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Spotlight
Pew Charitable Trusts Awards GSEP $200,000 Grant
Thanks to a generous grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, GSEP has resumed implementation of the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) program, which serves daughters of incarcerated women. Girl Scouts of the USA established GSBB in 1992 in partnership with the National Institute of Justice to help reduce the impact of parental separation; foster personal and social development of girls; and provide girls with the opportunity to participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The legacy Girl Scouts of Freedom Valley council conducted GSBB program for 10 years at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility for Women. Pew's $200,000 grant enables GSEP to resume that partnership and introduce GSBB to the Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia. GSEP's goal is to serve 50 to 75 girls per year, and program planning and implementation began April 1. Recruitment of girls and mothers begins this summer, with their monthly meetings at the prisons to begin this fall. Girls will also participate in community-based troop meetings. GSEP provides transportation to the prison sites and facilitates the prison and community-based sessions.
A 2008 study by the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute found that "maintaining contact with one's incarcerated parent appears to be one of the most effective ways to improve a child's response to the incarceration and reduce the incidence of problematic behavior." GSBB's high-quality, out-of-school programming is proven to promote such outcomes through positive parent-child contact. (Watch a video about a GSBB program conducted by another council.)
"We are so pleased to receive the support of Pew," said Stacey Woodland, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Director for GSEP. "Girls whose mothers are incarcerated face a range of personal challenges and are so vulnerable to societal pressures that can get them into trouble. GSBB has proven to be effective and life-changing for all who participate, so we're thrilled to be able to reintroduce the program."
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Girl Scout Cookie Program Extended through August 31!
Service Units, troops and girls can get a jump-start on funds for the 2010-11 Program Year! Girls may sell cookies individually or at events sponsored by their troop or Service Unit, and the Council. Participants can earn 70 cents in proceeds for every box sold, and additional incentives are available for sales of 500, 850 and 1,250 boxes or more. Proceeds will only be applied to sales of new cookies taken from current GSEP inventory, and Peanut Butter Sandwich and Peanut Butter Pattie varieties are not available. Contact Amanda Harrity at 215.564.2030, ext. 1023 for complete details.
2010 Nuts About Reading Program: Design a Plan, Build Your Future!
Girls learn teamwork, goal-setting, planning, creative outreach--and will go NUTS about how easy it is to sell nuts, candy and magazine subscriptions and raise money for the 2010-11 Program Year. Nuts About Reading runs from September 13 through October 25. Volunteer training begins in August. Invitations are en route and registration via E-Council will be available soon.
Thanks-A-Lot Cookies Going Green!
This fall, ABC Bakers will launch a pilot project for the 2010-11 sales season by bringing its Thanks-A-Lot cookies out of the box and into environmentally-friendly bagged trays--which will remove more than 150 tons of paperboard from the waste stream! Watch for more information and package samples coming soon.
A Fashionable Cookie Crumb
Even fashionista Michael Kors can't resist a Girl Scout Cookie! When the designer-for-the-stars got wind that Girl Scout Junior Katie Rieder (from Troop 687 in Allentown) had cookies available for purchase, he and his sweet tooth connected with a co-worker of Katie's father and ordered two boxes of Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Katie will be sure to include Mr. Kors on her customer-prospect list next year--with the hope that she can deliver them personally to his New York studio!
Cookies With a Cause
Girl Scouts throughout the region shared some tasty cheer overseas during the 2010 Cookie Program. Among them were (below left) Girl Scout Ambassador Troop 4434 (Chester County), which helped assemble care packages through The Brandywine Valley Service Unit's Operation Cookie Drop project; more than 5,400 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies were among the items shipped to military personnel serving overseas. In Haiti (below right), dozens of earthquake victims were on the receiving end of cookies sent by Girl Scout Brownie Troop 57106 (Delaware County). |
Advocate for Empowerment
Sign the National Urban League's 'I Am Empowered' Pledge
GSUSA has joined the National Urban League's year-long "I Am Empowered" campaign, which was launched March 1 to rally millions of Americans around education, employment, housing and healthcare. The campaign is part of the Urban League's celebration of 100 years of advocacy for economic empowerment for those living in historically underserved urban communities, and its four goals are to eliminate disparities in education, jobs, housing, and heath care by 2025. All are encouraged to review and sign the pledge online.
