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| | A Month of Thank Yous |  | |
We Couldn't do it Without You
In honor of National Volunteer Month, we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to our dedicated and passionate volunteers who inspire girls to become leaders.
Thank you for donating your time and resources to building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Your unique skills and talents add depth to the girls' experiences. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of girls and young women throughout our area.
Volunteers like you, and those from every decade of our first 100 years of Girl Scouting ensure an enriching experience for millions of girls around the world. The work you are doing now, without a doubt, will make the next century even more successful. Thanks to you, the girls of today are building the skills they will need to succeed tomorrow.
Our First Volunteer
After an inspirational meeting with Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, Juliette Gordon Low brought Girl Scouting to Savannah, Georgia in 1912. Despite some obstacles, Juliette became a visionary leader who believed in girls' abilities and capacity for leadership. With this vision in mind she launched the Girl Scout movement, and it quickly spread throughout the country.
Juliette was passionate about the arts - painting, sculpting, acting, writing, poetry. She was also very athletic, participating in swimming, rowing and canoeing. Standing on her head was one of her more obscure talents, and Juliette did it every year on her birthday just to prove she still could.
Over the course of her life, while pursuing these passions, Juliette struggled with deafness, back problems and cancer. Despite these obstacles she introduced her hobbies and more to girls of all backgrounds and abilities. She prepared them for traditional roles in homemaking, and for future roles as professional women in the arts, sciences and business. Juliette brought girls out-of-doors and gave them opportunities to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. When faced with adversity she persevered and continued to provide a safe, exploratory environment for girls.
Today Girl Scout volunteers around the world continue to follow the precedent set by Juliette in 1912. Though she never had children, Juliette Gordon Low continues to inspire and empower girls and women a century later.
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| | Summer Fun Arrives Early | | |
Start Planning for Summer Fun
Help girls plan a summer full of fun and engaging activities! We offer the perfect options for every girl's interests, whether she prefers day or resident camp. 
Registration opened in March and spots are filling quickly, so start talking to girls about registering for exciting sessions today! We listened to your suggestions and came up with some great new programs and opportunities for this summer! Girls can attend camp for half of a week, even two or three weeks. New and longer programs ensure that each resident camper has a fun experience. At Camp Butternut Springs girls can continue their celebration of the 100th anniversary by experiencing camp the way it was 50 years ago.
Here are some examples of the wacky and diverse day programs we are offering this summer, perfect for Daisies through Cadettes:
Eighty acres of wooded areas and open fields make Camp Palos an inviting and challenging environment for girls. Traditional camp activities include singing and hiking, and the beginning of each week starts a new theme! Attend in June when everyone will be Movin' and Groovin', bringing back dance crazes from the 50s through the 80s. And in July, Anything Goes as girls participate in Backwards Day, Crazy Socks Day, Wacky Hair Day, and other activities full of silliness!
Our Friendship Center programs put girls in control as they choose between nature games, arts and crafts. They can spend time outdoors practicing camping skills and playing games, or they can head inside for dance, drama, painting and drawing.
 Review our summer camp guide to learn about both day and resident programs like the ones mentioned above and even more! Register now to ensure your camper attends the sessions she prefers. Find more information about our camping sessions, as well as required forms, on our website. |
| Year-Long Celebrations | |
Girls Continue to Celebrate With Treasure for Trees
More than 13,000 girls have participated in our council-wide service project! These girls earned at least 1/4 of their service patch when they helped plant a Fat Albert Colorado Blue Spruce, the 100th Anniversary service unit evergreen tree.
Congratulations to the following 102 Service Units who participated:
102, 106, 262, 265, 270, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 279, 284, 285, 288, 289, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 297, 309, 313, 318, 322, 323, 325, 401, 402, 404, 406, 407, 409, 411, 412, 413, 414, 462, 502, 506, 507, 509, 510, 511, 513, 514, 515, 517, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 526, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 541, 542, 543, 545, 548, 551, 552, 601, 605, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 625, 629, 631, 634, 635, 638, 640, 641, 642, 702, 705, 706, 709, 714, 715, 716, 718, 719, 723, 724, 733, 736, 741, 742, 744, and 749 Five distribution sites are being finalized, and participating service units will be informed via e-mail where and when their tree will be available for pick up. The trees and markers will be delivered April 19 and 20, and will be ready for pick up by the service units on April 21 or 22, just in time for Earth Day and Arbor Day celebrations.
Tree Enhancement Project Finds Support
Thirty service units throughout the council resolved to help our environment by planting trees. Thanks to contributions from the National Wildlife Federation, these participating service units had even more trees to plant. The National Wildlife Federation donated 145 trees including White Oaks, Sweet Gums, Buckeyes and Serviceberries.
100th Anniversary Service Patch Still in GS Shops
In order to earn the 100th Anniversary Service Patch, girls must complete four
 service projects, one of which must be a GSUSA Forever Green project that benefits our environment. The remaining parts can be earned throughout 2012 as girls develop and participate in service projects. April showers are headed our way, so start a rain barrel project or tiered gardens. Don't forget that Earth Day is April 22. Celebrate by helping our planet. The month of May is perfect for planting and sustaining a community vegetable or flower garden. Check out even more project ideas here and help continue the tradition of Girl Scouts doing service in the community.
