table's Meals

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

For her project, Shannon worked to supply fresh vegetables for The Welcome Table, a program at First Christian Church where a free meal is provided for approximately 100 people in need each week. In order to do this, Shannon planted a straw bale garden at the church. After setting up the bales and conditioning them for planting, she planted lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and herbs. After her first harvest, Shannon had more than 27 pounds of produce.

“I am passionate about gardening and helping to fight hunger,” Shannon said. “By creating a straw bale garden, the church can cheaply and easily grow their own fresh produce for those facing food insecurity.”

As part of her project, Shannon also wanted to inform community members about how they could reduce their own fresh food expenses by building straw bale gardens at home. She taught three classes, made up of more than 35 people in all, about how to start and maintain their own straw bale gardens.

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 Shannon 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.

Hampton Girl Scout Earns Religious Recognition

In Girl Scouts, girls are guided by the Girl Scout Promise and Law, pledges that include many values and principles that are common to most faiths. While a secular organization, Girl Scouts has always encouraged girls to take spiritual journeys through their faiths’ religious recognitions. One way that many Girl Scouts explore their faiths, including Girl Scout Cadette Madison from Hampton, is by participating in a religious recognition program through Programs of Religious Activities with Youth (P.R.A.Y.).

Madison recently earned P.R.A.Y.’s God and Church recognition through a program at First United Methodist Church of Fox Hill. This recognition is designed to help youth strengthen their relationship with their church and challenges them to participate in the worship and ministry of the church. To earn the recognition, Madison participated in a three-part journey that included learning more about Jesus, worshipping God and ministering for Christ. She also learned about the structure of First United Methodist Church of Fox Hill to better understand the mission of the church.

Madison has a been a Girl Scout for six years, and previously earned the God and Family religious recognition as a Girl Scout Junior.

P.R.A.Y. is a nonprofit organization focused on connecting youth with their faiths through the adult ministry at their church and through youth-serving organizations, such as Girl Scouts. For more information about joining Girl Scouts or earning a religious recognition through Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.

Camp Fury 2015

The youngest firefighting trainees in Hampton are at it again— climbing 85 feet up a ladder, rappelling down a four-story tower and racing against the clock to open fire hydrants and get the water flowing. But, these trainees aren’t the newest recruits in the fire academy. They’re a group of 24 Girl Scouts participating in a unique summer camp session, Camp Fury, at the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue Station 9.

In addition to challenging themselves to reach new heights and try new things, the girls learned a variety of firefighting skills during their week at camp. They participated in fire extinguisher training, took part in search and rescue drills and learned how to use a self-contained breathing apparatus. They also practiced ladder carry techniques, competed in a bucket brigade drill and learned how to roll, connect and empty fire hoses.

Camp Fury is designed to not only teach girls about firefighting, but to also introduce them to a variety of women who work in fields typically dominated by men, including military and law enforcement. During Camp Fury, the girls visited the United States Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, welcomed a female crime scene investigator as a guest speaker and got to hear from a woman who works on the Nightingale helicopter, after the craft was landed on the field next to the fire station. By introducing girls to women in nontraditional careers for females, the girls are able to better picture themselves in similar positions in the future, and give them the confidence they need to pursue their career interests, no matter what they may be.

“It’s so great to see the girls pushing themselves and trying new things,” Medic Firefighter Jami Salvio said. “Last year, one of the girls didn’t make it all the way up the ladder during the aerial climb, but this year she came back, pushed herself and made it to the top.”

Salvio, along with Lt. Denee Nichols, brought Camp Fury to Hampton after learning about a similar camp while attending a conference for women in fire service in 2011.They traveled to Arizona to see the camp in action, and then partnered with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast to bring the camp to Hampton Roads. The goal of Camp Fury is to immerse girls in a supportive, all-girl environment where they can develop leadership skills, build self-confidence and are more likely to try new things, take risks and discover what they are capable of.