The National Urban League (NUL) is the country's oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. With its long history of diversity and inclusion, GSUSA is a partner with the NUL, and helped form the first African American Girl Scout troop in 1917; by the 1950s, GSUSA had launched a national effort to desegregate all Girl Scout troops. In 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr. called Girl Scouts "a force for desegregation." |
Journeys in Action
Troops Are On the Move With Journeys
Eleven recipients of the GSEP Pioneer Award were honored at this year's Adult Recognition Ceremony-- Michelle Bowen, Jane Budson, Cynthia Carter-Betancourt, Joyce England Gordon, April Hudson, LuAnn Kramer, Jennifer Mershon and Erin Zezzo (Doylestown); Diane Loughery (Garnet Valley); Rose Cipriano (New Hope); and Christine Grzymkowski (Pipersville). All were hailed for their pioneering spirit by using the Journeys framework to develop and implement programs that embody the philosophy of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Elsewhere, troops across the Council have realized significant milestones with Journeys. Using the debut It's Your World-Change It! series, Daisy Troop Leaders Wendy Somers and Barb Kohler ( Troop 637 in Lehigh County) got the 14 girls in their troop busy and buzzing with a Daisy Flower Garden Journey at the Southern Lehigh Public Library in Coopersburg. With help from two Girl Scout Cadettes, the troop planted flowers in pots and around the flagpoles, presented a signed thank-you note to the library director, and celebrated with a "Honey-bee" story and cookie snack. The older girls presented each Daisy with a different keepsake award. The troop is already planning next year's Journey project: a butterfly garden at Coopersburg's Chestnut Hill Church.
In Chester County, three Brownie troops took very different paths on their Journeys. Malvern co-leaders Donna Clarke and Linda McCarthy helped Troop 42001 (below) dive into their WOW! Wonders of Water experience (from the Summer 2009 It's Your Planet-Love It! series) by creating a map to depict the importance of water in our communities and around the globe. The mural became a visual hallmark for their school's Earth Week celebration during its 2-1/2 week display in the cafeteria.
In Westtown, girls from Troop 41046 made a splash of their own when they got their whole school on board with a classroom-competition to replace clear plastic water bottles (which can and should be recycled, but often aren't!) with reusable ones; leaders Marcy Bergin, Kate Higgins and Melissa Terlizzi helped navigate their effort. Troop 458 is ready to test the waters with the WOW! Journey next year, but leader Kelly McGrath got them moving this year on a Brownie Quest by helping them identify a problem in their community: litter on the school playground, the result of too few trash cans. The girls met with their principal, made posters, and painted two new trash cans for prominent placement on the grounds before verbally recapping their project over 10 days as part of the school's morning announcements.
With this Fall's Journeys rollout for the 2010-11 Program Year, GSEP wants to learn about volunteers' programs and experiences using the Journeys curriculum framework and resources. Share your stories with Jennifer Allebach. |
Opportunities for Girls
Geek Squad Summer Academy! June 29-July 1 (9am-3:30pm)
Valley Forge Program Center (NOTE! This is a location change.)
Calling all computer 'geeks'! Experts from the Geek Squad will help girls entering grades 6-12 learn more about how technology is changing the world by building their own PCs and websites. The Summer Academy is being offered with support from Best Buy. Cost: $30 (includes beverages, snacks, materials, USB drive and t-shirt; girls should bring a bag lunch). Scholarship support is available. View the flyer. Girl Scout members can register on E-Council; non-member girls can contact Kandace Keefer at 215.564.2030, ext. 1024 to register.
Points of Light Leadership Institute--July 12-16 (9am-2pm)
High-school aged girls develop leadership skills by planning and implementing a service project (approximately 25 service hours). Cost: $60 (includes lunch and snacks). Full and partial scholarships available. Click here for interest form. Deadline: June 30.
Bilingual Girls! Speak Out through Motivos Magazine! Deadline: July 9
Motivos needs writers! The quarterly magazine is printed in English and Spanish and designed to inspire and empower Latino youth to explore their full potential and make informed choices about life, college, and career options. Older girls are invited to contribute. The Fall 2010 issue will focus on Social Justice; submission deadline is July 9. Click here for guidelines. Email or call 267-283-1733 for information. |
Program Partner Activities
Dinosaurs, Tennis and Soccer! Oh My!
The Wachovia Center has a full line-up of Girl Scout events in July--Walking With Dinosaurs, Philadelphia Freedoms World Team Tennis, and Philadelphia Union Soccer--with more to come in the fall. See the flyer, or contact Reta Feldman at 215.952.7316.
Girl Scout Night with Philadelphia Independence-August 15 (6pm)
John A. Farrell Stadium, West Chester University (855 S. New St.)
Girls can join the High-Five Tunnel and the half-time 'Scout Strut' when Philadelphia's pro women's soccer team takes on the Atlanta Beat. The troop with the most game-day fans escorts the starting line-ups, and all girls get an event patch and a photo opportunity with a Girl Scout turned pro-soccer player. Cost: $15/person in the Scout Shout Section! Use promo code GSEP2010 when ordering. For groups of 20 or more, contact Kelly Rowland at 267.244.9573, or view the flyer. |
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| Picture Place
Taking Green to the Runway
For two years, more than 75 girls from Nebula Service Unit (SU 547 in North Philadelphia) have made the ultimate fashion statement by Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. The Girl Scout Daisies through Cadettes ages 5 through 15 are students at Antonia Pantoja Charter School. Parent-facilitator Doris Rubio helps them turn paper, bottles, cans and other recyclables into their own ready-to-wear designs to model down the catwalk--which doubles as the school cafeteria and auditorium!
