Spotlight on Hurricane Sandy Service Projects
Hurricane Sandy, one of the largest and most brutal storms to hit the East Coast recently, remade landscapes and rewrote the record books. Although it left behind significant damage and destruction, the outpouring of support from local Girl Scout troops was also enormous. Troops collected material and monetary donations, and even used last year's leftover cookie profit to purchase supplies. Items were then packed up with handmade cards and shipped to affected councils in New York and New Jersey. GSEP is very proud of the immense support our scouts have shown towards their sisters and friends and of the projects they invent every day to help others. Here are some of their stories!
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|  The Kutztown Service Unit Brownie Troop 1473, Junior Girl Scout Troop 153 and 2 Cadette Girl Scout Helpers from Troop 1546 collected donations to send to Sea Bright, N.J., to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. Their collection filled two mini vans (seats removed) full of food, water, clothing, personal hygiene supplies, cleaning supplies, baby formula/food, diapers and pet supplies for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. |
|  Cadette Troop 7268 of Hatboro wanted to help Girl Scouts of Staten Island, New York who lost everything, so they went shopping with some of last year's cookie profit money and bought items ranging from notebooks and pens to hair accessories, games, nail polish, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, nail polish, toiletries, and lunch bags with drink bottles to help 10 Cadettes. They then packaged them all up and wrote cards of inspiration and hope to include in the packages. The shopping trip really hit home with the girls when they realized that everything they take for granted was lost by girls just like them who live only an hour or so away. It meant so much to the girls to know that they were able to help their sister Scouts. |
|  On Sunday, November 11, local girls got together to reach out to their sister Girl Scouts affected by Hurricane Sandy, and packed up "Scout to Scout" shoe boxes to send to girls on Staten Island. A typical box included pajamas, a shirt or sweater, underwear, socks, notepaper, markers, hair elastics, toothpaste, Girl Scout Cookie flavored lip gloss, and a handmade card. After filling 15 shoe boxes and another big shipping box of additional girls' clothing, school supplies, and toys, it was all sent to a Girl Scout Cadette troop in Staten Island who will distribute the donations to girls in the Ocean Breeze/South Beach area. In addition, a large bag of adult clothing and toiletries was collected and given to Patch's Sandy Relief Drive. This project was a joint effort of Malvern's Girl Scout Cadette Troop 41915 (6th graders at Great Valley Middle School) and SCOOP (a group of 6th through 12th grade Girl Scouts), and was made possible by the generosity of the families of Girl Scout Troops 4603, 41575, 41836, and 41915. SCOOP stands for SCOuting OPportunities, and is a new older girl group in the Great Valley Service Unit that meets monthly for events and service. |
|  Junior/Cadette Troop 81083 held a week-long supply drive at our local elementary school and collected just under 500 cleaning, personal and baby care, food, and clothing items. Donations along with dozens of cards expressing wishes for recovery were shipped to Cadette Troop 5327 of Staten Island for distribution in the New York City and northern New Jersey areas. |
|  The Girl Scout troops of Southern Lehigh volunteered their time at "sports team community collection" for victims of Hurricane Sandy. The sports teams in our area joined forces to fill up a tractor trailer with donations. The Girl Scouts volunteered their time in shifts to help load the truck and sort the items at The Inside Scoop in Coopersburg. They also collected monetary donations in buckets to help the victims. |
|  Girls representing Brownie troop 812, led by Alicia Freeman-Nield, and Junior troops 810, led by Patty Scipioni, troop 8015, led by Jen Woolley, and troop 8412, led by Becky Gormley, all organized items collected by each of their troops. The items were delivered to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, who sent them to Lakewood, NJ, where they have an affiliate team. The girls collected coats, cleaning products, toiletries, Rubbermaid bins, children's games, pet food, non perishable food items, paper products, and a Wal-Mart gift card. |
Program Updates
New Program Vision-developed by girls!
On January 6th (snow date January 13th) from 2 to 4, the Program Department will be hosting the first annual GIRLS SUMMIT at Shelly Ridge, Valley Forge, Laughing Waters, and Mountain House. We are looking for girl, volunteer, and parent voices about the direction of future GSEP programs. Each session will feature strategy cafes on the following program categories: STEM, Leadership, Environment, and Entrepreneurship.
The Girls Summit will be in addition to an online Girl Survey we will be sending out in December. This summit is the first step toward a girl program planning committee that will be formed in the near future. Please register for the Girls Summit via Online Registration.
Click here for updated information on our Service Opportunities for girls and troops.
Tweedale Camper Reunion Overnight and Day Program
Valley Forge Program Center, Valley Forge, PA
Overnight
Grades: 7-12
4 pm Saturday, January 19-4pm Sunday January 20
Cost: $25 per girl, includes Saturday dinner, late night snack, and Sunday breakfast and lunch.
Day Only
All Ages, Sunday, January 20 1-4pm
Cost: $6 per girl
This is a girl only event! If you love Tweedale summer camp, you are invited to our annual camper reunion. We also welcome any girl who hasn't been to camp to come see what it's all about. Reunion campers will be singing camp songs, doing camp arts and crafts, playing games, doing skits, watching slideshows, and having an awesome time!
Check out these girls using GPS units to find hidden treasures known as Geocaches during one of our council programs!
