Girl Scouts Louisiana East is celebrating 100 years of leadership with Jenna Bush Hager as keynote speaker at its Centennial Luncheon and Women of Distinction Awards on Friday, November 2, at 12 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans.  Hager, who is the daughter of former President George W. and Laura Bush and a Today show correspondent, will be joined by New Orleans City Council Vice President and Girl Scout alumna Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson as honorary chair. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond will give the invocation, and mistress of ceremonies will be Kelder Summers-Jones, Co-Host of the Home Team Morning Show on Old School 106.7 and a Girl Scout Board Development Committee member. 

You are invited to this fundraising luncheon and a pre-luncheon champagne reception beginning at 11 a.m., with proceeds going to support the Girl Scout Leadership Experience in southeast Louisiana. Cost to attend the luncheon is $100 per person and may be purchased online, with reserved tables of 10 available at $1,000. Cost to attend both the luncheon and champagne reception is $150 per person. Sponsors include DeCuir, Clark & Adams, LLP; Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries, and Little Brownie Bakers, with additional sponsorship opportunities available.

During this prestigious event, we will honor Past Presidents of legacy councils, Audubon and Southeast Louisiana, and Girl Scouts Louisiana East as Women of Distinction. For more information about the luncheon, contact Cerise McClendon at cmcclendon@gsle.org or 504-733-8220.

The council's fall product sale of nuts, candy, and magazines, begins October 5 - 28! This is a friends and family sale, with nuts and candy $5-$7 each, and the troop making $1 for every food item sold and 10% of the price of each magazine sold - 15% for online sales. Orders are prepaid so the troop receives the proceeds immediately. The products will be delivered by the girls Nov. 13-20.

Troops who registered by September 14 and participate in the fall product program will receive an additional two cents in cookie proceeds for the 2013 sale. These troops must sell a minimum of five nuts/candy items, one magazine, and one complete address booklet.

Here is some food for thought! In a troop of 10 girls, if each girl sells: 3 QSP magazines, 20 nut items, and 1 address booklet - the troop earns $290!

Check out the product sale incentives, as  well as the online activities available for girls. Alisha Moore, Director of Sales, encourages girls to begin the QSP magazine email option by sending their emails on October 5. 

Council Headquarters, 841 S. Clearview Parkway, Jefferson - operating out of adjacent Training Center

The mold has been successfully removed from the offices affected, and sheetrock, carpet, walls have been cleaned and/or removed where needed. The next phase is to replace the damaged areas (3-4 week estimate for completion). Shop and Business services staff continue to operate out of the adjacent Training Center.

Camp Whispering Pines, to reopen in Oct.- clean up Sept. 29-30

Ranger Larry at CWP has asked for help cleaning up CWP following the damage received from Hurricane Isaac. Volunteers or older girls (Cadette and up) are needed to clean up on Sept. 29 and 30 - you'll be cleaning up all latrines, units and the dining hall/kitchen. The ranger will supply all cleaning supplies and equipment, brooms, etc. If you can help either or both of those days, please contact Laura Rogan who has volunteered to coordinate the clean up efforts at roganlj@gmail.com.

Pack up the family for Cajun Country Corn Maze between opening day on September 29 - November 18, with Girl Scout Day set for November 3. You'll have a blast navigating your way through the giant maze design that celebrates the 200^th Anniversary of Louisiana. A Scout patch will given free of charge to all Girl Scouts and their leaders. Girl Scouts and their family members will receive $2 off of their admission to the maze during Girl Scout Day if each person brings in a non perishable food item that will be given as a donation to the St. Vincent De Paul Food Kitchen. The Corn Maze will also give back to Girl Scouts Louisiana East $1 from each admission collected that day. Visit www.cajuncountrycorn.com/ for directions.

Save the date for the 2013 Cookie Program being held from January 18 - March 17! Its theme of "What Can a Girl Do? A World of Good" encourages girls to use their cookie money to lead Take Action Projects that have MORE IMPACT than ever before.

This Cookie Season we will be increasing our price to $4 per box (last price increase was nine years ago in 2004). Due to the price increase we will be changing our proceeds structure.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East Proceeds Structure:

Girl Scout troops receive proceeds from the Cookie Program to help cover the cost of Girl Scout and other educational activities. Because Junior, Cadette, Senior and Ambassador troops may be involved in broader and more complex activities, like trips and service projects, which may require additional funds, they have the option to receive an increased per package profit in place of individual girl incentive items. The proceeds only option for Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador is NOT available to any other program grade level.