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| Sponsor Spotlight
Committed to Financial Literacy in the Community
 | Gerry Nau, Chair and CEO of Lafayette Ambassador Bank, is Co-Chair of the 2011 Take The Lead Event Committee.
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When it comes to investing in the financial health of communities in the Lehigh Valley, Gerry Nau, Chairman and CEO of Lafayette Ambassador Bank (LAB) starts with youth. "Today's kids are tomorrow's leaders," he says. "We have to give them the skills and resources they need to excel and succeed.
Gerry was the key driver behind LAB's Silver Sponsorship of GSEP's 2010 Take The Lead awards event and its early sponsorship for the 2011 program (April 27 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks). He is also Co-Chair of the 2011 Event Committee and Co-Chaired the Capital Campaign for Girl Scouts-Great Valley Council.
"For nearly 100 years, Girl Scouting has helped millions of girls realize their potential as leaders, and I'm proud to support that mission," he adds.
LAB also partners with Banking on Our Future (BOOF), a financial education program for youngsters ages 9-18 in primarily urban and under-served communities. Four LAB bankers will support a BOOF workshop at Lehigh Carbon Community College on Tuesday, January 11 for more than 300 high-schoolers.
"We're committed to building our customers' trust and providing entire communities in Lehigh and Northampton Counties with the guidance they need to manage their financial health and plan for a stable future," Gerry says.
The effort is paying off. LAB's parent company, Fulton Financial Corporation, was one of only four banks named on Forbes magazine's "100 Most Trustworthy Companies". "These are the good guys," said Jack Zwingli, CEO of Audit Integrity, which selects the companies. "They've consistently shown accuracy and transparency in their financial reporting. They don't play games with revenue and expense recognition or with asset valuation."
For information about corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities for 2011 Take The Lead, contact Renee Archawski (215.564.2030, ext. 1036) or Carla Hickey (610.791.2411, ext. 1505), or email takethelead@gsep.org. |
Opportunities for Girls
Patch and Badge Requirements Are Here!
 Did you TAKE THE 'Care' PLEDGE as part of Real Girls. Real Power. Real Change? Requirements for The Global Action Patch, The World Thinking Day Patch, and The Global Action Theme Badge are now available. Age-appropriate activities are provided for each patch, and many of the guidelines apply to the Journey series to make them a perfect complement to planned Program Year activities. Older girls can also participate in The Global Cinema Program. The Real Girls. Real Power. Real Change. is a virtual pathway that empowers girls to change the lives of others around the world by learning about the issues they face. TAKE THE PLEDGE today!
Holiday Hope Chests: through December 3 The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley adopted this national project in partnership with Enterprise Holdings, UGI, UPS, and Kids Care Clubs to help less fortunate children in the Lehigh Valley--ideal for individuals and groups of all sizes. Click here for more information and to register. Final drop-off day is December 3.
First-Wednesday is Scout Night at Bethlehem Skateaway Bethlehem Skateaway, one of GSEP's Affinity Program Partners, hosts Scout Night the first Wednesday of every month. Previous listings on the GSEP website posted the incorrect day.
Gearing up for MLK Day of Service
Planning a project for Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 17, 2011? GSEP is tracking Council-wide service hours and wants to recognize every participant. Complete the MLK Project Registration Form by December 20. Those looking for a way to participate can find projects close to home at mlkdayofservice.org; click on the 'Sign In' link to create a troop profile, then complete and submit the Registration Form. Girls can also learn about Dr. King and his legacy by participating in the 3rd Annual One King Day, One King Book program, an initiative of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service and MLK365. After reading one of three age-level books individually or as a troop, class, or other group, participants are invited to submit essays about what they read, entitled "I show love when I ...," based on Dr. King's quote "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend." Bilingual entries are welcome and girls in grades K-2 can submit drawings instead. Every participant who submits an essay by December 17 will receive a King Day of Service certificate. Contact Linda Delenick at 215-564-2030, ext. 1102 for information.
Girl Scout destinations Girls with their eye on global travel, studying advocacy, or training like an astronaut can still apply for the Girl Scout destinations program. Travel opportunities are updated regularly at www.studio2b.org. Application deadline: December 31. Forms are available in GSUSA's Explore It! guide. Mail to: GSEP, Attn: Joan Hannahoe, 2633 Moravian Ave., Allentown, PA 18103. Contact Joan Hannahoe at 610.791.2411. |
| eBusiness Update
GSEP Begins Rollout of Integrated IT System: eBusiness
GSEP has introduced eBusiness Online Registration, a web portal accessible through the GSEP website to give volunteers, parents and members a single point of entry to register online for membership, programs, camp and adult training, and even make donations.Troop leaders will have the added capability to view, maintain and update troop information; print rosters;and communicate with troop members via email. Click here for a Frequently Asked Questions document. All volunteers should be aware of these important dates on the eBusiness Timeline:
December 28, 2010: E-Council will no longer be available for Membership, Program, Camp, or Adult Training registration. Service Unit Teams are strongly encouraged to enter as many troop registrations as possible by December 15.
December 28, 2010 - March 1, 2011: Volunteers can still view all troop and member information in E-Council that was entered by December 28.
January 1 - March 12, 2011: Adult Training will go on hiatus.
January 3 - August 1, 2011: A series of online forms will be available on the website to register for Camp and Spring Programs. Council will provide volunteers with registration information as-needed.
March 1, 2011: E-Council will no longer be available.
