When 81-year old Doris Dillingham began choking during dinner at Wesley Enhanced Living at Heritage Towers in Doylestown, Girl Scout Ambassador Hannah Wisler sprang to action. A part-time employee in the dining hall at the residence facility, Hannah performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved Doris' life. She is a member of Troop 21634 (Penns Ridge Service Unit, Upper Bucks), and lives in Perkasie.  
 
Action News 6ABC covered the small ceremony on November 16, when Hannah received the Girl Scouts of the

USA's Medal of Honor, one of two Lifesaving Awards GSUSA presents--rarely--to its girl members. Girls who earn the award show special character and maturity by acting in situations that would paralyze many adults. She was honored earlier this fall during a recognition program at Heritage Towers. A very appreciative Doris attended both events and State Representative Marguerite C. Quinn was present at the Heritage Towers program.
 
In a letter of appreciation to Hannah, The Rev. Steven T. Cherry, Heritage Towers' executive director, wrote "your work is much appreciated by residents with whom I speak.  They are all, of course, very grateful and impressed with your attention, [which illustrates] the diligence and competence we so highly value [from our] co-workers."    
 
Hannah is a senior at Pennridge High School and pursuing her Girl Scout Gold Award. For her project, she is coordinating the installation of a butterfly garden at Heritage Towers. Hannah plans to study nursing in college.
 
Hannah is the second girl from the GSEP Council to earn the Medal of Honor. In May 2008, Alicia Rohr of Coatesville (Chester) was credited with saving her next-door neighbors from a nearby forest fire. Alicia, who was 10 at the time, is a Girl Scout Cadette with Troop 4911.

New training schedule for ServSafeŽ Certification
Training dates for ServSafeŽ Certification from December through April are now available. To comply with American Camp Association accreditation, any group that uses the industrial kitchens or dining halls at GSEP camps for food storage or serving must have a ServSafeŽ-certified person on the premises, even if no cooking is involved. Pennsylvania Restaurant Association (PRA) offers classes regularly. Discounted cost: $85 per person (type Girl Scouts of Eastern PA in Company Name section of the registration form). Contact Jill Sober at 610.791.2411, ext.1504 about registration, or PRA at 800.345.5353 about training. 
 
Tying traditional troop activities into leadership Journeys program
Map It Out!
Badges, trips and Cookie sales all have a place in the leadership Journeys, and a new Map It Out! tool gives volunteers plenty of ideas to take activities to the next level. Journey maps are organized by Girl Scout grade-level, and help volunteers customize activities for troops' needs and interests.
 
Committee forming for Fall 2010 Weekend--January 11
Volunteers with suggestions and energy for integrating troop activities to the Journeys modules are needed to plan the Fall 2010 Weekend (October 1-3). First planning meeting is 7pm on Monday, Jan. 11 at the Valley Forge Service Center. Contact
Dale Moelter at 610.933.7555, ext. 1498.
 
Pot of Gold 2010--March 6
Mark your calendars for a full day of workshops, networking, and a wealth of new ideas for your troop-including suggestions for integrating with the Journeys curricula. Committee volunteers and workshop facilitators needed. Click here for full details. Contact Shawnna DiFilippo.

More than 120 Girl Scout Cadettes were honored during two ceremonies this month for earning the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award for girls aged 11-14. Pictured are 64 of the girls who attended a November 15 event in Pottstown. Silver Award projects require approximately 40 hours of time to plan and implement, and are often several months or more in the making. GSEP presented a total of 152 Silver Awards this year.

 

Watch for more photos soon at the GSEP website.