100th Anniversary Blood Drive
Keep a look-out for information concerning our upcoming blood drive this summer. Our goal is to donate 100 pints of blood to the American Red Cross. If you are already a donor, please, save your donation and help GSGCNWI reach our goal!
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| | Girls Get Active | |
First Annual STEMapalooza
Join us for our first annual STEMapalooza on April 28 at the Friendship Center in Country Club Hills. It's a day-long, hands-on exploration of activities in science, technology, engineering and math. Girls can get their hands messy with ooey-gooey science experiments. They can learn how to prepare for severe weather with the National Weather Service. Girls can even learn how to build robots out of Legos!
 Girls have the opportunity to talk with experts, and they also have time for hands-on experiences in STEM-related fields. Girls are interested in STEM, and we want to encourage and maintain that curiosity through our programs. Participants can learn about future opportunities in STEM and see the ways they can use their knowledge to contribute to these fields. First Chicagoland Lemonade Day On May 6, Girl Scouts of all ages can participate in the area's first Lemonade Day. This free community-wide educational initiative is designed to teach girls how to start, own and operate their own business. Girls can learn important skills and showcase their creativity when they present their own lemonade stand. Participants set goals, develop a plan, secure investors, create a product, make a profit, and give back to the community. To get started, register for Lemonade Day online, then pick-up your backpack with the Entrepreneur Workbook at Journey World. Money Smart Week 2012: April 14 - 28 Skills you can take to the bank! Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana is hosting programs that will help your Girl Scout become financially savvy. Through visits to area banks and meetings with women in the business, girls will learn about credit, savings, charity and budgeting. Our hands-on programs take girls into the heart of the financial world and enable them to learn skills that will make them financially responsible in the future. From Badge to Business Our council has teamed up with the National Association of Women Business Owners to teach girls about the opportunities in entrepreneurship as they learn from real-world, female entrepreneurs in our interactive workshops. More information can be found here. April 14, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Journey World, Chicago, IL For girls in grades 6 - 12 Code: 61001 Power Lunch: Finance and Banking Industry Girls attend a luncheon with women in the banking and finance industries where they talk about success and triumphs, as well as lessons learned. Saturday, April 21, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. North Shore Community Bank and Trust, Skokie, IL For Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors Code: 61022 Be a Money Savvy Girl Young girls receive the tools they need to become responsible consumers as they learn about buying power, comparison shopping and how to manage money. Tuesday, April 24, 6 - 7:30 p.m. North Shore Community Bank and Trust, Skokie, IL 
For Brownies, Juniors
Code: 61023
Painting with a Purpose
Participants learn about the importance of saving, spending and being charitable.
Wednesday, April 25, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Merrillville Girl Scout Gathering Place, Merrillville, IN
For Brownies and Juniors
Code: 61021
Financing 4 the Future
Girls learn to take control of their financial futures through credit, budgeting and saving.
Thursday, April 26, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Naperville Bank and Trust, Naperville, IL
For Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors
Code: 61024
Journey World Opens Doors
Introduce girls to our highly interactive Journey World and ensure a summer of fun and empowerment. Details are in our Program Essentials guide! Girls can test out different city roles, from mayor to bank president. They can be NASA engineers or environmentalists on the science floor. Most importantly, girls have the power to decide what role they assume with our educational and fun programs at this unique facility.
Mark Your Calendars Now for These Upcoming Events:
 Life-Long Fitness Lock-In May 5, Aurora, IL Chicago Rush Arena Football May 6, Chicago, IL Eco Friendly Fun Day May 12, Glen Ellyn, IL Scouting About May 12, Elk Grove Village, IL Making Girl Scout History May 12, Wheaton, IL Farm Animal Day May 12, Caledonia, IL Girl Scouts Night at the Chicago Fire Soccer Game  May 12, Bridgeview, IL
Star Party
May 19, Lowell, IN
Girl Scouts at Great America
June 2, Gurnee, IL
Girl Scouts Night at the Chicago Sky
June 8, Chicago, IL
Girl Scouts Night at the Chicago Cubs
August 27, Chicago, IL
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| | Voice Your Opinions | | |
You're Invited to Shape Our Delegate Structure
There are six upcoming opportunities for you, our Girl Scout membership age 14 and older, to lend your voice to shaping our democratic process structure. The democratic process provides opportunities for our membership to share ideas, process suggestions, listen to each other's perspective and support the policy-influencing aspect of our governance structure.
Here is some background information:
- The current district delegate structure was defined and approved in 2008 at the 'birth' of our new Girl Scout council and is outlined in our bylaws.
- Though this structure has worked since 2008, we are now asking for your help to make it more robust and meaningful.
- A bylaws revision suggestion submitted in December 2011 recommended that delegates be chosen to represent their service unit. This idea was considered; however, analysis showed that the 143 service units range in size from a few hundred girls to more than 2,000 girls and should involve more discussion before recommending to the Voting Members for approval at our annual meeting.
