Great Outdoors Month

Studies show that children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago. In a typical day, most American children spend over seven hours staring at a screen and only minutes engaged in outdoor play. This is a far reach from the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity for youth.

While getting girls outdoors has been an essential part of Girl Scouts since the organization was founded, today, parents, volunteers and staff members are working diligently to provide unique and engaging outdoor opportunities for all girls. As a result of this, 97 percent of Girl Scouts participated in at least one outdoor activity through the organization during the school year and nearly 40 percent participated on a regular basis. Moreover, while participating in these outdoor experiences, nearly three-quarters of girls improved a skill. 

During the month of June, Girl Scouts and others across the nation will be celebrating Great Outdoors Month, a celebration of the outdoors and the health, educational, economic and social benefits it brings. The month-long recognition encompasses a variety of events to engage the public in outdoor activities, including National Trails Day (June 6), Day of Service (June 19) and the Great American Campout (June 27). Governors across the country have also joined the President in proclaiming June as Great Outdoors Month.

This national spotlight on the importance of outdoor experiences coincides with findings reported by the Girl Scout Research Institute last year in More Than S'mores: Successes and Surprises in Girl Scouts' Outdoor Experiences. The Girl Scout Research Institute found that experiencing the outdoors is a great way for girls to explore leadership, build skills and develop a deep appreciation for nature. Researchers also found that girls who have more frequent and longer-in-duration outdoor experiences are more likely to seek challenges and are better problem solvers, which are qualities that will help them be successful in school and in life. 

Whether you're giving your girl the gift of summer camp, taking her hiking on a new trail or joining her journey to earn a Junior Ranger patch at a National Park, there are so many ways to celebrate Great Outdoors Month with your girl. 

Chesapeake Girl Scouts Earn Silver Award

Last week, three Chesapeake Girl Scouts, Alyssa, Aurora and Katherine, were pinned with the Girl Scout Silver Award by Chesapeake City Councilwoman Debbie Ritter during a ceremony at Great Bridge United Methodist Church. The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award earned by Girl Scouts in middle school and the second highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

Alyssa built and painted birdhouses that she installed at a local nursing home. She also created a scrapbook to serve as a guide to the different types of birds that may take residence in the birdhouses. 

Inspired by her own love for reading, Aurora created an audiobook library at Great Bridge Presbyterian Preschool. In addition to recording books on tape for the students, she also a case to store the CDs, headsets and CD players.

Katherine installed a lending library at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia- Rosemont Division. She built two bookcases, collected over 600 books and placed beanbag chairs in the library to make a comfortable space for children to read. She also painted a mural to remind children that reading can take them anywhere.

During the ceremony, Councilwoman Ritter shared that she is a Girl Scout alumna and that the greatest lesson to take away from Girl Scouting are the values of the Girl Scout Law. She encouraged the girls to set positive examples for others by being honest, fair, considerate and respectful, among other values incorporated in the Girl Scout Law.

Councilwoman Ritter, Alyssa, Aurora, Katherine and Troop Leader Denise Welch

“In every small thing that you do, you build a lifetime of goodwill towards others,” Councilwoman Ritter told the girls.

In addition to the presentation of the Silver Awards, each member of Troop 955 received the badges and awards that she earned during the past year in Girl Scouts. Aurora and Katherine were also presented with the President’s Volunteer Service Award by Carolyn Engler, a Girl Scout volunteer.

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

John White is Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

When John White’s second grader, Brooke, joined Girl Scouts two years ago, he knew from the start that he wanted to be involved. He had seen how fun—and beneficial—the program had been for the daughters of his friends and neighbors, and he wanted the same for his daughter. Already a member of Girl Scouts, John has now stepped up and joined the Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout campaign, which was launched by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast to show that girls need both women and men as role models and positive influences in their lives and attract new volunteers to the organization.

John and his daughter Brooke are both members of Girl Scout Troop 71 in Virginia Beach. Together through Girl Scouts, they have had tons of great experiences. John enjoyed spending time with Brooke at cookie booths this winter—watching her build her business skills and meeting Girl Scout alumnae who stopped at the booths to share their favorite Girl Scout memories. John also enjoyed participating in the Girl Scout Day of Service at Operation Smile with Brooke, and he looks forward to continuing to expose her to diverse opportunities to make a difference.

“Being involved in Girl Scouts allows me to spend time with my daughter as she is learning to be a responsible citizen of our community,” John said. “Anything I can do support Brooke, I’m in!”

John is a supporter of Girl Scouts because he sees the importance and relevance of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. In today’s society, women are present in all sorts of professional careers, and for John, it is important the Brooke recognizes her own value and develop leadership skills from a young age. He has already seen firsthand the positive impact that Christine Murray, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 71, has had on his daughter, and he admires her commitment and dedication to making a difference in the lives of girls.

