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Spotlight: 2011 Girl Scout Gold Awards
Forty-Nine Girls From Our Council Received the Prestigious Award | |
On Sunday, June 12, 2011 the Girl Scout Achievement Ceremony took place at Dolce Valley Forge and included Graduating Seniors and Scholarship Recipients. The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, symbolizing outstanding accomplishments in the areas of leadership, community service and advocacy. All of the projects completed this year will have a lasting and positive impact on our region.
"Our Gold Award recipients represent excellence at every level," said Natalye Paquin, Chief Executive Officer of GSEP. "We are proud of the powerful legacy these Girl Scouts are leaving in their communities, and are excited to see the impact they will continue to make on our world. These girls represent our brightest hope for the future."
Gold Award recipients included Britney Davis (Philadelphia County) who, through "It's Hip To Be Fit" addressed the lack of exercise and poor nutrition in children; to Darragh Friedman (Chester County) who created an original film featuring Holocaust survivors in the region, which was presented at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute; to Kandase Klase (Lehigh County) who built a miniature village in the Museum of Indian Culture to educate her community about the local American Indian tribe, the Lenapes; to Michelle Eck (Berks County) who built a shed for aging horses who had recently lost their barn in a fire. State Representative Tim Hennessey as well as GSEP Board Members Angela Ahmad and Sue Tantsits were at the event and congratulated the Girl Scouts on their accomplishments and positive impact on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Click here to see enlargement of photo below.
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Property Assessment Results Announced
Committee Focuses on High-Quality Outdoor Programs for the Future | Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP) has completed Phase II of a three-phase, comprehensive property assessment to better utilize resources and invest in the future. In partnership with Domokur Architects, GSEP's property committee, comprised of industry experts with deep organizational understanding of Girl Scouts, embarked on the assessment in 2009 to maximize property usage, understand development potential, and allow for continued sustainability and property enhancements based on the interests and needs of girl members and volunteers into the future. On June 16, 2011 a Property Town Hall Meeting was held where a presentation was given to announce the results.
Extensive evaluation led GSEP to conclude that three resident camps more than meet capacity demands, while offering accessibility and facilities that girls enjoy most. Camp Laughing Waters, Camp Mosey Wood, and Camp Wood Haven will remain open and be included in GSEP's long-range planning process. Camp Hidden Falls, Camp Tohikanee, and Camp Tweedale will be divested from use after June 2012. Shelly Ridge, Valley Forge, and Mountain House will continue to be available for outdoor programming.
"GSEP is pleased to be in a position to thoughtfully evaluate camp properties serving our nine-county Council with an eye toward the future. Outdoor programming is an important element of the leadership experience Girl Scouts offers," says Natalye Paquin, CEO of GSEP. "To remain competitive in the market place, we must offer the highest quality facilities and programming for the long-term. The assessment considers the changing interests and expectations of girls and volunteers."
Input from key stakeholders, including members and volunteers was solicited through research, three surveys, town hall meetings, GSEP's annual meeting, a property blog and email communications exclusively for members to share comments.
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The 2011 Product Program Exceeds Goals
Contest Winners Announced | |
GSEP Product Program would like to thank our girls and volunteers for making the 2011 Cookie Program a success. With your hard work and dedication, we have set record numbers:
· 5% increase in program growth overall for a total of 4,112,148 packages
· 10% increase in per girl average (PGA) for a total of 136 packages each
· 6,705 cases of cookies were shipped overseas for Cookies From Home
5=52 Girl Scout Cookie Contest Winners Announced
During the 2011 Cookie Program, GSEP launched a customer contest in which a customer purchasing five packages of cookies would receive an entry form to win a year's supply of Girl Scout Cookies. We are pleased to announce the 5=52 Contest winners are: Patty Zammer from Macungie, Ashley Schmoyer from Boyertown, Candy Kozioh from Chester, Doreen King from Royersford and Sue Griffen from Bethlehem.
Special Drawing: Buddy and Me Resident Camp Winners Announced Each individual girl that reached or exceeded their goal of 200 packages of cookies was automatically entered in a contest to win a week of resident camp for herself and a buddy. GSEP is pleased to announce the four winners: Alyssa Morrison from Troop 921 in Service Unit 539, Ariella Lafayette from Troop 9196 in Service Unit 539, Katelyn Seip from Troop 8816 in Service Unit 707 and Jennifer Cressman from Troop 21722 in Service Unit 615.
