Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida
www.gssef.org                                                                                                       January 7, 2016 
                                                                    
dates
Mark Your Calendar!    calendar-banner-yellow.jpg
You don't want to miss any of the great things happening at GSSEF. 
  
2016 Girl Scout Cookie Sale Program: January 21 - February 14
2016 Bling Your Cookie Booth Contest: January 21 - January 31
2016 Emerald Awards: February 20 
2016 Mall Madness: February 27 - 28
2016 Volunteer Weekend: March 11-13
2016 Thin Mint Sprint: April 3 - Halpatiokee Regional Park, Stuart; April 9 - Topeekeegee Yugnee Park, Hollywood; April 10 - Okeeheelee Park, West Palm Beach 
Girl Scout Alumnae and Friends of Girl Scouting Cruise: June 3 - 6, 2016 
  
Please Note: GSSEF will be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
bling
Bling Out Your Cookie Booth. Enter the Bling Your Booth Contest!
Want the busiest booth on the block? Wouldn't that be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G? All you have to do is grab that big imagination, get creative and enter the GSSEF Bling Your Booth contest.

How to submit Your Photo Entry 
Photos can be submitted starting on January 21st through our GSSEF App. You can download the App from your App store. Click here for all the details on what you need to do and how to enter.

What will you win? 
The winners gets a delicious super-fun pizza party for the whole troop.

Questions?  
Contact Melinda Glasco at mglasco@gssef.org.
or (561) 427-0180.

family
Families Play an Important Role During Cookie Season  
Girl Scout Cookie Sale Dates: January 21 to February 14, 2016 
Have you wondered what your family can do to help your Girl Scout have a successful and fun Cookie Season? We can tell you that families play a very important role. Your encouragement, coaching and guidance will be key ingredients to a successful Cookie Program experience for her. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is a part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, which is girl driven. Let your Girl Scout take the lead in selling cookies and reaching goals. Never do for a Girl Scout what she can do for herself!
 
Check out the top ways families can support their Girl Scout during the Annual Girl Scout Cookie Sale program here.
 
best
Get Ready for Volunteer Weekend 2016 - Glamping at its Best
Where will you be on Friday March 11, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.? The correct answer is "checking in  at Volunteer Weekend" at Camp Nocatee, of course! We will ALL be there for a weekend full of fun, games, friendship, new troop activity ideas, crafts, team building and pampering because the theme this year is (drum roll...) GLAMPING! So Let us pamper you Friday night and all day Saturday so that on Sunday, after breakfast, you will leave refreshed, relaxed, inspired, cheered and...ready for more troop activities!  
 
Registration Information 
Registration is already open. The weekend is open to all registered volunteers so bring your cookie mom, your nut mom, your co-leaders and all your parent volunteers -- come one, come all to this glamorous event! Click here to reserve your spot! The registration fee of $55 includes food, t-shirt, lodging, materials, crafts and all the fun you will have!
 
Questions? Contact Gabriella Gaita at ggaita@gssef.org or 954-513-3774. 
miss
Introducing Our Miss Thin Mint Sprints!
Congratulations to three of our very own Girl Scouts who have been chosen to serve as the Miss Thin Mint Sprint Ambassador for their race location.

2016 Miss Thin Mint Ambassadors:
Claire A. - Halpatiokee Regional Park, Stuart - April 3rd
Lauren M. - Topeekeegee Yugnee Park, Hollywood - April 9th
Flora S. - Okeeheelee Park, West Palm Beach - April 10th

Registration is open, so have your troop or company start a Thin Mint Sprint team today!

voting
#GirlsChoose the New Design for the Arts in the Outdoors Badge
Voting starts January 11th.
You can't have a new Girl Scouts badge without a girl inspired design!  Girls will now have a chance to vote on the design of their new Arts in the Outdoors badge in an online poll that will be open from January 11th-22nd. We'll post the voting link on our Facebook page on January 11.

In this round of polling, girls will choose their grade from a drop down menu. Based on their grade, they will be shown two design options for the badge they will be able to earn in the fall when these are released.  
clear
Cool Girl Scout Gear All Year-Round
Have you made a visit to one of our retail stores lately? There is plenty of new merchandise to check out. Our stores have everything you need to make it your best Girl Scout year ever! Questions? Email Jodi Potter at jpotter@gssef.org.  
 


January Clearance Sale
Get out your shopping list because you won't want to miss our semi-annual winter clearance sale. Shop both locations and take an additional 30% off a wide selection of clearance items.
 
This would be the perfect time to shop, save and stock up on all the items that make your Girl Scout year lots of fun.

We invite you to stop by either of our retail stores during the clearance sale and check out all the great buys.
 

offers
2016 Winter Bounce Back Coupon Offer   
In addition to our January clearance event, here's another way to add more value to your Girl Merchandise purchases. Clearance purchases qualify too.
  • Spend $75 or more now through January 25, 2016 (online) or January 28 (in-store) and receive a $10 coupon to spend on a $25 or more purchase from February 1 to February 15 when shopping online and February 1 - February 20 when shopping in one of our retail locations.
  • Online customers will receive an email with a $10 coupon code for each transaction totaling $75 or more, excluding gift certificates. Coupons will be sent to online customers after January 25.
 
