Kevin Wilkinson is Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

When Kevin Wilkinson’s oldest daughter, Olivia, started kindergarten, he and his wife started looking for extracurricular activities for her to participate in. The Wilkinsons wanted a place where their daughter could be with other girls her age and be part of a team. Olivia, who has Asperger's syndrome, had tried other activities in the past, but had not found a good fit. Then, they signed up for Girl Scouts.

Olivia thrived in the supportive environment of her troop, where she relied on the girls around her, and they relied on her. In support of his daughter, Wilkinson joined Girl Scouts too. Five years later, he is now the assistant leader of Girl Scout Troop 759 in Chesapeake, which both Olivia, and his younger daughter Kaitlyn, are members of. In addition to this role, Wilkinson is the financial consultant for Girl Scout troops in Hickory and helps to organize events, including the Girl Scout Cookie Classic 5K that took place at Bells Mill Park in January.

Already a member of Girl Scouts, Wilkinson has now stepped up and joined the Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout campaign, which was launched last month by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast to bring to the forefront that girls need both men and women as role models in their lives and to attract more volunteers to Girl Scouts.

“You can have a role in your daughter’s life, or you can take a back seat,” Wilkinson said. “As a father, it is important to me to spend time with my daughters and help them grow to become self-reliant, confident and productive members of society.”

Over the past five years, Girl Scouts has created numerous memorable moments for the Wilkinson family. A standout in Wilkinson’s mind was a trip that their troop took to Washington D.C. A group of 15 girls and four adults rode the train to the nation’s capital, where they visited the White House, toured the National Museum of Natural History and rode the subway, among other activities.

“For many of the girls on the trip, it was their first time on a train and in a big city,” Wilkinson said. “It was an incredible learning opportunity for them, and they gained a sense of independence, while also learning to look out for one another.”

Through Girl Scouts, Wilkinson has had the opportunity to have fun with his daughters while helping them, and others, develop important leadership skills. As a military family, the Wilkinsons view their fellow Girl Scouts as their extended family. As the family moves from post to post, there are many more “sisters” to meet and many more adventures to look forward to.

For more information about joining Girl Scouts or attending a Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout event at Smartmouth Brewery on June 28, 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.

Gold Award Spotlight: Feet of Dreams

Girl Scout Ambassador Grace from Edenton has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For her project, Grace promoted and enforced the benefits of physical activity to middle school students and their parents. Recognizing one reason children do not participate in sports is the inability to afford athletic shoes, Grace reached out to churches in the community to collect shoes to donate to local children. She also made presentations about her project and set up displays at the Chowan County Regional Fair, Providence Baptist Church and other locations in the community.

In order to engage families in physical activities, Grace collaborated with the health and physical education teachers at Chowan Middle School to host a Family Fitness Night at the school. There, Grace spoke to over 100 parents about the importance of physical activity, and families had the opportunity to play games and sports, learn about nutrition and take part in a free glucose and cholesterol screening.

“I believe that children in middle school get preoccupied with keeping up-to-date with social media and forget the importance and need for physical activity,” Grace said. “Getting them interested in physical activity at this age can benefit them for a lifetime.”

Through her project, Grace collected 140 pairs of athletic shoes for students in her community.

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.

Gold Award Recipients Honored

On Sunday, June 7, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast celebrated the 36 local young women who have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award during the past year at a reception held at Norfolk State University. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

The honorees were welcomed to the celebration and congratulated by Dr. Sandra DeLoatch, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Norfolk State University and former member of the board of directors for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. They were also congratulated by Robert Boyd, the father or a Gold Award recipient and the regional president of BB&T, which sponsored the celebration.

They keynote speaker for the afternoon was Alyssa Embree, a Girl Scout alumna and recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award who is currently a partner at Williams Mullen in Norfolk, where her practice focuses on commercial and multifamily real estate and finance. Embree shared important lessons that she learned during her time as a Girl Scout, as well as ways that being a part of the organization made her who she is today.

“Your journey as a Girl Scout doesn’t end today,” Embree told the award recipients. “The values and lessons that you’ve learned as a Girl Scout will serve you throughout your life. The greatest thing that I learned from Girl Scouts was leadership.”

Embree also talked about her Gold Award project, which she earned 17 years ago in Texas. She brought together Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and the National Guard to collect food for the local food banks and food pantries.