Gold Award Spotlight: "Bete"ing Diabetes

Girl Scout Senior Grace from Hampton has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement in Girl Scouting. For her project, Grace focused on diabetes and promoting how a healthy lifestyle could help prevent the disease. Grace chose to focus on this issue because her grandfather passed away from a series of problems due to diabetes, so she wanted to take action to spread a message about how to prevent it.

Grace developed a series of lesson plans about healthy lifestyles and shared them with elementary and middle school students at Saint Mary Star of the Sea School during an afterschool club that she founded. During the club meetings, Grace taught the students different sports, showed them how to make healthy snacks and brought in special guest speakers to talk about diabetes.

“Healthy eating and exercising are good habits and may even prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes,” Grace said. “Through my project I was able to teach children about diabetes and show them how a healthy lifestyle can be fun.”

In order to share her project with a wider audience, Grace created a blog that she updated after weekly club meetings to share activities, healthy recipes and more.

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 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Grace to an elite group of females across the country with the honor.

Hampton Youth in Government Day

This post was written by Girl Scout Senior Ashleigh, a member of Troop 1289 in Hampton.

On April 22,  I had the opportunity to participate in the City of Hampton's Youth in Government Day. The day started at City Council, where Ms. Katherine Glass, clerk of council, welcomed 30 high school Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from the Peninsula. We were also welcomed by Mayor George Wallace, and he proudly announced that Hampton has been bestowed All-America City for three years consecutively. Every year, Ms. Glass and her staff come up with creative and thought-provoking activities for us.

"I have always been a strong supporter of these programs because it connects our most promising and important rising young citizens with the inner works of our city," Ms. Glass told us.

The day's activities began with Mr. Brian DeProfio, director of budget and strategic initiatives, giving us a brief on how city council and staff members determine the annual budget and project considerations. We then participated in Operation Shark Tank, where project managers gave us presentations for us to consider sponsoring. Every Girl Scout and Boy Scout there was given an electronic voting gadget and our votes were cast instantly on a screen. We then reversed roles and were randomly chosen to represent council members and stage a mock council meeting. Through this process, we experienced how intricate the task is to satisfy the needs of the people and how budget constraints affect decisions.

By noon, we traveled from City Hall to meet Two-Hawk, our tour guide at the Hampton History Museum. He shared his family background, cultural experiences and impressive beadwork. Then, we made our own bead bracelets to bring home. We visited Blackbeard's Point and learned about the significance of pirates in Hampton. We also stopped by the Emancipation Oak at Hampton University and took a break on the lawn to hear a live reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Hampton Youth in Government Day is an essential program to me because it gives us knowledge of our state. Many people don't understand that Virginia is an important place in history. The day gives us a learning experience that everyone should encounter at one point in their lives, whether it will be school, work or Girl Scouts. History can be boring when you just sit at a desk and take notes on things that don't involve you, but on this particular day, they make it fun and exciting.

I applaud city council for promoting programs that are hands-on, educational and keep future young voters aware of the issues that affects our lives on a daily basis. We can make a difference if we are aware of what to change.

Cosmic Cuisine and Galaxy Grub

On Friday, February 13, it was a night of experimenting and exploring for over 800 Girl Scouts who attended a special Girl Scout-only event at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton. The event was organized by Girl Scout volunteers in Community One, a membership area of Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast that encompasses the cities on the Peninsula.

Girl Scout Brownies Maddie and Alison discovering
the power of the Tesla coil

Throughout the evening, girls had the opportunity to explore the museum exhibits at the Virginia Air and Space Center, as well as participate in special Girl Scout activities. They took part in extracting DNA from strawberries and bananas, taste tested space ice cream and built marshmallow catapults. They also earned about electricity as they harnessed the power of a Tesla coil and made their hair stand on end by placing a hand on a Van de Graaff generator. Older Girl Scouts also learned about engineering as they constructed a shock absorbing system using Styrofoam cups, cotton balls and other household items to protect two “astronauts,” or marshmallows, as they dropped them two stories down over the stair railing.

