Three months after risking her own life to save two other children from drowning, 14 year old Christina "Kate" Jerome received Girl Scouting's highest lifesaving award, the Bronze Cross. Only 4-6 girls receive the award annually out of 2.3 million Girl Scouts nationwide.

On July 24, 2012, Taytam Trauthwein, her younger brother Rylee and Kate Jerome were swimming in Lake Cleawox near Florence, Oregon. As the group made their way to shore, Rylee began to panic and struggle in the water. Kate immediately offered help and safely got Rylee to shore. Meanwhile, Taytam began to have an asthma attack. As soon as Kate noticed that Taytam had begun to drown, she yelled for someone to call 911 and - at risk to her own safety - dove back in to the water to rescue her friend. Kate swam Taytum back to shore just as her lips were turning blue and eyes began rolling back in her head. With the aid of others, Kate was able to keep Taytam stable until the paramedics arrived.

Area paramedics, who responded to the emergency in July, said of Kate, "She did a wonderful job. If she hadn't reacted the way she did, things may have played out differently. She deserves the award."

At a ceremony honoring Kate held last month in Roseburg, Oregon, Kate wiped away tears as Taytam recounted her story, "Kate and I have been best friends for nine years now, and I just want to say - thank you."

"It's a rare thing to find someone willing to put their own life at risk to save another," says Stephanie Smetana, Chief Operating Officer for Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington. "Kate has shown maturity beyond her years, and truly embodies the Girl Scout spirit of helping people at all times."

For more information about Girl Scout Lifesaving Awards, visit girlscoutsosw.org.

Join the Portland Trail Blazers March 2 or 16, 2013 for special Girl Scout Group Nights! Girls that attend one or more of the above games are also invited to a special FREE "Me and My Guy" basketball clinic on February 9. 
 

When a girl joins a Girl Scout troop, we know that she'll have fun, learn new things, share adventures with the other members of her troop and probably earn a few badges along the way. But at its core, what are the essential elements that define the Girl Scout troop experience?

The graphic below identifies the 10 essential elements of a Girl Scout troop. Whether a girl is a member of a troop in Gold Beach, La Grande, Portland, Bend, Creswell or anywhere in between, these elements are present. The presence of these elements ensure a consistent Girl Scout experience for girls throughout our council. And whether a girl is in a troop that meets from September through June or if she joins one that gets started in February, it's these 10 elements that define her troop experience, not the length of her experience.

We're forming Girl Scout troops all year long. If you want to be part of the troop experience, either as a volunteer adult leader or as a girl member, it's never too late. Contact your local Girl Scout service center to find out how to get started.

Did you know that Girl Scouts USA has digital programming for girls available on their For Girls website? There are many games, contests, interactive activities and videos for girls to utilize, all grouped by age. Here are some of our favorites:

• Girls can make a public service announcement that inspires someone to create change utilizing the Girl Scouts Speak Out feature. The fall-winter theme is "It doesn't have to be like this..." asking girls to imagine a world without bullying. They can learn about PSAs, think critically about the topic of bullying - tying this activity to the Girl Scout Journeys - and take action to end bullying.
   
• Girls Go Green. Have an old t-shirt sitting in your closet? Turn it into a reusable tote bag!
   
• Girl Scout Brownies can watch videos from the Brownie Elf and Friends including Managing Money and the Brownie Elf Hiker Song.
   
• Check out the 2012 Webby Award nominated program Be The Director! Girls can experience all of the pieces to shooting a film and then play it back for their friends and family!
   
• Teens can be inspired by other teen Girl Scouts by visiting the Map It! Girls Changing the World site. Girls can see what Girl Scout Gold, Silver or Bronze Award projects are going on along with Forever Green and Journey Take Action Projects. They can add their own projects too!

New games, activities and videos are being added often so bookmark this page and come back regularly!