John will be at the upcoming Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout event on June 28 at Smartmouth Brewery in Norfolk and encourages all Girl Scout dads to join the campaign. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

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.

Scout of the Year

Girl Scout Ambassador Maya from Poquoson has been selected as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Virginia, Scout of the Year for 2015. She has received a $1,000 college scholarship and will represent Virginia at the VFW national competition in June.

Maya has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and is a member of Troop 1172. She earned the Girl Scout Gold Award in 2012 for her project that brought a music program to children living in low-income families. She created an interactive, nonjudgmental environment where children could be introduced to various musical instruments and encouraged the children to join a music group at their school or church. Maya also served a term on the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast board of directors and travelled to Mexico to be a staff member at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts World Center, Our Cabaña. In addition to Girl Scouts, Maya is a member of Venturing Crew 28.

The VFW Scout of the Year program is open to youth who have earned the highest honor and achievement in their organization, including the Girl Scout Gold Award. Maya was selected for the award from a judging of eight district finalists in Virginia.

Maya is a senior at Peninsula Catholic High School and will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall.

Also recognized as Scout of the Year by VFW Post 960, Yorktown, Virginia, was Girl Scout Ambassador Liza who continued on in the competition and placed second at the Virginia, Division I level.

Secretary Maurice Jones is Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones, who has worked throughout his life towards excellence in leadership, was more than happy to step up and support the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast campaign— Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout— to help promote leadership opportunities for girls. On Friday, May 8, Secretary Jones met with a group of Girl Scouts at the Slover Library in Norfolk, where he talked to the girls about their experiences in the organization, and the girls presented him with a Man Enough T-shirt. Secretary Jones was particularly interested in hearing about the financial literacy skills that the girls had gained through their participation in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

Girl Scout Cadette Lily from Chesapeake talked to Secretary Jones about the Business Plan badge that she recently earned. She told him about the process of setting her goal to sell over 1,000 boxes of cookies, creating a strategy to reach her goal and developing a risk management to prepare for any unexpected issues during cookie season.

“This year I met my goal and sold over 1,000 boxes of cookies despite the cold and icy weather,” Lily told Secretary Jones. “The winter weather was a setback, but I modified my business plan because I still wanted to reach my goal.”

While stuck indoors in the snow and unable to go set up cookie booths outside of local businesses, Lily decided to bundle up and walk through her neighborhood with cookies in tow to sell to her neighbors. As it turned out, many of her neighbors were snowed in, and she was able to reach many new customers. Secretary Jones complemented Lily for her ability to be flexible in her business plan and reach her goal.

Girls then told Secretary Jones about the leadership awards that they working on, and he talked to them about the importance of taking advantage of any leadership opportunities that come their way.

“Taking part in leadership experiences have opened so many doors in my career,” Secretary Jones said. “Always accept a leadership position because it will give you the confidence, skills and experience you need to be successful.”

Through the Man Enough campaign, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast hopes to have at least 100 men step up and volunteer with the organization, whether it be for a day, a week or more. The annual membership fee for Man Enough is $75 and includes membership into the Girl Scout organization, a Man Enough T-shirt and admission to a Girl Scout Cookie and beer pairing event on June 28 at Smartmouth Brewing Company in Norfolk. For more information, visit www.gsccc.org.

Troop Capitol Hill

Local Girl Scout Ambassador Lauren from Newport News was invited to be part of a special reception held at the U.S. Capitol and hosted by GSUSA on May 19. The special occasion was held to formally welcome the 114th Congress and to inaugurate all of the new female members of Congress into Troop Capitol Hill. Troop Capitol Hill is an Honorary Congressional Girl Scout Troop comprised of all women Members of Congress. This was also an opportunity for Kathy Hannan, the newly elected National Board President of GSUSA, to be introduced to members of Troop Capitol Hill. Members of Troop Capitol Hill are leadership role models for girls across America and are strong advocates for issues important to girls and Girl Scouting on a national level.

Lauren and Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chávez

Lauren and Representative Bobby Scott

“I firmly believe that you can’t be what you can’t see,” said Girl Scouts CEO Anna Maria Chávez as she addressed guests that included Representative Bobby Scott and Senator Kaine from Virginia. “Bringing girls together with mentors, role models, and guides is an important part of Girl Scouts. It gives girls an opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the women who are blazing a trail for them, and shows them beyond any doubt that they can achieve anything they set their minds to accomplishing. Troop Capitol Hill plays a vital role in connecting today’s women leaders with the future of female leadership in America.”

Welcoming remarks were also made by two members of the eight bipartisan co-chairs of Troop Capitol Hill Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-FL) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Lauren spoke about her Girl Scout experience and how it has helped her build leadership skills, including encouraging her further build upon her love for aviation and the world of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) through the completion of her Gold Award project.

Later that day, Lauren and GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller had meetings with Rep. Rigell and Rep. Wittman to share with them what Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast is doing to support STEM education for girls through the Girl Scout program delivery model.