Remember - Our Online Store is Always Open
You can also shop anytime by visiting our Online Store that is open 24/7.
      
reserve
Reservations Due January 15 for the Special Girl Scout Alumnae & Friends Cruise to the Bahamas: June 3-6, 2016
With just nine days remaining to make your reservations for this exclusive Cruise for Alumnae & Friends of Girl Scouting (adults only), now is the time to do so! The Cruise makes for a great alumnae reunion and a chance to make new friends. You can also bring along your spouse or friends; just don't miss out on this fabulous cruise. The reservation deadline is January 15.

 Get ready to say Bon Voyage in June as you come aboard this exclusive cruise to the Bahamas. We will be cruising on the beautiful Enchantment of the Seas®. We will stop and shop in Nassau, relax on the white sand beach of CocoCay, and take part in Girl Scouts activities! There will additional exciting Girl Scout events and more. Double occupancy rates include a $50 per person donation to GSSEF.

For Cruise and reservation information, check out the flyer here.
  
   
grow
GSSEF Membership Continues to Grow
GSSEF is excited to share that our membership is growing! More girls in our six county jurisdiction are  being registered and participating in Girl Scout troops and activities throughout our communities. As of January 4, 2016 there are 9,413 girls registered, a 10-percent increase from the same time last year. Service Unit Volunteer teams and staff are continuing recruitment activities and events throughout the new year, and we will continue to form new troops as new girls and families join the organization. It's never too late to be a Girl Scout! Visit our website for more information or to register at www.gssef.org.
 
Membership registration inquiries may be sent to membership@gssef.org.
 
   
shout
I Can't Wait for My Next Girl Scout Adventure!

We'd Love to Give You a Shout Out
Do you have photos from your troop or service unit activities that you would like to share? We'd love to give you a shout out. To submit them, complete this short form here.       

 
Shout out to Girl Scout troops in the Wildflower Service Unit for participating in Operation Gratitude which  sends sweet candy treats to our U.S. Military troops. They helped sort the candy and chocolate that they and other service unit troops donated so it was ready to ship. Also, they donated the chocolate to Joe Dimaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood.






 

Shout out to Girl Scouts in Troop #10863 for bringing holiday cheer to residents of a local nursing home. They sang Christmas carols, brought gifts, cookies and cards to brighten up the holidays for the residents.
 







 
 
Shout out to the 18 girls from the Royal Palm Service Unit for assisting with the certification  of two new Canine Assisted Therapy Dogs. Thanks to their efforts, Merlin and Lexi have joined the ranks of certified Canine Assisted Therapy dogs and are now available to work with children.




Take a look at more photos of Girl Scout Adventures 
Check-out GSSEF'S Flickr page.

mall
Program Spotlight

Whooo's ready for Mall Madness?
Calling all night owls! Come out and party all night on February 27 with your Girl Scout sisters as we take over Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs! Our night of Mall Madness includes stores for shopping, a food court for fuel, and a DJ with dancing tunes, just to name a few. 

Enjoy a whole new program experience  including:
  • Interactive program provider-lead activities like Bright and Smart Robotics where you will be able to Build a Roller Coaster
  • A digital Scavenger Hunt and our Pajama Parade
  • Participation in the Biggest SWAP Exchange Ever and an interactive community service workshop to Make the World a Better Place! For additional information, see the Mall Madness 2016 flyer.
Registration 
General Admission: - $30 per person and includes a patch. To register, click here.

Questions? Contact Meredith Slaymaker at mslaymaker@gssef.org or Catalina Cano at ccano@gssef.org.   

Check out More Programs   
Check out programs by visiting our online Program Calendar here. Also, download the new GSSEF app from your app store for timely program alerts.  

Online Program Flyer Gallery 
Check out available program flyers on our Program Flyer Gallery web page here. You will be able to easily view and print available program flyers. Program flyers include the program's description, grade level, location and registration links or information.     
 
Program Contacts
Lammy Askar, director of program - aaskar@gssef.org 
Catalina Cano, regional program manager -  ccano@gssef.org 
Meredith Slaymaker, regional program manager - mslaymaker@gssef.org 
Diana Mills, program registrar - dmills@gssef.org 
service
Earn President's Volunteer Service Award for 2015
GSSEF offers the opportunity for our members to earn the President's Volunteer Service Award. This prestigious national award is given by the President of the United States and honors our members who have demonstrated a commitment to volunteer service. Adults, girls and troops can earn this award. GSSEF serves as a certifying organization for the award and the window is now open to submit your volunteer hours. You only have until February 1, 2016 to submit your hours, so don't delay!

Please click here for instructions on how to submit your volunteer hours for 2015.

If you have any questions please contact Maritsa Benoit at 954-513-3769 or mbenoit@gssef.org.
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