Introducing Badge in a Box!

Do you like getting mail and deliveries? If you said yes, you'll love our new fall program fir girls- Badge in a Box! It's designed to make Girl Scouting at home stress-free. The Badge Box is curated to include almost everything you need to complete a badge at home - from easy to follow instructions to the badge itself! And the best part is there's one for each Girl Scout grade level so it's completely tailored to YOU!

                                          

Each month there will be a new badge theme. Badge in a Box kits will include directions and all materials needed. Note that some badge work will require computers to do things such as watch videos.

GSCCC's Outdoor Adventures Manager Leigh Whaley said, "Badge in a box is all you need to complete an entire badge as a troop of individual. Take your time or finish it all in one sitting. The activities are geared towards each Girl Scout level and will be a ton of fun by yourself or with your troop."

These kits can be ordered by individual families or by a troop leader for the entire troop. Kits will be mailed or picked up on Wednesdays at APFG starting the first week of the month and ending the last week of the month. You will be notified of pick up times or when the kit has been mailed. Cost of mailing kits is $18 for a troop or $5 for an individual, pickup at APFG is free.

Register here for an upcoming session.

Upcoming Badge In a Box Options:

 

November Cost = $10 per girl

Registration Deadline = November 20^th

D - Mechanical Engineering: Board Games

B - Mechanical Engineering: Flying Flyer

J - Mechanical Engineering:  Paddle Boat

C - Special Agent

 

December Cost = $10 per girl

Registration Deadline = December 18^th

D – Outdoor Art Maker

B – Outdoor Art Creator

J – Outdoor Art Explorer

C – Outdoor Art Apprentice

             

January Cost = $8

Registration Deadline = January 22^nd

D – Eco Learner

B – Senses

J – Animal Habitats

C – Science of Happiness

Register here for an upcoming session.

How to pick up your box:

November/December pick-up A Place For Girls (912 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, VA)-

Pick-ups will be on Wednesdays from 10-11 AM or 3:45-5:45 PM unless otherwise noted in a reminder email.

*If these times don’t work you can contact customercare@gsccc.org to set up an alternate time after you register.*

 

November pick-up Skimino (448 Fenton Mill Rd, Williamsburg, VA)-

We will have a single pick up on Thursday November 12th from 4-6 pm at Camp Skimino with no alternative pick up times except at APFG.

 

December Pick Ups Skimino  (448 Fenton Mill Rd, Williamsburg, VA)-

We will have a single pick up on Saturday December 12th 4-5 pm at Camp Skimino with no alternative pick up times except at APFG.

Silver Award Spotlight: "Masks for the Community"

Girl Scout Cadettes Penelope, Phoebe and Quinnlyn of Girl Scout Troop 73 have earned the Silver Award through their project titled “Masks for the Community!”

The three love animals and knew they wanted to assist animals in some way, so when COVID-19 arose, the girls decided to help those who help the animals by volunteering their time to make protective equipment. The girls learned to sew two different types of masks: one for everyday wear and another type with medical grade materials sewn in for a higher level of safety and donated the washable and reusable masks to the Virginia Beach SPCA.

The girls also created informational brochures about protection from viruses and how to make masks and distributed the brochures throughout the community.

Thanks for helping those who help our furry friends, Penelope, Quinnlyn and Phoebe!

Silver Award Spotlight “Sewing for Smiles for the Kids at CHKD”

Girl Scout Cadette and Media Girl Emily loves sewing and decided to use her talents to make a difference to very special people- patients at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD)- to earn her Silver Award in her project titled “Sewing for Smiles for the kids at CHKD.” 

Emily sewed 50 pillowcases in different colors, patterns, and prints kids would love. She then stuffed each pillowcase with a variety of coloring books, sketch books, colored pencils and more. For a special touch, Emily included a unique, inspiring message in each of the pillowcases.

“I really wanted to give the children fun things to do, bright pillowcases to fill the room with color, and encouraging notes to give hope in these uncertain times,” Emily said. “This project really opened my eyes to see that there is so much one person can do to encourage others no matter the situation. I had a great time doing something I love, sewing, and to know the pillowcases are going to amazing children makes me very happy.”

In addition to donating the pillowcases, Emily donated and planted a butterfly bush in CHKD’s garden for visitors to enjoy for seasons to come.

Gold Award Spotlight- Butterfly Garden at First Presbyterian Church and Beach Day School

Girl Scout Ambassador Emma earned her Gold Award by completing her Gold Award project, Virginia Beach Butterfly Garden at First Presbyterian Church and Beach Day School.

Emma wanted to create an outdoor space for the congregation and school children of Virginia First Presbyterian Church and Beach Day School to enjoy. She created an education butterfly garden that teaches the life cycle of butterflies and relates it to Jesus’ resurrection in a way the students could understand. She also created a curriculum to go along with the garden to help instructors share her message. She learned how to make construction plans, overcame obstacles and learned to lead a team toward an end goal by completing her project, even through Covid-19.

Emma said, “I learned I can speak loud and clear when I really need to. I have always struggled with this. I also learned I am not a quitter. When something needs to be done- I do it!”

The garden went into full bloom throughout the spring and into the summer. It will continue to be maintained by students and will be enjoyed by guests for years to come. Way to go, Emma!