Let Your Voice Be Heard! The GSEP Product Program department is looking for volunteers interested in joining our Product Program Advisory Committee (PPAC). The PPAC is a committee comprised of Service Unit and Troop volunteers and staff members who are dedicated to improving GSEP's Cookie and Nuts About Reading Programs. The PPAC convenes three times a year with occasional subcommittee meetings. If becoming a member of the PPAC sounds interesting to you, or if you know of anyone interested in joining this committee, please contact Alex Dadio at adadio@gsep.org.
Reminder: If you have cookies left over from the program, they must be purchased at $3.50 per box. Cookies may not be purchased at a discounted price. |
Program News
Important Support Provided to GSEP's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Programs | Thank You Dr. Alisa Morss Clyne!
The Drexel Science Saturdays, a multiple session program created and pioneered by Dr. Clyne, was designed for girls in grades 6-8. The girls were invited to the Drexel campus to discover how the human body is actually an engineering system and how engineers address biomedical challenges. Some of the topics covered during the program were biomedical device design, advanced drug delivery, and bio-inspired robotics. Girls also participated in hands-on lab work with Drexel University faculty and students.
Dr. Alisa Morss Clyne, PhD is currently the P.C. Chou Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Principal Investigator for the Vascular Kinetics Laboratory at Drexel University. Before coming to Drexel, she earned her BS in mechanical engineering at Stanford University, and her PhD in Mechanical and Medical Engineering from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. She worked for a number of engineering firms before coming to Drexel. In 2010 Dr. Clyne was on the cover of a special "Women in Engineering" issue of The Drexel Engineer. She was interviewed about her biomedical approach that may reveal how diabetes creates the preconditions for vascular disease. Download the article or the whole publication.
Spring-Ford Girl Scouts meet "Women of Aerospace"A new program was introduced this year to GSEP, and it is unlike anything offered before. The brainchild of Mike Spletzer of Royersford, the Women in Aerospace and Technology Program (WATP) was developed to encourage an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for girls between the ages of 8 and 17. Mike, who is also a volunteer at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, developed the program as part of his MBA requirements at St. Joseph's University. After securing sponsors such as Boeing, Sikorsky Helicopters, and Bentley Systems along with educational talent from Drexel, West Chester and Arcadia, and with advisory teams from St. Joe's and Penn State, Mike and the Helicopter Museum were able to offer this amazing experience to the Girl Scouts of Eastern PA. Click here to see more photos. Team South Membership Director Maureen Streeter from GSEP and local Girl Scout volunteer Janet Sakel along with other leaders coordinated the Girl Scout involvement. The six month program, which began last Fall, was a huge success and will be in Spark next year. Offered on Saturdays throughout the fall, winter and spring, the program gave girls hands on experiences at the Helicopter Museum where they learned about the different types of helicopters, did experiments and had a bit of classroom study. They also toured Boeing & Sikorsky where the girls got to see helicopters in various stages of development. Molly Kieft, an 11 year old who attends Spring-Ford's 5/6 center said that her favorite part of the program was when they visited Drexel University to learn about robotics. Kelly Trythall, a 4th grader at Upper Providence, said that she liked "everything" while her classmate Gabrielle Sakel was most impressed with the hands on experiments. |
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Upcoming Events
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Heritage Patrol Summer Programs for 2011
Historic Krafts 'n' Kids at Musikfest, August 8-12
Looking for a great summer activity? Come for an hour, a day, or all week. Eastern Pennsylvania Heritage Patrol and the Historic Bethlehem Partnership offer historic crafts for troops or individual girls and boys ages 6-12, Monday through Friday during Musikfest. Download the flyer or visit the web site for more information. Heritage Patrol at Musikfest, August 8-12, for all girls entering 7th grade or older and August 9-11, for Heritage Patrol members Want to explore what Heritage Patrol is all about and earn an Interest Patch this summer? Heritage Patrol is a special interest group dedicated to learning about our local heritage, sharing this knowledge with others, and providing service to local organizations working to preserve our heritage. New girls will learn how to teach crafts, explore some of the craft venue at Musikfest and earn the Artistic Crafts Interest Patch. Older girls teach the Krafts 'n' Kids program and work on an Interest Patch of their choice during the week. Download the flyer or visit the web site for more information. 2011 National Council Session Held in Houston, TX, November 11-13 The theme for this inspiring event is Renewing the Promise: Girl Scouts in a New Century. If you are a delegate and have not registered or need more information, please contact Joan Hannahoe at jhannahoe@gsep.org. Older girls (14 and older) and adult members may register to attend as Official Visitors. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please register using the GSEP Council Training Course Form and enter VISITOR in course code. After you register online, please submit your registration fee to GSEP within seven days of online registration. Registration fees for Official Visitors are as follows: Adult Member: Age 18 and over - $245 ($345 after August 1) Girl Member: Age 13-17- $120 - ($170 after August 1) Adult Non-Member: Age 18 and over - $290 ($360 after August 1) Girl Non-Member: Age 13-17 - $135 ($185 after August 1) You may want to visit the GSUSA National Council Session web page, but please do not attempt to register through this site. All travel arrangements and hotel bookings should be done by Official Visitors on their own. When we have information about the hotel in which the Delegation will be housed and the airline carrier they will be using, we will post that information on this page of our site.
