PATHWAYS is distributed monthly to volunteers of Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc. 

For more information regarding Pathways, contact the Communications Director 

The 2012 Cookie Program Volunteer Guide (pages 14-18) has important information on:

• Getting additional cookies
• Booth Sale Tips
• Booth Sale Do's & Don'ts  
• Booth Sale Checklist

Help get cookies directly to your customers.  Plan a Girl Scout Cookie Walk-about with your troop.   Walkabouts - Read More

Remember your Girl Scout Cookie Booth Etiquette. You are the face and voice of Girl Scouts of Gateway Council. 

• Insist on only the best Girl Scout behavior from adults and girls.
• Wear your uniform - vest or sash, Girl Scout T-Shirt, or Girl Scout Pin while selling cookies.
• Remember that you are a Girl Scout, and when in public, you represent the entire Girl Scout movement. Let your troop's behavior represent all that's positive and good about our organization.

Important Dates to Remember

March 9   50% of money for the troop's initial order is due.

Money is deposited in the councils Product Sales Account. Make frequent deposits and PLEASE only use the deposit tickets for your troop. Do not share deposit tickets, even if you volunteer with more than one troop.

March 23   Final payment for all cookies is due. 

GIRL SCOUT WEEK EVENTS

 Alumnae Luncheon

March 12

Retired Girl Scout alumnae will attend a lunch and 100th anniversary celebration on Monday, March 12 at Cypress Village in Jacksonville. 

Promise Circles

March 12, 2012, 19:12 (7:12 PM)

To commemorate the first Girl Scout meeting held by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12, 1912, we will join with our sister Girl Scouts from around the world and recite the Promise and Law.   Many troops and service units are organizing local Promise Circles - we hope that you will post them on our  Facebook Page!

Gainesville Community Fest

March 17

What do Girl Scouts have in common with Lions and Tigers and Giant Fruit Bats? We will all be at the Gainesville Community Fest! Come out and say hi!

These are just a few of the MANY events taking place during Girl Scout Week - share yours on Facebook!  

 Saturday, April 14, 2012     6-10 p.m 

Campion Courtyard at Episcopal School, Jacksonville

In commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting in the USA, Girl Scouts of Gateway Council and the Ritz Theatre and Museum present an exhibit celebrating the people and places that shaped Girl Scouting in the African American community in Northeast Florida. This exhibit is open during regular museum hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Museum entrance fees apply. Guided tours for groups of 25 or more are available. Call 904-632-5555, ext. 228 or visit www.ritzjacksonville.com.  

Additional content - articles and photos will be updated and featured online throughout the run of the exhibit.

Sponsored by 

Girl Scouts Forever Green 

March 31, 2012

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council will participate in   

Turn off your lights March 31 from 8:30-9:30pm, and participate in many other ways. If 3 million Girl Scouts each participate in Earth Hour and replace an incandescent light bulb with and ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb, we will save 1 billion kWh of energy. There are many great resources on the Girl Scouts Forever Green website, including how to conduct a home energy audit and information on reducing your carbon footprint by replacing the light bulbs in your home.

Be counted as part of the national initiative - Register that you participated in Earth Hour and how many light bulbs you replaced!  The GSFG text-message campaign is another great way to attract girls, inspire them to take action, and encourage them to share their enthusiasm with friends. GSUSA sends out twice-weekly texts to users who opt in. Click on "Sign up for mobile alerts" on the GSFG website or text gsfg to 877877.

Spread the word! Invite friends and family to participate in Earth Hour too.

Register NOW!

Kateri is gearing up for a fabulous summer of fantastic sessions. Here are some of the options girls have this summer!  Check out the summer program guide for details on sessions. Program questions, Contact the Camp Director at 904.406.7102, or at ecarlson@girlscouts-gateway.org For registration questions, contact the registrars at 904.388.4653, 877.764.5237, or activities.registrar@girlscouts-gateway.org. 

The challenge course at North Fork Leadership Center is open for groups to use! We are very excited to offer this teambuilding adventure opportunity to our members.

The basics:

• 10-15 participants per session. Each group must have two facilitators. Additional participants require additional facilitators.
• $10 per participant for a two-hour session. Please note that each participant will participate for the full two hours.
• $15 per hour facilitator fee, including set-up and clean-up. For example, a two-hour session would have half an hour of set-up and half an hour of clean-up, for a total of three hours ($45). As we build our volunteer facilitator base, this fee may decrease.

Requests for use of the challenge course go through the registrar in Jacksonville.

Interested in learning how to facilitate the challenge course? We are also beginning our Challenge Course Facilitator Certification program, which is based on national challenge course trainings.

The first session of the Apprentice Level will be March 9-11 at North Fork. This level is open to adults and girls over the age of 16. This is a great opportunity for older girls to gain hands-on leadership and problem-solving skills. Successful completion of the Apprentice training requirements will allow facilitators to progress to higher levels of facilitation. See the Adult Learning Opportunities Book for more information. 

OTEX - the Outdoor Training Extravaganza - will be held September 7-9th. Sign up today! All Adult Volunteers, Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors are welcome. OTEX offers courses like Canoeing, Kayaking, Sailing Certifications as well as outdoor cooking and enrichment classes. Come out for a fun weekend with your fellow volunteers. We would love to see you there! Registration will close August 22nd. - OTEX Registration Form

Early Bird Registration!  

Register by June 15 and receive your Early Bird patch commemorating our 100th Anniversary! All troops that register by June 15 will be entered into a drawing - 10 troops will win a $50 gift certificate to be used at The Girl Scout Store, for council program or for camp! To be eligible you must register a minimum of 75% of the girls that were in your troop last year and 2 adults.

All service units that achieve 75% of their membership registered by June 15th will be entered into a drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to be used at The Girl Scout Store, for council program or for camp!

Patches will be delivered to your July Service Unit Meeting.  

Register on-line   Questions? Jacksonville Service Center (877)764-5237 or Gainesville Service Center (866)868-6307

Volunteers Recognized for Outstanding Service

On February 11, Girl Scouts of Gateway Council recognized volunteers at the Annual Meeting an Friendship Celebration.    200 deserving recipients were awarded the Sustaining the Mission Award, Thanks Badge, Honor Pin, The Gateway Council Award, Appreciation Pin, Outstanding Volunteer Award, Exceptional Leader Award, Outstanding Leader Award and / or Tenure pins.

Recognition Awards due June 30, 2012

It's that time again to nominate that special volunteer in your service unit who has shown outstanding service to your area or other areas of the council.  Board Approved awards such as the Appreciation Pin, Gateway Council Award, Honor Pin, Thanks Badge, Continue Excellence Award and Thanks Badge II, are due on June 30, 2012 to the Jacksonville Service Center. 

Outstanding Volunteer, Outstanding Leader, Exceptional Leader and Tenure Applications will also be due by June 30, 2012 to the Jacksonville Service Center.

For more information on Adult Recognitions please view the Adult recognitions section of Volunteer Essentials. To learn more information about nominating someone for these awards you may choose to attend one of the "Awards that say Thank You" enrichment classes offered in the Adult Learning Opportunity Book.

These recognitions will be awarded at our Annual Meeting and Friendship Celebration in February 2013.