Silver Award Spotlight: Peanut Free Benches for Virginia Beach Little League

Peanuts and other nuts are ballpark favorites, however many people have nut allergies and risk contact from sitting in quarters where nuts have been. For some people with severe allergies, contact with nuts can be life-threatening!

Girl Scout Cadette Elizabeth of Troop 308 earned her Silver Award in her project “Peanut Free Benches for Virginia Beach Little League (VBLL)”. She designed, constructed and installed 12 “peanut free” benches for VBLL guests to enjoy.

Each bench has a sign indicating that it is a “peanut free zone.”

Working on her project, she learned how to build frames, work with concrete, and lead a team to a common goal. Elizabeth’s benches will be a safe place for all to enjoy for many years to come.

Congratulations, Elizabeth!

Installing the benches at VBLL.  She learned how to build the frame and

mix and pour the concrete.

Meeting with a representative from VBLL to discuss placement of benches

at the fields.  She made 12 benches in total for the complex

October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month- Girl Scout Cadette Nauri Helps Bring Awareness to GSCCC

October is National Dyslexia Awareness month and we want to make you aware of a great new patch program designed by GSCCC! You may have noticed the Dyslexia and GICHY the Bear events being offered - check them out on our Events page on our website.  The program is part of recently promoted Girl Scout Cadette Nauri's Bronze Award project from last year.

The patch program draws from the organization Lex Talk which was founded by Aarian Daniels, mom of Nauri, who was diagnosed at age eight with dyslexia.  While searching for a support group, Aarian realized there was not a platform that provided both resources and a safe space for parents to connect, so she created one. 

“When my family received the news that my daughter had dyslexia, we quickly mobilized to find resources to support her,” Aarian said. “Through that journey, I realized that there are many parents who may not have access to support or know where to start to get help for their child. Lex Talk is a way to normalize conversation around this learning disability and connect families in Hampton Roads.”

When Aarian started purchasing her daughter's troop attire, she noticed there weren’t any items related to dyslexia advocacy, so Nauri was inspired to design a patch of her own and mom strongly supported her.

“Girl Scouts patches are a fun way to explore your interests and have fun,” Aarian said. “Nauri selected a bear for her patch, an item she likes and assumes most girls do as well.  A teddy bear is also usually used as a comfort companion, so we named the bear ‘GICHY’ which is an acronym for ‘Glad I Could Help You." The name is significant since that is what Nauri wants to do, help other children who have dyslexia.”

Nauri is part of Troop 65 and earned her Bronze Award - we can't wait to see what she achieves in the future! 

Please visit the International Dyslexia Association for more information.  Use #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth to post on social media to bring awareness. You can also follow Lex Talk on Facebook @LexTalkDyslexia for updates.

Sign up for a GSCCC Dyslexia and GICHY the Bear event to learn more!

GSCCC National Delegates Taking Action

Even though the National Council Session is a few days away, our GSCCC National Delegates have been busy. They've met virtually with volunteers through service unit meetings and other virtual gathering opportunities. They have asked volunteers to share their thoughts about any of the six proposals on the agenda for the National Council Session. 

Three older Girl Scouts serving as National Delegates, Maureen a Senior from Chesapeake, Morgan a Senior from Virginia Beach, and Jasmine an Ambassador from Williamsburg, have taken their role very seriously and helped plan and carry out the Girls Voices event on October 12 . The girls had the same goal as the adult delegates - to encourage others to share their thoughts on the proposals and give general input on our movement. 

Jasmine thought the Girls Voices virtual event was a success. She believes every girl who participated was a dedicated Girl Scout who made an effort to take time out of their evening to learn about the governance and the proposals which will affect the future of our movement.

"As a delegate, it has been a learning experience for me, too," she said. " I've learned how to present important proposals on things such as membership dues, the formation of a Gold Award task group, and lifetime membership - and all virtually!

Morgan, who has attended GSCCC's annual legislative days for several years, said she knows that the process of gathering input before voting is key to the governance process. 

"What I thought was most interesting was the extensive process of learning about the different proposals and the flow chart of responsibility within the organization," Morgan said. "These proposals are important to vote on now because they provide the framework for the next 3 years. Setting parameters for dues is an important topic especially during these difficult economic times for many. In addition, the proposal recognizing our leaders with a discounted lifetime rate is a great way to motivate and reward volunteers." 

Jasmine and Morgan both stressed how important it was for every Girl Scout member to be aware of the proposals being voted upon, but said getting the information out is a bit overwhelming. Maureen agreed and said while it can at times be almost overwhelming it was also rewarding.

"Even though it was virtual and not quite the same, I still got to enjoy some really cool experiences," Maureen said. "I really enjoyed working with some of my fellow Girl Scout sisters and attending Zoom meetings with some other councils. I applied to be a National delegate because when I attended G.I.R.L 2017 I was able to sit through one of the vote sessions. It was so cool to watch the whole thing happen. It inspired me to apply for the next convention. I'm so grateful I got this opportunity. It has been a truly amazing experience and I hope I can do it again one year in person!"

Read all six proposals here.

Interested in attending the National Council Session? You can participate as a gallery guest for free and sign up for as many sessions as you'd like. Details here.