| Dates to Remember |
Girl Scout Shop & Resource Center open School Year Hours
Now-May 31
Offices Closed--
Battle of Flowers Holiday
April 27 Montalvo House Conservation Program April 28 Fiesta Flambeau Parade April 28 Volunteer Recognition & Celebrations Events
May 5
Offices Closed --Memorial DayMay 28
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| Join Our List |
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Here you'll find timely information about programs, adult learning opportunities, and other general news to keep you connected to GSSWT! Volunteer Connection will be sent weekly every Friday. Stay in the know and keep an eye on your inbox for great Girl Scout information!
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Girl Scout Offices closed today,
Friday, April 27 |
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All GSSWT offices are closed today, Friday, April 27 for the Battle of Flowers holiday. We will reopen at 8:30 a.m., Monday, April 30.
¡Viva Fiesta!
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Girl Scouts & Fiesta
and other 100th anniversary items |
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Get your Fiesta Medal today!
These medals are going fast -- they've already sold out in the Girl Scout Shop! Still want to get your hands on one? Visit the The Fiesta Store (2611 Broadway, San Antonio) today! Medals are just $8/each. ¡Viva Fiesta!
Remember to purchase your 100th Anniversary commemorative posters from the Girl Scout Shop or online here! Four-time Fiesta San Antonio poster artist and Girl Scout alumna, Shelley Fluke, collaborated with Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas to produce the poster.
Look for Girl Scouts at
Fiesta Flambeau Parade
Don't miss Girl Scouts marching in the largest illuminated night parade in the nation, the Fiesta Flambeau parade, at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, April 28. Tickets are on sale now at The Fiesta Store (2611 Broadway, San Antonio) or may be purchased online.Have you heard about the Girl Scout stamp?!
 To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the First-Class Celebrate Scouting Forever Stamp this June as part of the Girl Scouts' Rock the Mall celebration in Washington, DC. The stamp features a large silhouette of a girl with binoculars looking into the distance -- perhaps sighting a soaring bald eagle or a faraway destination. The scene within the silhouette features a girl in mid-stride with a walking stick, shorts and backpack on a summer trek. The environment is composed of large redwoods, a lake, a distant forested mountainside and small ferns in the foreground, with a blue sky as it appears in early morning or late evening. Celebrate Scouting, the "sister" stamp to the 2010 Scouting stamp, pays tribute to scouting organizations for the opportunities and pleasures they have provided millions of youths worldwide. The artwork for both stamps was created by Craig Frazier of Mill Valley, CA, under the art direction of Derry Noyes of Washington, DC.
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See the History of Girl Scouting
in an area near you! |
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El Progreso Memorial Library in Uvalde --
last weekend to visit display
 The personal Girl Scouting collection of long-time Girl Scout member Estella Reyna Kierce is on display along with local troop items and history banners for the entire month of April at the El Progreso Memorial Library at 301 W. Main St. in Uvalde, Texas. Library's hours of operation are Mondays-Wednesdays 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Thursdays 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Cody Library in San Antonio
 Stop by the Cody Library on 11441 Vance Jackson for 100 Years of Girl Scouting. This exhibit will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday - Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00-8:00 p.m. for the month of April. Come by today!
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Water, Water -- Not Everywhere!
Girl Scout program in Brackettville tomorrow, Saturday, April 28 |
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Drought, water restrictions, rain collection systems, conservation... Water is a precious resource, especially in Texas, and we are constantly reminded to watch our water use. Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas invites you to visit the Montalvo House in Brackettville on April 28 to discover how easy it is to conserve this natural resource.
The event includes a speaker from the Texas Water Development Board, hands-on activities and games. The fun runs from 12:00 until 3:00 p.m. This event is free to the community and everyone is welcome, especially children in grades 2-8, so bring the whole family! Get more details here.
Don't miss out -- RSVP today or call 830-563-3443.
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New GSSWT website to launch
Monday, April 30 |
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GSSWT is happy to announce its redesigned website will launch on Monday, April 30. In order to capture your attention, provide new information, and engage you, the site was redesigned with your -- both girls and adults -- needs in mind!