Fun Starts Here...For Adults Only! Spend a fun-filled weekend at camp this August at the 21st Annual Adult Camping Weekend. Join more than 100 women at Tweedale August 19-21 for smoothies by the pool, a silent auction, archery, canoeing, singing and meals prepared by someone else! Registration is only $50. All proceeds benefit the Older Girl Scholarship Fund. Alumnae and new friends are all welcome! Download the registration form for more details. If you would like to donate items for the silent auction or for more information, contact Carla Hickey at chickey@gsep.org.
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| Picture Place
Carbon County Troop Earns Global Action Patch
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Girl Scout Troop 3127 of the Palmerton Service Unit collected over 100 books while working on their Global Action Patch. The troop is sending the books to Beverly, Kentucky (Apalacia) to give to those who otherwise would not have a book in their house!
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Share your stories! Send photos and details about your troop programs and activities to communications@gsep.org. We will do our best to include your news in an upcoming issue of E-News, but space limitations prevent us from posting all submissions.
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| | COMING SOON: E-BUSINESS ONLINE REGISTRATION
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A key element of CES (Council Enterprise System) is eBusiness Online Registration--a web portal that will be accessible through the GSEP web site in August 2011 to give volunteers, parents and other members a single point of entry for member, program, camp, and adult training registration, data input and management, donations, and more! Click here to see a demo. By the end of August you will be able to register for membership, adult training and programs in Spark using the eBusiness Online Registration module.
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| | SAVE THE DATE:
GIRL SCOUT NIGHT AT THE READING PHILLIES
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Come out to First Energy Stadium Friday, August 19, 2011 for Girl Scout Night with the Reading Phillies! The game will start at 7:05pm and end with a spectacular fireworks display. Tickets will be $8 for Girls Scouts and their families. Online ordering instructions and more details will be coming soon to the home page of www.gsep.org.
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| | BRONZE AWARDS
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The Bronze Award article in last month's issue has prompted some of you to share the accomplishments of their troops. Click here to see more inspiring Bronze Award stories.
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| | PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM DISCOUNT TICKET PROGRAM
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The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia is dedicated to enriching the lives of children by creating learning opportunities through play. The museum was named one of the Top 10 children's museums in the country by Parents Magazine and features 6 different interactive exhibits, a historic Carousel, a 40-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty arm and torch made entirely of toys, daily music and art activities and theater performances in the Please Touch Playhouse. As a member of this program, Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania is now able to buy tickets for the discounted rate of $13.00 each. To receive this discount, visit their web site and enter our Store Name: girl scouts. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jessica Quach at 215.581.3174.
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| | GSEP RETAIL SHOPS
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Summer Hours:
June 13 - Labor Day
Jane Seltzer Closed; Delaware County Shop open Wednesday 10-5;
Lehigh Valley, Valley Forge and Shelly Ridge open
Tuesday and Thursday 10-5
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Can't Get to One of Our Shops?
Check out our web store! We are frequently adding new merchandise.
Don't forget you can purchase nearly everything online.
If you don't see it online call the Valley Forge Shop at 484-927-2317 to check availability.
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| | NEW BERKS COUNTY SERVICE CENTER
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Negotiations are underway for the relocation of the Berks County Service Center, anticipated for this fall. Visitation to the Service Center continues to be on a by-appointment basis. Call 610.791.2411 for scheduling and instructions.
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