Girl Scouts Retire the Colors aboard the USS Whidbey Island

Commander Mariah Rule, a Girl Scout Brownie leader of Troop 45 that meets at Saint Patrick Catholic School in Norfolk, arranged to have her troop retire the colors aboard the USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) as part of earning their Celebrating Community badge. Commander Rule was recognized last November as a Girl Scout Famous Former by the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. She actively connects with other formers in the US Navy and welcomes them into the Girl Scout alumnae network.

Commander Rule helped prepare the girls at a few troop meetings - practice sessions on how to properly retire a flag.

“Truthfully, I have never performed the flag ceremony aboard a ship, but I felt comfortable enough to guide the girls,” Commander Rule said. “We asked the duty section leader ask if there were any former Girl Scouts who would like to help the troop properly perform this ceremony. Six women immediately came forward. It was amazing. I was so excited for our girls to meet these exceptional formers!”

The Celebrating Community badge engages girls in activities that teach them about the community they live in and the celebrations they have, such as flag ceremonies and parades. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute Report Girl Scouting Works: The Alumnae Impact Study, Girl Scout alumnae are more civically engaged and likely to vote than their non-Girl Scout peers. And, the longer women were Girl Scouts, the higher their level of civic participation. Girl Scouts has a longstanding commitment to encourage girls to take the lead in their communities, the government, public policy and the democratic process.

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.

Newport News Girl Scout Gives Back to the Military for Silver Award Project

Jazzlyn, a Newport News Girl Scout, has earned the Silver Award, the second highest honor a girl can earn in Girl Scouting. Jazzlyn has been a Girl Scout for four years.

Jazzlyn understands firsthand the sacrifices made by members of the military and their family. Both of her parents are veterans and her mother was deployed to Iraq to care for injured soldiers. For her Silver Award project, Jazzlyn wanted to give back to the military community and decided to create community book exchanges at USO Welcome Center at the Norfolk International Airport and local veterans’ medical centers.

“Reading helps me escape reality and go on an adventure,” Jazzlyn said. “My hope is that it will help the military members do the same so they don’t have to think about bad stuff going on in the world.”

To complete her project, Jazzlyn collected books, CDs and movies that soldiers can borrow for any amount of time to enjoy while they’re traveling or at their destination and return to the book exchange when they come back.

Through the work that she did with her Silver Award project, Jazzlyn also became a Wounded Warriors Student Ambassador. In this role, Jazzlyn helps to raise awareness about the work that the Wounded Warriors Project does to help injured service members recover and readjust.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award earned by Girl Scouts in middle school. To earn the award, Girl Scouts have to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action Project to address the matter through leadership work.

Girl Scouts Celebrate Military Volunteers: Mariah Rule

Mariah Rule and her daughter Amelon at Troop 45's
coding event.

Each year, Americans recognize May as National Military Appreciation Month to focus attention on the individuals who serve in the armed forces and their achievements. Many members of the military serve their communities in more ways than one—including as volunteers for nonprofit organizations. One of these volunteers is Commander Mariah Rule, who is the Naval Integrated Fires Wargame lead at U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, and a Girl Scout leader for a group of Brownies at Saint Patrick Catholic School.

Commander Rule got her start in Girl Scouts at a young age. She has fond memories of outdoor adventures at Camp Skimino in Williamsburg—learning about the outdoors, singing around the campfire and learning the value of teamwork as she and her troop members relied on one another to set up camp and cook meals. At camp, she found encouragement, independence and empowerment.

“I remember going to a volunteer, Barbara Mettler, while working on a badge,” Commander Rule recalled. “I thought I was pretty terrible at identifying mushrooms and types of trees. I wanted her to just guide me through the badge, but she gave me two books and sent me into the woods. I remember feeling very proud when I completed the badge, and I’ll never forget her smiling face when I finished.”

Years later, working as a bureau chief at a small ABC affiliate news station in a Marine Corps town, Commander Rule had a nagging feeling that she wasn’t making the impact on the world that she wanted to. Reflecting on the values that she learned as a Girl Scout and impressed by the women and men she saw in uniform, Commander Rule had a wakeup call of sorts and drove to the recruiting office. Two months later, she was in Officer Candidate School in Pensacola. Courage, confidence, making the world a better place—these are the Girl Scout values that helped shape Commander Rule and guide her to making a difference as a member of the armed forces.

In 2008, Commander Rule had a daughter, Amelon. She knew that when Amelon was old enough, she wanted her to have the same great experiences in Girl Scouts that she had had. Last year, when Commander Rule learned about a newly formed troop at Saint Patrick Catholic School, where Amelon is a student, everything came together. Although she didn’t intend to become a troop leader, she stepped up to become a leader for the Girl Scout Brownies in Troop 45, and she hasn’t looked back.