From an all-new calendar function with a more robust filter capability to a fantastically fun Girls Only! section to an easy-to-navigate menu, the site is sure to please. Please note that there will be some sections under construction, including the online Girl Scout Shop, as we want to ensure that we provide you a quality site. Sections under construction will be phased out during the summer months -- and will be announced as they go live.
Though its expected to be a smooth transition from the old site to the new site, we appreciate your understanding if we experience any technical difficulties.
Questions or comments may be directed to website@girlscouts-swtx.org.
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Coming Soon:
State-of-the-art Volunteer Service Center |
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Get ready for a new beginning and a new volunteer customer service center just for you! Currently, the adult learning office, registrar office and the Cheever Powell conference room will be under construction. With this new Volunteer Service Center, we hope to better meet the needs of our girls and adult volunteers. Construction is scheduled to conclude early to mid May. Please see below for more information of where staff affected by this move will be temporarily stationed:
- The registration department will reside in the upstairs Hendry conference room
- Pam Riles will be in the Director of Volunteer Development and Resources office next to the stairs
- Courtney Cunningham, Volunteer Development Specialist, will be located in the Resource Center
More details are soon to come, so put your hard hat on and keep an eye out!
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Presidential Medal of Freedom
to be posthumously bestowed on
Juliette Gordon Low |
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Congratulations to Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, who was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday, April 26 by President Barack Obama.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States, and recognizes individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Congratulations, Daisy!
Read more at GSUSA's blog. Read about the other honorees at The Oval at USA Today.
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Saturday, May 5 --
Join us for a special day of recognition |
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Join us on Saturday, May 5 for a special day of recognition for adult volunteers and teen Girl Scouts at the Morgan's Wonderland Event Center, 5223 David Edward Drive, San Antonio, 78233.
The Adult Volunteer Recognition Brunch recognizes the wonderful volunteers who are receiving board-approved awards. We will begin with brunch at 11:00 a.m. followed by the award ceremony. The fee for this event is $15/person, with awardees receiving two (2) complimentary tickets.
Brunch will be followed by Celebrations, the event to recognize those Girl Scouts who have earned their Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scout Silver Award or Presidential Volunteer Service Award and top cookie sellers. Graduating Senior Scholarships will also be presented at Celebrations, which will begin at 2:15 p.m., also at Morgan's Wonderland Event Center. Light refreshments will be served and there is no charge for this event.
Register now for either event!
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| Community Conversations 2012 |
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Nine community conversation opportunities took place throughout the council areas between March and April. Thank you to all of the volunteers who attended to lend your voice to helping bring great ideas to the table on how to support you better. The meeting notes and survey results will be given to the Volunteer Advisory Steering Committee (VASC) members for their review and they will then make recommendations to staff as they move forward with plans for GSSWT membership support.
If you were unable to attend one of the Community Conversations, here is your chance to voice your thoughts. Click here to participate in the survey members took at the conversations. This survey will be open through the end of April 2012. Don't miss this opportunity to have your voice heard!
Thank you for all of your support. We look forward to hearing from you!
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| Calling girls ages 14-18 |
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Girl Scouting provides an excellent forum for girls to learn the skills needed to become future leaders. GSSWT is currently recruiting girls to join the council's Teen Advisory Committee. As a member of the Teen Advisory Committee, girls will have the opportunity to meet quarterly with GSSWT's CEO and girls from across the council's jurisdiction, to discuss current issues and share personal insights.
All teen Girl Scouts, ages 14-18, are encouraged to apply for this exciting leadership opportunity. Serving as a member of the Teen Advisory Committee is an excellent way for teen Girl Scouts to become involved at the council level, share their experiences and provide input to GSSWT's CEO. Apply now!
For more information, contact Kassaundra Escalera (210-349-2404/1-800-580-7247 ext. 262).