Girl Scout Cadettes Sara and Covanna in the cockpit of a
DC-9 aircraft on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center

During the event, Girl Scouts were transported deep into space as they watched the giant-screen documentary adventure, Hidden Universe, in the IMAX theatre at the Virginia Air and Space Center. They also learned about a day in the life of an astronaut.

This event was a fun and informal way to give girls the opportunity to explore and discover in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields in the supportive, all-girl environment of Girl Scouts, where girls feel more comfortable asking questions and trying new things. In today’s world, where women hold only about 25 percent of STEM careers, Girl Scouts is working to fill the gap by engaging girls in opportunities to learn from female STEM leaders who inspire girls to envision themselves in similar careers.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast is committed to giving all girls the opportunity to participate in STEM experiences. Upcoming STEM events for girls include a nanotechnology day at Port Discover in Elizabeth City, Fun, Sun and Wind, a day of energy and ecosystem exploration at Jeanette’s Pier in Nags Head and Science Alive, an annual day of hands-on science at Norfolk State University. These STEM events are open to all girls, whether or not they are currently registered members of Girl Scouts.

Gold Award Spotlight: Alone Without a Home

Hampton Girl Scout Charlotte has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement in Girl Scouting. Charlotte also earned the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards, represented Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast as a National Delegate and served as a member of the board of directors.

For her project, Charlotte worked with Commonwealth Catholic Charities to help refugees who recently moved to the Peninsula to acclimate to the area. Charlotte helped to provide clean, furnished apartments for three families and supplied food and personal care items for each of the families. She also created translation cards that she attached to furnishings and household items to help families learn English. Finally, she created a welcome manual for each family that included English phrases and information about local schools, resources and community services.

“I chose this project because my church sponsored a refugee family a few years ago, and I was amazed at their resiliency with the support of the church,” Charlotte said. “I wanted to also help refugee families as they transition to life on the Peninsula.”

Charlotte also made a presentation at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hampton, where she shared information about the circumstances that lead to a person becoming a refugee, the process that refugees go through to move to the United States and what people can do to help. The Commonwealth Catholic Charities will continue to use Charlotte’s welcome manual to help refugees acclimate to their new community in Virginia.

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

Sisterhood on the Fort—Social Enjoyment and Civic Engagement

On Saturday, October 4, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe National Monument held an opening reception for a new exhibit, Sisterhood on the Fort, about the history of Girl Scouting on Fort Monroe. This exhibit, which will be on display through April 2015, represents the first time that the Casemate Museum has partnered with a community organization to create a historical display.

GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller, Girl Scout Cadette Sianna,
Casemate Museum Director Robin Edward Reed, Nicole Stuart
and Chris Stuart, owners of Top Guard Security

During the reception, Girl Scout Cadette Sianna helped with the ribbon cutting to officially open the exhibit, along with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller and Chris and Nicole Stuart of Top Guard Security, the sponsors for the exhibit and reception. Girl Scout alumnae and friends from the community had the opportunity to view the exhibit and share memories from their own experiences in Girl Scouts. 

“I really enjoyed my time in Girl Scouts,” Eola Dance, chief of visitor services and resource management at Fort Monroe National Monument. said. “I think it really played a part in my interest in history, nature and service organizations and helped me get to where I am today.”

Eola Dance, right, and her mother Elvena Lewis

The exhibit explores the formation of Girl Scouts on the military installation in 1926, 14 years after the organization was founded in Savannah, Ga. Through photographs, letters and stories, as well as vintage uniforms and handbooks, the exhibit examines the development of the Girl Scout Movement in the unique setting of Fort Monroe, a place that many military families have called home over the years.

The display also includes accounts of the Girl Scout experience on Fort Monroe during World War II, as well as the troop activities and community service projects in the decades that followed. As girls moved on and off of Fort Monroe with their families, Girl Scouts offered a familiar activity that allowed girls to make new friends and be involved in their community.

Items from the collections of both Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the Casemate Museum are featured in the exhibit.

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast has also recently partnered with Fort Monroe National Monument to create a Junior Ranger patch for girls to earn while visiting the site. More information about Girl Scouts can be found here.