March 14, 2011: Adult Training will resume. Members will register using online forms on the website.
August 1, 2011: eBusiness Online Registration Module GOES LIVE!
Get ready for this powerful new system that will enhance the data-management capability and experience Council-wide!
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Silver and Gold
More than 100 Girls Earn Their Silver Awards; Workshops Coming Up
 The auditorium at The Hill School in Pottstown glistened when 67 girls received their Girl Scout Silver Awards, the second-highest honor a girl member can earn. The event concluded with a candle-lighting ceremony to reaffirm the honorees' Girl Scout Promise to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Silver and Gold Award Workshops for future honorees are coming up. All sessions 7-9pm. Register on E-Council.
December 7: Reading-Muhlenberg Vo-Tech School
December 13 (Gold only): St. Stephen's Church, Perkasie
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Journeys in Action
Girls' Journey Took Them High and Low
Daisy Troop 637 (Solehi SU #749, Lehigh County) set out on their "Earth and Sky" Journey by exploring the Earth (on a cave tour at Lost River Caverns, right) and sky (with a visit to the planetarium), and making crystals with Epsom salt and water. After earning the Journey's Blue Bucket Award for sharing and collecting their feelings, the girls cooked up some trail mix with ingredients to match their emotions, such as peanuts or almonds for those "feeling nutty" days.
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Picture Place
Hot Rods and Holiday Happenings
 (left) Just in time for Thanksgiving, Brownie Troop #743 (Spring-Ford SU #646, Montgomery County) collected more than 2,000 food items in two weeks for St. Peter's Food Pantry in Phoenixville. Troop leaders Vikki German and Michele Fultz hope the project comes to mind when the girls enjoy their holiday dinners and inspires other food drives. "Hunger never takes a holiday," said Pantry volunteers. "The girls' help is so appreciated."
 (right) About 250 girls and volunteers from the Reading Service Unit (#765, Berks County) sweetened up the annual Holiday Parade with more than 2,000 bags of Girl Scout Cookies, which they handed out to parade-goers to raise awareness of Cookies from Home. The program encourages monetary donations from Cookie customers to support shipments of military personnel serving overseas.
 (left) More than 70 girls, ages 5-14, raced to the finish at the Moreland Service Unit's (#561, Montgomery County) first Powder Puff Derby, using the official Boy Scouts' Pinewood Derby Car Kits. And this was no Matchbox game.By obeying nearly 20 rules-of-the-road to build their 5-ounce cars--including a 7" maximum car-length, 3" maximum height, 1-¾" maximum wheel-width, and minimum 3/8" bottom-clearance--girls used real-world principles of science, technology, engineering and math to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, and the value and importance of paying attention to detail.
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Edited by: Betsy Taube
Share your stories! Send photos and details about your troop programs and activities to Betsy Taube, Director of Communications. 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 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 clicking the "Join Our Mailing List" button above, in the lavender right-side panel, and entering their e-mail address.
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A New Look!
Have you noticed? As part of its Core Business Strategy for the 21st Century and to gear up for its 100th anniversary in 2012, Girl Scouts of the USA's brand has a bright new look and compelling message: GSUSA is the go-to place for girl leadership development, with members in every zipcode across the country and a commitment to reach every girl regardless of race, socioeconomics, or geographic location. GSEP's new logo and eNews redesign are just part of that re-branding and there's much more to come. Stay tuned! |
On the Web
URLs Requested
Troops and Service Units that have built their own websites are invited to share their URLs with GSEP. URLs will be included in a password-protected directory on the Council's updated website, coming soon. Contact Creative Director Rosemarie Jones with information.
Website Update
GSEP is getting ready to launch an updated website
with improved usability, exciting new graphics and content, and
availability in Spanish. Girls and volunteers are invited to preview the site and share their feedback before its debut in January. Watch for more information coming soon.
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| News to Know
Service Center
Service Center Closures
All GSEP Service Centers are closed December 9 (for an All-Staff Gathering), and for the holidays from December 24-26 and from December 30-
January 2, 2011.
Visit Restrictions at Berks Service Center
Parking lot construction at the Berks Service Center will continue until after the holiday season. Until then, the Service Center Office will be open by appointment only by calling 610.791.2411. Visitors will get instructions for parking and entering the building. GSEP appreciates all members' patience and compliance with these interim guidelines.
Property Assessment Update
The Property Survey is now closed and the Committee is in the process of compiling the new responses. Members are reminded that no decision has been made concerning any GSEP property. The deadline for this decision has been extended to December 31, 2011 at the latest.
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| | What's In Store | |
Shop Closures
In observance of the holidays, all Retail Shops will be closed Thursday, December 9 for a Staff Gathering, and from December 24- January 2, 2011.
15% Off
Winter Holiday Merchandise
Get in the spirit through
December 23.
More Than Just Shopping:
Craft Workshops
All events held from 6:30-8pm. Cost: $5 per person. Contact Diana Applegate to register, and include contact name and phone number, troop number, and the number of girls and adults attending.
Fabric Wreath Making
Store your SWAPS!
Dec. 14--Lehigh Valley Service Center
Dec.15--Shelly Ridge Service Center
Dec.16--Valley Forge Service Center
Scrapbooking Workshops Rescheduled
Showcase Girl Scout memories!
Feb. 22--Lehigh Valley Service Center
Feb. 23--Shelly Ridge Service Center
Feb. 24--Valley Forge Service Center
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