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| GSSWT is relocating its west side facility |
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Quality program and service to girls and adult volunteers is a top priority of GSSWT. Recently, the organization elected to suspend all activities at the Avenida Guadalupe Girl Scout Center and vacate the premises. GSSWT has experienced exponential growth in recent years and requires a larger facility to better serve its members. It also became necessary to remove GSSWT staff from an unhealthy work environment.
Please be assured that GSSWT staff will continue to serve girls and adult volunteers through in-school and after-school activities and in collaboration with other youth serving agencies such as The Neighborhood Place, YMCA, YWCA, Boys and Girls Club and SA Youth.
Thank you for your continued support of Girl Scouting and for your patience as the organization moves forward with its momentous transformation!
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| Parkway progress and construction updates |
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Construction on the Wurzbach Parkway extension continues to progress, affecting traffic flow to and from the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center.
Long-term West Avenue closures
Beginning April 30, the Texas Department of Transportation will implement a six-month closure of West Avenue between North Loop Road and Interpark Boulevard to allow road-building crews to widen and improve the road relative to the Wurzbach Parkway construction project. Access to Walker Ranch Heritage Park, Indian Hollow Apartments and a business complex in the area will continue, but no through traffic will be permitted. For safety reasons, bike and pedestrian traffic will be restricted.
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| Accepting Applications! |
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The Mayor's Fitness Council is pleased to announce that they are searching for San Antonio students to represent the Mayor's Fitness Council in their schools as Student Ambassadors for the 2012-2013 school year.
Students who will be in grades 5-12 during the 2012-2013 school year and attend a school in Bexar County can apply now!
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Girl Scout Voices
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Please share this with girls and their parents in your troop. The link below is for girls to give input about their Girl Scout experience.
Would you be interested in giving a few minutes of your time to participate in a survey about your Girl Scout experiences?The survey results will help us understand how Girl Scouting benefits you and girls like you. Your input will tell us how we can make your experiences even better. That means that your answers are very important to the success of Girl Scouting. All answers are kept confidential. Click here to complete the survey now! Thank you for your participation.
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Girl Scouts Do Great Things!
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Nearly to the Gold!
 Girl Scout Ambassador Kati DeHaven is working toward completing her Mission Romania: Romanian Bus Girl Scout Gold Award project and is very near her goal!
Mission Romania: Romanian Bus is just about to become a reality! As of Sunday, April 22, she reached $17,000 of her $20,000 goal to purchase the bus. Acting on faith that her goal will happen, Kati has already purchased her plane ticket to Romania to deliver the bus on July 2, 2012.
It's not too late to take part in her mission! She is still challenging troops with the 1:1 Challenge where each girl can donate $1. One troop made a donation from its cookie profits and many individuals have made generous donations. To participate, mail a check -- made payable to CLUMC with Romanian Bus in the memo line -- to Mission Romania, 150 Sage Road, Canyon Lake, TX 78133.
To stay tuned to Kati's project, visit her Facebook Cause Page MISSION ROMANIA: ROMANIAN BUS.
Kati states, "It is exciting to be on the crest of the wave, ready to make a difference for these people for whom I have developed a relationship based on our faith." Way to go, Kati!
Gates Millenium Scholar
 Girl Scouts very own Girl Scout Ambassador Clarissa Medina is one out of 1,000 to be named a 2012 Gates Millenium Scholar (out of 24,000 applicants!)! This honor, based on academic achievement, community service and leadership potential, comes with a good-through-graduation scholarship to be used at any U.S. accredited college or university. Read more about Clarissa -- and the three other SAISD students named scholars as well -- here.
(Photo: Clarissa with Past Board Chair, Suzanne Peterson at Inaugural Gamma Sigma Girls Investiture Ceremony at Fox Tech High School, November 2010.)
We are so extremely proud of you, Clarissa!
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Shop News
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Open School Year Hours Now-May 31
Monday-Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Second Saturday: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
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GSSWT's Vision Statement
Our vision is to be a high performing, girl-focused staff with the desire and skill set to provide the highest standard of support that enriches, empowers, and energizes the local Girl Scout Movement. In doing so, we create a lifetime of inspiration through Girl Scout experiences that are so relevant and inclusive every girl will want to be a part.
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