“I read more and more about the national Girl Scout program and reflected on my own experiences that I wanted to share,” Rule said. “The Girl Scout mission statement is about building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. That is motivating! Who wouldn’t want to connect with that message?”

Commander Rule and Amelon’s first year with Troop 45 has been a whirlwind of adventure and excitement. They kayaked on the Lafayette River, picking up trash along the way. They volunteered with a mobile food pantry to help hand out food during the holidays. They even visited the Virginia Zoo and made enrichment toys for the zoo animals. No matter the activity, Commander Rule has made sure that everything they do is girl-led and girl-driven. Each girl in the troop has had an opportunity to share her passions and lead her fellow troop members in badge-earning activities.

“We have a girl in our troop, Jane, who wants to be a doctor,” Commander Rule shared. “She helped us build a first aid kit. Another girl in our troop, Reese, along with her mother who is a vice president at TowneBank, guided us through cookie season and helped us earn the Meet My Customers badge.”

In addition to community service and earning badges, the troops has also had plenty of fun outings. They have gone skiing, ice skated at MacArthur Center, planned a mother-daughter movie night and expressed their creativity at Color Me Mine while earning painting and pottery patches. The girls have also supported one another by going to each other’s sporting events, school plays and musicals to cheer on their fellow Girl Scouts.

For Commander Rule, just as she bonded with her mother who was her Girl Scout leader, Girl Scouts provides a place for her to spend quality time with Amelon. She enjoys seeing her daughter, and all of the troop members, push themselves to try new things, understand who they are and think about how to change the world—all while having fun.

“The girls are having fun this year, and I think they are better for it,” Commander Rule said. “I know I am better for being involved in Girl Scouts again.”

Despite a busy year, Girl Scout Troop 45 still has big plans. They will soon be traveling to the Eastern Shore for a camping trip at Kiptopeke State Park. Then, they plan to take a short break for summer as they gear up for another year of adventure when the new school year starts.

To find out more about Girl Scouts or to reconnect with the organization, visit www.gsccc.org.

Girl Scouts Celebrate Military Volunteers: Brittney Webb

Each year, Americans recognize May as National Military Appreciation Month to focus attention on the individuals who serve in the armed forces and their achievements. Many members of the military serve their communities in more ways than one—including as volunteers for nonprofit organizations. One of these volunteers is Coast Guard Officer Trainee Brittney Webb of Moyock, who can trace her community involvement back to her days as a Girl Scout.

For OT Webb, Girl Scouts was a big part of her childhood. Some of her fondest memories come from camping with her Girl Scout troop— canoeing on the lake, cooking over a campfire and singing with friends. Girl Scouts was a place where she was encouraged to try new things and where she learned about the value of teamwork and power of friendship. It was through Girl Scouts that she learned the importance of giving back to the community.

Years passed since her time in Girl Scouts, and OT Webb went on to graduate from high school and join the Coast Guard. Then, earlier this winter, she was asked by her command if she would be willing to attend a Girl Scout troop meeting to help girls earn a military patch. All of her great Girl Scout memories came flooding back, and she eagerly volunteered to help out.

In January, OT Webb traveled to Chesapeake to meet with Girl Scout Troop 805. She was one of eight representatives from four branches of the military who talked to the girls about the differences between the branches, what their daily work lives are like and what it takes to serve in the military. After the troop meeting, OT Webb had the opportunity to chat with the troop members and really enjoyed reconnecting with the organization that had made such a positive impression on her as a child.

“After coming to the meeting, the troop leader asked if I wanted to continue with the troop,” OT Webb said. “Thinking back to all of my own wonderful Girl Scout memories, I agreed.”

Just days after her first meeting with Troop 805, OT Webb ran alongside her new Girl Scout friends in the Girl Scout Cookie Classic, an annual fundraising 5k hosted at Bells Mill Park in Chesapeake. She has also been supporting the troop members as they complete projects to earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award, which is the third highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

OT Webb, far right, with Troop 805 at the Girl Scout Cookie Classic Run

“Girl Scouts is a valuable program because it gets girls involved in things they would never do otherwise,” OT Webb said. “The biggest impact Girl Scouts had on me was teaching me the importance of friendship, doing good for the community and empowerment for girls."

OT Webb is just one of the many Girl Scout volunteers who give their time and talents to make a difference in the lives of girls despite the demands of their career in the military. For more information about volunteering with Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.

Girl Scout Helps Military Canine Companions to Earn Silver Award

Girl Scout Cadette Morgan from Virginia Beach has earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For her project, Morgan sewed 10 dog beds to donate to Landing Zone Grace, a nonprofit organization that provides a retreat for veterans returning from deployment to transition in a relaxing and stress-free environment. Some of the veterans have service dogs, and after learning that the kennels at Landing Zone Grace have concrete floors, Morgan wanted to provide a comfortable place for the canines to spend time.