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PHASE ONE OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENT COMPLETE
Property Committee Hosts Town Hall Meetings
Last year, GSEP began the process of assessing our property needs to ensure that we maximize their use. The assessment also will explore how we can be more effective stewards of our resources.
A report of the findings--which includes preferences for travel-time and camp-property amenities; actual and projected usage; a financial analysis; and an efficiency model for operating costs--was presented and discussed at the Spring Delegate Meetings. In Phase Two, the Property Committee will review the camps' property deeds; inventory all facilities and amenities; and align them with Council needs. Updates will be provided in eNews, Service Unit Managers News, and on the website; all are invited to a series of Property Town Hall Meetings:
Valley Forge Service Center
100 Juliette Low Way
Sunday, September 11
10am-12pm
Cedar Crest College
Room1867
Tompkins College Center
100 College Drive
Allentown
Thursday, July 15
7-9pm
Chester County Government
Services Center
Room 171
601 Westtown Road
West Chester
Wednesday, August 25
7-9pm
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| A NIGHT FOR VOLUNTEERS
2010 Adult Recognition
Wednesday, June 9
More than 80 of this year's 123 Adult Recognition honorees were out in force for a June 9 celebration at the Spring Ford Country Club in Royersford. Among the honorees were GSEP Award recipients Marjorie Eby (Doylestown) and Patricia McFarland (Downingtown); Thanks II Badge honoree Susan Donahue-Sinback (Fairless Hills); Free Spirit Awardee Susan Groff (Perkasie) and Sophia Awardee Meghan Johnson (Lansdale), representing a new generation of Girl Scout volunteers; 11 recipients of the GSEP Pioneer Award (see adjacent Journeys in Action article); and Sonia Foderara (Morrisville), who received her 60-year Numeral Guard. Click here for more photos. ______________ |
Thanks to Kuwait
and Back
GSEP recently received a note from Brian "Stretch" Meyer, a General Dynamics IT-G2 Technical Support Specialist in Kuwait:
"... I am trying to reach a little girl named Micalene from Troop 6125.
On Nov. 6, 2009, she sent a letter thanking soldiers for serving and protecting her freedom ... her letter made it all the way to Kuwait and sits on a table for all soldiers passing by to read ... people walk past daily and her letter puts a smile on their face ... these soldiers are thousands of miles away from their homes, families, and friends. I am a contractor who works in the area, am prior Air Force, and was deployed when I was in active-duty. I know first-hand how these soldiers feel when they see such letters. I wanted to thank her for sending the letter and to keep up the good work in school and everything else she puts her mind to. Contractors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors will keep up the good fight for you. Thank you again ..."
Micalene Charles is a Girl Scout Cadette from
Tri-Creek Service Unit 741 (Lehigh County).
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CAMP NEWS
Camp Laughing Waters Program Changes
Additions
Potpourri July 25-30
Grades 4-6
Cost: $285
aMAZing Riders!
July 18-30
(Sessions 5-6)
Grades 6-10
Cost: $670
Art for CHANGE
August 1-13
(Sessions 7-8)
Grades 6-10
Cost: $595
Cancellations
Spa CLW
Cook it up! Hook it Up!
(July 4-9 ONLY; later sessions available)
Campfire Cookin'
Hit the Road
(July 25-30)
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WHAT'S IN STORE
Summer Hours! Shelly Ridge, Lehigh Valley and Valley Forge Retail Shops are open during the summer
Tuesday through Thursday
from 10am-5pm.
(Delaware County and Jane Seltzer Shops will re-open in the fall.)
Valley Forge and
Online Sales
Closed for inventory
June 21-25
(re-opens Tues., June 29)
Lehigh Valley
Closed for inventory
July 12-16
(re-opens Tues., July 20)
Think Globally,
Shop Locally! Girl Scouts merchandise is available through GSUSA and third-party retailers, but purchases made at GSEP shops and the website directly support the Council, its programs, and girl-member activities.
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Edited by: Betsy Taube
Share your stories! Send photos and details about your troop programs and activities to Betsy Taube, Acting Communications Manager. We will do our best to include your news in an upcoming issue of eNews, but space limitations prevent us from posting all submissions.
eNews Hard Copies: If you know of a Leader or Service Unit Manager who does not receive have access to a computer and would like to receive eNews, contact Loretta Rudzinski at 866.564.2030, ext. 1049 to arrange for a mailed copy.
Spread the Word! Be sure to forward this e-mail to fellow volunteers, friends and family! Just click the "Forward" link below. Encourage them to subscribe by entering their e-mail address by clicking the "Join Our Mailing List" button above in the lavender right-side panel.
Shelly Ridge Service Center | 330 Manor Road, Miquon, PA 19444 | Tel. 888.564.4657 | Fax 215.564.6953
Mailing address | PO Box 27540 | Philadelphia, PA 19118 |
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