Following the keynote address, each Gold Award recipient was recognized on stage, and her project was shared with all of those in attendance. This year’s projects addressed a number of issues in the community, including healthy diets for people living on low incomes, raising awareness about disabilities, sports safety and literacy rates among youth.

The Gold Award celebration is held annually to recognize the girls who earn the top award in Girl Scouting. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, adding these 36 young women to an elite group of female leaders from across the country with the honor.

Gold Award Spotlight: F.A.C.T. Holiday Parade Float

Girl Scout Ambassador Olivia from Virginia Beach has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.

For the past six years, Olivia has volunteered with Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater (F.A.C.T.). For her Gold Award project, Olivia expanded on what she has learned through her volunteer work and focused on raising awareness about autism to inform members of the community about the disorder and its prevalence.

Olivia built a float to represent F.A.C.T. at the Holiday Parade at the Beach. She incorporated puzzle pieces, a longtime symbol of autism, into the design. She also invited children who attend the summer camp hosted by F.A.C.T. to help her decorate the float and participate in the parade. In order to educate people about autism, Olivia attached information about the disorder to candy that she handed out to people in the crowds as she walked with the float.

“To me, autism is a different ability, not a disability, and that’s what people need to understand,” Olivia said. “I have a passion for working with children on the autism spectrum and want to become a speech language pathologist to continue working with these children.”

Olivia carefully designed the float and numbered each piece so that F.A.C.T. can reassemble the display and continue to raise awareness about autism in the parade.

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 Olivia to an elite group of females across the country with the honor.

Henry Giese is Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout

Henry and his wife Monica

Henry Giese is Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout! Henry is the owner and president of GEESE Logistics, a Virginia Beach-based distribution and logistics company. Henry’s business successes make him an excellent role model for young entrepreneurs, such as the Girl Scouts who run the world’s largest girl-led business each cookie season.

Henry started his company from scratch nine years ago when he was working out of his home as a courier using his personal vehicle. He then learned about cartage, which is transporting goods for short distances, and decided to expand his business. He started with two clients and now serves customers throughout Hampton Roads, Richmond, the Eastern Shore and parts of North Carolina.

As the father of three daughters, one of which is a Girl Scout, Henry understands the importance of girls having strong, positive role models in their lives, which is one reason why he supports the Man Enough campaign. He wants his girls to be strong, self-reliant and resilient and knows this in order for this to happen, it is essential that they have caring adults in their lives who view them in this way.

Girls need both women and men to show them that they can be anything they desire—from athlete to astronaut, from scientist to stay-at-home mom. Henry’s support of the Man Enough campaign demonstrates his commitment to the next generation of leaders. If you want to discover how you can be a positive influence in a girl’s life and join the Man Enough campaign, visit www.gsccc.org.

Girls Rule the World

On Saturday, May 30, girls from across Hampton Roads attended the 7th Annual Girls Rule the World Conference for Girls and Young Women, hosted by Old Dominion University and sponsored by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. The event introduced girls, young women and their parents to strategies for building a solid foundation for a healthy and productive journey to adulthood.

Girl Scout Junior Mackenzie learns electronics with Snap Circuits

During the day, girls participated in a variety of interactive workshops, where they learned about being confident when speaking in front of others, talked about what it takes to be a good friend and discovered their inner strengths. They also took part in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, including a Techbridge workshop hosted by Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast that introduced girls to electronics through Snap Circuits.

Parent workshop about engaging girls in STEM

Parents participated in a workshop about encouraging their girls in science and engineering. In today’s world, where women hold only about 25 percent of STEM careers, it is important for girls to have support from their parents, teachers and other role models in their lives to pursue their interests in solving problems, building things and conducting experiments. During the workshop, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Chief Operations Officer Camile Berry introduced parents to hands-on experiments to engage their girls in the wonders of STEM.

At the conference, parents and girls also had the opportunity to learn more about joining Girl Scouts and the benefits of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at a table and exhibit displayed by Girl Scout staff.

Recognizing that girls and young women are a key part of the community and the future, the Conference for Girls and Young Women aims to provide education and empowerment training on topics such as health, education options and personal development. The conference is an opportunity to empower girls and young women as leaders who can create positive changes in their communities.

For more information about upcoming opportunities for girls, including the Girl Scout Leadership Institute for teens this summer, visit www.gsccc.org.