To make the dog beds, Morgan used donated materials to sew covers. She then met with a younger Girl Scout troop to tell them about her project, and the troop members helped fill the beds with stuffing.

“I chose this project because my dad is a Navy veteran, and I love animals,” Morgan said.

As a result of her project, neither the founder of Landing Zone Grace, Lynnette Bukowski, nor the veterans with service and companion dogs have to invest money in bedding for the dogs. For Morgan, the best part of her project was delivering the beds to Landing Zone Grace and seeing how grateful Bukowski was for her project.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award earned by Girl Scouts in middle school. To earn the award, Girl Scouts have to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action Project to address the matter through leadership work.

Cookies on Ice

Kaiya, Mia and Nikia from Troop 310 in Chesapeake
helped load Girl Scout Cookies into a truck to donate
to Soldiers' Angels.

Despite the high winds and brisk temperatures, members of Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast gathered on the plaza outside of Norfolk Scope on Saturday, April 9 to donate nearly 19,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to Soldiers’ Angels, an organization that supports members of the military and will be shipping the cookies to troops overseas. Around 5:30 p.m., Girl Scouts lined up between two trucks and formed two assembly lines to pass the cookies into a truck for Soldiers’ Angels.

After the cookie donation, Girl Scouts and their family members filled more than 500 seats inside Scope for the Norfolk Admirals hockey game. This year’s top two cookie sellers, Newport News Girl Scouts Ashleigh and Danielle, dropped the ceremonial first puck of the game. Ashleigh, who has been the top cookie seller in the region for the past seven years, sold 3,000 boxes of cookies this year. Danielle sold 2,600. Zemirah, a member of Troop 310 in Chesapeake, sang the national anthem and Girl Scout Troop 3017, the top cookie selling troop in Hampton Roads, conducted the pre-game flag ceremony.

The cookies donated to Soldiers’ Angels were purchased by local customers this cookie season to donate through Gift of Caring, a national community service project. In addition to the cookies donated on April 9, Girl Scout troops across the region also donated cookies to first responders, shelters, food banks, nursing homes and other members of the community.

This year, local Girl Scouts sold more than 1.4 million boxes of cookies. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the world’s largest girl-led business and the nation’s leading financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Through the program, girls learn skills that will last them a lifetime, including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

View more photos from the event here.

Girl Scouts Donate Cookies to USS Eisenhower

When the members of Girl Scout Troop 1211 got together to plan this year’s cookie program, they made a couple of goals. They talked about how many boxes of cookies they wanted to sell, and they brainstormed community service projects and activities they could fund using their cookie money. They also decided that they would donate some cookies to the men and women serving on the USS Eisenhower through Gift of Caring, a national community service project through which Girl Scouts ask customers to buy extra cookies to donate to their chosen cause. The last decision was an easy one for the troop members. A majority of the girls in the troop have a family member who serves in the military, including Hannah, whose father is an officer on the USS Eisenhower.

Dani. Rebecca, Megan, Nicole and Hannah

On Tuesday, March 15, the troop members packed up the nearly 100 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies that they had sold through Gift of Caring and headed to Naval Station Norfolk, where they boarded the USS Eisenhower and distributed cookies to the sailors. The girls had worked diligently all cookie season asking customers to donate cookies, and they were proud to see their hard work pay off as their cookies brought smiles to the faces of everyone who received them.

“The sailors were very happy to receive the cookies,” Marisol Chontos, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 1211, said. “The girls enjoy delivering the Gift of Caring cookies that they sell, and they will definitely not forget this experience.”

After giving out the cookies, Hannah's father brought the girls on a tour of the Eisenhower. For the girls, the tour was an eye-opening experience, as they got a glimpse of what it is like to live on a ship. The Eisenhower will soon be deploying for at least six months, and after visiting the ship, the girls were even more satisfied that they were able to perform a nice gesture for the sailors.

Last year, Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina donated more than 20,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to members of the military through Gift of Caring. On April 9, Girl Scouts will be taking over the plaza outside of Scope in Norfolk to load approximately 19,000 boxes of cookies into a truck to donate to Soldiers’ Angels, an organization that provides aid and comfort to men and women in the military, their families and the growing veteran population.

2015 Wreath Laying Ceremony

On Saturday, December 12, thousands of people gathered at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk to lay evergreen wreaths at each gravestone. This year, more than 400 Girl Scouts were among the volunteers who helped lay more than 7,000 wreaths. The event, which the Horton Wreath Society has been organizing since 2006, is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the sacrifices made by military personnel and their families, pay respect to veterans and educate future generations about those who sacrificed to protect their freedoms.