Admission is free for self-guided tours of the Casemate Museum, which includes the Girl Scout exhibit. The Casemate Museum is open Tuesday- Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about museum hours and location, call 757-788-3391.

Guest Blogger: Girl Scout Cadette Sianna

This blog post was written by Girl Scout Cadette Sianna from Norfolk.

My name is Sianna  and I am a first year Girl Scout Cadette. I went to Fort Monroe in August because I was doing a photo shoot, representing Girl Scouts and helping launch the Junior Ranger Program for kids.

Fort Monroe is in Hampton, Virginia, and it’s completely FREE! Now if you go to the museum, you don't have to go through security and the museum is lots of fun. It’s an amazing place to visit, and I learned lots of facts while I was there. For example, the Junior Ranger mascot is a cartoon version of a real dog that helped out at the base. I also got to walk into the real cell that Jefferson Davis was imprisoned in for about four months.

Sianna was sworn in as a Junior Ranger at Fort Monroe by
Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, who is superintendent of
Fort Monroe National Monument and a Girl Scout alumna.

The Junior Ranger Program is meant for kids ages 5-12 but you don't have to be a kid, lots of adults do it too (they are called “Not So Junior Rangers”). All you have to do to complete it is pick up the book from the Visitor Center, finish the book, (you have to do most of the book if you're over 8, and less if you're younger) then one of the rangers will swear you in as a Junior Ranger, and you get a pin.

I went out West this Spring and did the Junior Ranger program and collected badges and patches from seven national parks. You can collect park stamps by going to the visitor center and you will get a stamp for that park. My favorite park was the Grand Canyon, because I went there when I was 3, and it brought back memories from when I was little. While I was there I got sworn in as a Junior Ranger for the Grand Canyon.

I hope you all go to Fort Monroe and enjoy all they have to offer.

Hampton Girl Scouts Meet with Senator Tim Kaine

Last month, seven Girl Scouts from Hampton had the opportunity to meet with Senator Tim Kaine while he was in Norfolk for a senatorial forum. The Girl Scouts organized this meeting in order to inform Senator Kaine about the organization’s commitment to providing educational opportunities for girls to explore and discover in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller presented Senator Kaine with the
Council's STEM patch.

During their meeting, the Girl Scouts presented Senator Kaine with the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast STEM patch, which was created in honor of Dr. Sandra DeLoatch, when she was served as the dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at Norfolk State University. The patch is just one of the ways that Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast creates oopportunities for girls to explore their interests in STEM.

Senator Kaine then sat down with the girls to hear about how being a part of Girl Scouts has not only given them opportunities to participate in STEM activities, but to do so in a supportive and encouraging environment.

“At school, I really became interested in science and engineering, and I've had even more opportunities to learn about science through Girl Scouts,” Girl Scout Senior Ashleigh told Senator Kaine. “Last year got to go to Science Alive with Girl Scouts at Norfolk State University, and my favorite part of the day was making ice cream with liquid nitrogen.”

Members of Girl Scout Troops 1289 and 1361 from Hampton
with Senator Kaine and GSCC CEO Tracy Keller.

After hearing from each of the girls, Senator Kaine shared his support of STEM education and talked about his belief in the value of career and technical education, as well as the importance of higher education being affordable. He also shared his recognition of the challenges that women face in joining the workforce, and he talked to each girl about her future aspirations. The girls, whose interests range from becoming an architect to a geneticist, each shared what interests them most.

The Girl Scout Research Institute has found that girls are overwhelmingly interested in STEM, but, despite women making great strides in education over the last 50 years, they continue to be underrepresented in the STEM fields. Girls need more exposure and better education about what STEM careers are and what they can offer. As the premier leadership organization for girls, Girl Scouts given a variety of ways to participate in hands-on STEM learning all year long.

This fall, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast has numerous STEM events planned for girls, including Society of Women Engineers Day on November 1 at Old Dominion University and Think Like a Scientist on December 6 at the Virginia Living Museum. All Girl Scout events are open to all girls, whether or not they are currently registered members of the organization.