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Girl Scouts of Eastern PA Council Awards and Scholarships
Registered Girl Scouts in grades 9-12 are eligible to apply for 11 council scholarships. Some of the awards are scholarships for college, while others are awarded for recognition of contributions to the community. Each award has different criteria, requirements, and applications. This application process is open to all members who meet the criteria of the awards that are offered. Please note the timeline below to participate in the process.
January 15, 2013 Applications must be received at one of the Girl Scout Service Centers
March 2013 Notification letters sent to applicants
Spring 2013 Achievement Ceremony (Date TBA)
Scholarship applications can be found at www.gsep.org/ForGirls/Scholarships. You can also find "A Scholarship and Award Guide" on the same web page. Scholarship applications can be sent to girlawards.org. Questions: Contact Joan Hannahoe at 610-791-2411, ext. 1509.
Silver and Gold Award Workshops - Girls, volunteers, and parents who want to learn about the award guidelines need to register for an awards workshop. Dates, locations and times for the workshops are posted on our website at ForGirls/BronzeSilverGoldAwards.
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Retail Corner
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Registration Update
2013 Membership Financial Aid
Financial aid is still available for 2013 membership, troop dues, and uniform components. Apply by completing the Financial Aid Form and mailing it to:
Girl Scouts of Eastern PA
210 George Street
Suite 106
Reading, PA 19605
ATTN: Financial Aid Request
Financial Aid requests MUST include the following:
- Complete and signed financial aid application
- Complete and signed membership registration form (if applying for this)
- Required Proof of Income from the approved list:
- salaries/ wages
- social security
- child support
- unemployment compensation
- disability
- worker compensation
- proof of eligibility of free/reduced lunch program
Incomplete packets or packets submitted with proof of income that does not appear on the approved list above will not be processed. Proof of income will be destroyed upon verification, do not send original documents - they will not be returned to you.
Troop Transfers and New Member Placements
The Member Placement/Transfer Form is available online at www.gsep.org. The form is located on the General Forms for Volunteers and Parents page. Troop leaders requesting transfers or additions should fill out the necessary information (for both girls and parents), and email it to their Service Unit Registrar or Service Unit Manager for approval. Once approved, it can be sent to ebiz@gsep.org for database processing. Be sure to include the transfer to/from information, a complete name and address, and confirm the transferee is already registered for 2013 so we can complete the request for you!
Online Registration
Registering online is the best way to register for programs! Not only is it faster, but you know immediately if you are in, if the program is full, or if there are any problems with your payment or registration information. It beats the old paper process hands down, so give it a try!
To register troop members for programs on line:
- Open http://www.gsep.org
- Click ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM on the menu to the left of your screen
- Enter your user name and password and click LOGIN
- Click on TROOP MANAGEMENT on the left side menu. A listing of your troop members will appear at the bottom of the screen. On the left side of each troop member is a small box. You can select members by clicking on the box next to the name. If you want to select everyone assigned to your troop, click the first box located in the header section.
- In the box marked Action, click the drop down arrow and select Purchase or register for - you will be sent to a complete list of memberships, donation types, and meeting products. You can page through the programs listed or use the search field at the top right of your screen to find the specific program you are interested in.
- Click ADD TO CART to complete your purchase!
REMEMBER: whatever action you choose will be applied to each person you have checked off. This is important when purchasing programs as it will add a program order for each member that you checked. Make sure your order summary is correct before you proceed to checkout!
Help Desk - having trouble registering online?
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Picture Place
|  Brownie Troop 1706 from the West Lawn was in a Halloween parade that was featured in the Reading Eagle Newspaper on Thursday, October 25, 2012. The theme was Girls Around the World and they won a cash prize for their participation. |
|  On Friday November 2nd, several troops from the Eight Oaks Service Unit in Berks County got together to celebrate Juliette Gordon Lows' birthday by having a pajama party. To help them celebrate even more, they had a spa day theme. The girls had a good old fashioned pillow fight, a dance party and painted picture frames on Friday night. On Saturday, the girls decorated their frames, had their nails painted, a facial, made lip gloss, and also soaked their feet and had them messaged. |
|  Over 80 Palmerton Girl Scouts marched in the Carbon County Veteran's Day Parade to show their support and appreciation to our Veterans. The truck carrying the giant star created by Troop 33416 pulled the trailer adorned with postcards thanking a Veteran created by each troop in the Service Unit. |
|  Members of Girl Scout Troop 91531 from Frank Glavin Playground, in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, would like to extend their congratulations to fellow scout, Angela B, for her performance in the Walnut Street Theatre production of The Music Man. Angela has been a member of Girl Scouts since Kindergarten - Daisy troop, and is currently 11 years old and in the 6th Grade. She has performed in many of the local productions of the Port Richmond Theatre Company.
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Fall Shop Hours
Shelly Ridge
215-483-7744
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am - 5pm
Wednesday, 10am - 7pm
Lehigh Valley
484-866-4140
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am - 5pm
Tuesday, 10am - 7pm
Valley Forge
484-927-2317
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am - 5pm
Thursday, 10am - 7pm
Jane Seltzer
215-745-8757
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am - 5pm
Wednesday, 10am - 7pm
Delaware County
610-328-7564
Monday, 10am - 7pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am -5pm
Berks County
877-876-0761 ext 1601
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am - 5pm
Wednesday, 10am - 7pm
Stores will be closed December 17 and December 24 - January 1
Shop the Girl Scouts Catalog Online
Price Match Guarantee! GSEP matches all GSUSA prices in our council shops and online. This includes in-stock sale items! |
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Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout!
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