On Saturday, following the ceremonial placement of the first row of wreaths and the opportunity for family members to place wreaths on the graves of their loved ones, Girl Scouts took one wreath at a time, visited a grave, offered their respect and placed a wreath against the headstone. Girl Scouts and their leaders took the time to read the headstones, learn about the deceased’s service to the country and understand the meaning of the ranks and symbols on the headstone.

Once all the wreaths were placed, a formal closing ceremony with taps and bagpipes took place at the back of the cemetery.

The week prior to the ceremony in Suffolk, 100 Girl Scouts attended an educational event hosted by the Horton Wreath Society to learn about the history of the cemetery, how to lay the wreaths and why it is important to honor veterans. Girl Scouts also baked cookies that were handed out to volunteers during the ceremony on December 12.

For more information about serving the community as a member of Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.

Moyock Girl Scouts Donate Care Packages for Military Families

Last month, eight members of Girl Scout Troop 2504 from Moyock made their way to the Norfolk International Airport. The girls were headed to the USO Welcome Center to complete a project that they had been planning for months. The girls worked hard all winter long to sell Girl Scout Cookies and collect donations to create care packages to send to military families stationed overseas, and finally the day had arrived from them to pack and donate the boxes.

For Troop 2504, supporting the troops is a cause that hits close to home. One of the troop members is part of a military family that previously lived in Ethiopia. While there, her family received a care package from a Girl Scout troop that offered them a taste of home and personal letters of gratitude. Her family was so touched by the gesture that they shared the idea with Troop 2504, and the girls decided that they wanted to give a thoughtful gift from home to more families stationed overseas.

The girls in Troop 2504 sold Girl Scout Cookies to earn money to purchase items to send in the care packages. They also asked cookie customers to purchase and donate extra cookies and contacted friends and businesses in the community to donate items for the packages. By the end of cookie season, the girls had 115 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, along with games, foods and other treats for the boxes. They also wrote letters to the families receiving the boxes thanking them for their service and sacrifices.

On May 31 at the USO Welcome Center in Norfolk, the girls filled 35 boxes with the items they had purchased and collected. The boxes were shipped to Special Warfare Unit families whose headquarters are in Stuttgart, Germany, thanks to a generous donation from the Navy Seal Foundation to cover the shipping costs. The girls also left items at the USO Welcome Center for troops and their families to enjoy when they arrive at the airport, and the girls had the opportunity to pass out boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to service members passing through the USO Welcome Center while they were there.

For years, Girl Scouts across the country have used Girl Scout Cookies to show their appreciation for men and women in uniform. For the project that the members of Troop 2504 completed, they will earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award, which is the third highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting and the highest award earned by Girl Scouts in elementary school.

Girl Scouts Salute Military Volunteers

Girl Scouts are joining others in the nation in saluting our military for what they do during Military Appreciation Month. LCDR Carolyn Engler is one that stands out among the Girl Scout ranks. Since joining the Navy 15 years ago, LCDR Engler has moved all over the country and traveled around the world. As active duty military, she has had to move into new communities, meet new friends and find her way in new places. One thing that has been a constant through all of these changes is Girl Scouts. With each move, LCDR Engler says that getting involved with the local Girl Scouts allowed her to also get involved with her new community outside of the military life.

LCDR Engler first learned about the friendship and sense of belonging in Girl Scouts as a child. She spent nine years in the organization while growing up and has fond memories of camping and exploring new activities with her fellow troop members. As a Girl Scout, she built up her own confidence and developed leadership skills.

Today, LCDR Engler is still a Girl Scout. She is the leader of Girl Scout Troop 759 in Chesapeake and also volunteers to mentor her fellow leaders and register new Girl Scout members. She is always willing to step in and assist others to help volunteers be the best they can be to make a difference in the lives of girls.

“I enjoy assisting Girl Scout leaders and giving them courage to build new skills as they work with girls,” LCDR Engler said. “Girl Scouts offers adults vast opportunities to work with other adults, learn new skills and develop communication in a safe environment.”

As a troop leader, LCDR Engler is committed to offering opportunities for the girls in her troop to be involved and make a difference in the community. Over the past year, Troop 759 has held a food drive, conducted the flag ceremony for a Chesapeake City Council meeting, sang Christmas carols at a local nursing home and planted flowers at Northwest River Park, just to name a few activities. Under LCDR Engler’s guidance, members of her troop have also earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest award earned by Girl Scouts in elementary school.

In her 30 years as a Girl Scout, LCDR Engler credits her experiences with the organization for making her who she is today.

“I have the confidence to engage in challenging jobs and the skills I need in my professional environment because of Girl Scouts,” LCDR Engler said. “My involvement with Girl Scouts has also lead me to meet my best friends!”

Girl Scouts is also a place where LCDR Engler gets to spend quality time with her daughter, Elizabeth, who is a Girl Scout Brownie in Troop 759.

For more information about volunteering with Girl Scouts, visit www.gsccc.org.