Girl Scouts Explore STEM through LEGO Series

A group of Girl Scouts in Hampton have been hard at work this summer engineering bridges, building towers and constructing homes one LEGO brick at a time as part of a summer series hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. This series was designed for girls to be able to participate in hands-on experiences that introduce them to concepts and activities in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

During the series sessions, each Girl Scout is given a BuildToExpress LEGO kit, which contains over 200 LEGO elements, including colorful bricks, figures and accessories that will allow the girls to let their creativity come to life. When the girls met on June 23, they went over the Girl Scout Promise and Law, which outline how people should act towards one another. Then, each girl chose a component of the Law and illustrated it using her LEGO kit. From garden scenes full of flowers making the world a better place to LEGO figures being friendly and helpful, each girl had the opportunity to build with creativity.

When girls explore and discover with LEGOs, no matter what they build, they are using their imagination and practicing the basics of engineering, all while having fun. It’s a chance for them to figure out how pieces fit together, test physics by seeing how high they can stack bricks, create a visual display of ideas that they have in their head and connect with their peers as they share ideas.

This series, which was designed to open up a future in STEM for the girls who participate, was funded by Alcoa Foundation, an organization established by Alcoa, a mining, manufacturing and innovation company that makes a positive difference in sustainability by investing in the community to support education and environmental programs. Last October, the foundation awarded Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast with $20,000 to implement STEM education programs in Hampton.

In today’s world, where only about 25 percent of STEM careers are held by women, it is more important than ever to expose girls to a world of possibilities. The informal curriculum of Girl Scouts allows girls to discover what they are capable of, connect with one another to work as part of a tem and take action to become resourceful problem solvers. Girl Scouts delivers this curriculum in a comfortable, all-girl environment, where girls are more likely to ask questions, try new things and take risks because they do not have to worry about fitting into gender roles they may encounter at school.

Camp Fury

Racing against the clock, a group of rookie firefighters in Hampton pulled on their turnout gear. Just like seasoned firefighters, they buckled their jackets, wriggled their hands into gloves and finished by securing their helmets, but these weren’t the latest recruits out of the Tidewater Regional Fire Academy— they were a group of 12 Girl Scouts participating in a special summer camp session, Camp Fury.

Camp Fury was made possible through a partnership between Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast and the City of Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue. The idea for the camp was brought to Hampton Roads by Medic Firefighter Jami Salvio and Lt. Denee Nichols, who both work for the City of Hampton and learned about a firefighting camp for girls while attending a conference for women in the fire service in 2011.

Girl Scout Cadette Constance leads her team in an
exercise to connect hoses and bring water supply to a fire.

During the week at Camp Fury, the Girl Scouts stayed at nearby Camp Skimino and traveled to Briarfield Station #9 each day, where they learned how to roll and connect hoses, completed an aerial climb on the ladder truck, practiced search and rescue drills, tried out ladder carry techniques, learned how to use a self-contained breathing apparatus, participated in a bucket brigade drill and more. Each of the skills and techniques that girls learned were taught to them by women firefighters from across Hampton Roads.

In addition to firefighting operations, the girls were also introduced to a variety of women who work in other fields typically dominated by men, including military and law enforcement. By introducing girls to women in these fields, the girls are able to picture themselves in similar positions in the future, and give them the confidence they need to pursue their career interests, no matter what they may be.

“We wanted to give the girls a chance to see that they can do anything,” Salvio said. “I was one of just five women in my class in the Academy, and I wanted to help these girls open their eyes to a whole array of career options they may have not considered for themselves before.”

At Camp Fury, and at all Girl Scout camps, girls are immersed in a supportive, all-girl environment, where they develop leadership skills, build self-confidence and are more likely to try new things and take risks. Through their camp experience, girls also have the chance to develop teamwork skills, discover what they are capable of and develop new and lasting friendships.

Twelve local Girl Scouts participated in Camp Fury this year.

View more photos here.