When this topic was presented at the new delegate training many ideas were brought forth including the consideration of whether our model should be based on the senate or house version. We invite anyone 14 and older to think about this in advance and the join us at one of the following sessions. If the date for your district is not convenient, please join us at a time of convenience for you.
April 18, 2012, District 5 - Friendship Center, 5100 Sunset Lane, Country Club Hills, IL; 7 p.m.
May 2, 2012, District 3 - Camp Greene Wood, 22W441 71st Street, Woodridge, IL; 7 p.m.
May 7, 2012, District 2 - Conference call (1-877-691-9300, Access code: 9697775); 7 p.m.
May 10, 2012, District 1 - Conference call (1-877-691-9300, Access code: 9697775); 7 p.m.
May 15, 2012, District 4 - Joliet Gathering Place, 1551 Spencer Road, Joliet, IL; 7 p.m.
May 21, 2012, all districts - Conference call (1-877-691-9300, Access code: 9697775); 7 p.m.
There is no reservation necessary for these meetings, so please feel free to join us. We look forward to hearing your ideas.
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| | Shop Around | |
Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting Sale Extended
We've extended our sale on Girl's Guides to Girl Scouting for every age level! All locations are well stocked and the sale price will continue while our discounted supplies last. Now is the perfect time for bridging leaders and girls to pick up copies for next fall.
The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting is now available on our online shop at the $16.85 sale price. Place your order for pickup in one of our six convenient locations or have it shipped to you (additional shipping charges will apply). Visit our online shop now!
It's Bridging Time!
 It's time to pick up your troop's year end and bridging supplies. Bridging kits are an easy option for leaders of all levels. These convenient kits contain all the items needed to advance to the next Girl Scout program level, along with bridging certificates and a colorful envelope. Just add each girl's name to the front of the envelope and you're ready for your bridging ceremony! The kits range from $5.50 to $6 depending on level, and they are available in stores and our online shop.
Journey Packs are Available
Journey Packs are a great way to get girls ready for next fall. Each kit comes with all of the basic components - one journey book and a Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting. The kit also comes with a free journey backpack in your choice of black, blue, pink or purple. Get your journey packs now and enjoy the great sale price of $16.85 on the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting.
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Don't Forget...
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Early Registration Begins
Troop registration materials for the 2012 - 2013 membership year will be available for distribution at April service unit meetings. Register your troop on or before Friday, June 29, to qualify for the following incentives:
- An early registration patch for all girls registered with a troop.
- A coupon for 10 percent off at council retail shops for each troop that registers with at least five girls and two adults.
2012 - 2013 Early Registration Patch Contest
Encourage girls to flex their artistic skills and show their love of Girl Scouting as they create an early registration incentive patch for the upcoming membership year! Girls should think about what Girl Scouting means to them and how they can show that in a design that will be available for all to see.
Entries may be submitted by a Girl Scout troop or individual. Entry deadline is June 15, 2012. Please see the contest entry form for guidelines and submission instructions.
The Rainy Season is Upon Us
April showers will soon be pouring and that means the ground at our camps will be very soft and muddy. Our property team would like to offer a few tips to make your stay at camp a pleasurable one.
- Please do not drive or park on the grass.
- Bring boots or extra shoes that you won't mind getting dirty.
- Don't forget the bug repellent.
- Outdoor activities may be cancelled, so bring your "Rainy Day Box of Fun."
For everyone's safety, always obey the posted speed limits at camps. If there is no posted speed limit, please keep to a standard of 5 mph.
Savannah Shuffle Continues--Join us on a virtual walk to Savannah, Georgia!
Girl Scout Brownies and older will track walking mileage along a route from where they live to the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, earn patches and their Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards, learn to properly use a pedometer, discover the health benefits of walking and learn how to fuel their bodies with healthy snacks through four to six activity sessions. Groups will receive Girl Scout water bottles and pedometers, daily step tracking logs and journals, group tracking poster, leader materials, Savannah Shuffle patches.
$20/person
Code: 47037
Register now and start walkin'!
Free American Cancer Society Kits Available
The American Cancer Society's FREE Key of Life program (grades 6-12) teaches girls about breast cancer prevention, and gives them a chance to participate in a service project to promote breast cancer awareness in their communities. The American Cancer Society's FREE Live Tobacco Free program (grades 2-5) teaches girls about the dangers of tobacco use. For more information on these programs, visit our website.
Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Challenge 2012, June 1 - 3
This is a great opportunity for girls to visit Camp Greene Wood and have fun competing with other troops who share a love for the out-of-doors. All participants take part in cooking, hiking, orienteering, singing, archery and much more! Girl Scout Cadettes must currently be in 6th grade to participate. For further information and how to register, please contact Mary Morgan Ryan by e-mail: marymorganryan@comcast.net.
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| | About Us | | |
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
20 S. Clark, Suite 200
Chicago, Illinois 60603
1-855-ILOVEGS
What would you like to see in future e-newsletters? Please share your thoughts and suggestions.
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