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In This Issue

60 Second Seminar

The State of Girls: Unfinished Business

Girl Scouts Out and About

Get to Know Girl Scouts!

Cheers for Girls!

News from the GSOSW Shop

Resident Camp Brochure Now Online

Upcoming Activities for Girls

Adult Awards Nominations

Request up to $500 with the Vera Heidenreich Endowment

More than 500 Hours of Volunteer Training Completed

GSOSW is Hiring!

Dates to Remember
Today - January 1, 2014 All GSOSW service centers and shops closed. April 12, 2014 GSOSW Annual Meeting Location TBA October 16-19, 2014 2014 Girl Scout convention Salt Lake City, Utah Details coming soon to girlscouts.org/convention.


Is there a Girl Scout topic you want to learn more about? Suggest a topic for a 60 Second Seminar today!

The State of Girls: Unfinished Business
The State of Girls: Unfinished Business is a groundbreaking report from the Girl Scout Research Institute that stakes out key issues and major trends affecting girls' leadership and healthy development in the U.S. today. Learn more and read the report ť

Girl Scouts Out and About: Service Edition!

This month has been all about community service for girls in our council. Check out some of the amazing projects below and be sure to visit our Facebook page to share your own.

Bus Jam

Coos County, Oregon

Troop 30407 collected 1,210 lbs of food for needy families in their community.

Holiday Shoebox Project

Medford, Oregon

Jillian H. and volunteer Vicki R. represented Girl Scouts on KDRV to talk about the annual Holiday Shoebox Project. Girls and volunteers filled more than 350 gift-wrapped shoeboxes with donated gifts, hygiene items, hats, gloves and school supplies for kids and teens in need in Southern Oregon.

Walk and Knock

Vancouver, Washington

Despite icy weather, Troop 45116 participated in Walk & Knock to collect food for those in need in Clark County.

Washington County Girl Scout Christmas Breakfast for the Homeless

Hillsboro, Oregon

Hundreds of girls, volunteers and donors contributed to this special holiday event which provides approximately 1,500 individuals in need with a hot breakfast, food boxes, gifts and warm clothing.

Do you have photos of Girl Scouts out and about? Share them with us!

Quick Links
Contact us ť Join Girl Scouts ť GSOSW website ť GSOSW blog ť Girl Scout shop ť Program Guide ť Forms ť Personify help ť

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Happy New Year, Girl Scouts!

What a year it's been! We know you have tons of stories and photos from 2013 - of discovering new places, developing new skills, working together to make the world a better place, and having FUN! - and we'd love to share them with the world.

Send your photos and stories to smiller@girlscoutsosw.org by January 31, 2014 to have them considered for inclusion in our year-in-review slideshow (featured at our annual meeting!), our 2013 Annual Report and more.

Thanks for a year to remember, Girl Scouts! Best wishes for a happy new year filled with even more adventure, fun and lifelong memories.

Get to Know Girl Scouts January 4!
We're hosting open houses in our Bend, Eugene, Medford, and Portland Service Centers on Saturday, January 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. New girls and their families are invited to stop by to learn all about Girl Scouts, enjoy sweet treats and have some fun. Please help us get the word out in your community that January is a great time to join Girl Scouts! Join our Facebook event and invite friends ť

Cheers for girls!

Cheers for Girl Scout Brownie Troop 45652 and their Take Action project, seeking to name Portland's new transit bridge after Abigail Scott Duniway. Hear from the troop on why they think the bridge should be named for this trailblazing woman.

Do you have "cheers" for girls in your community? Let us know!

News from the GSOSW Shop

The Traveling Store is on the Move

The traveling store will be in Vancouver, WA on January 3 and in Lebanon on January 4. For hours and location details, visit our Shop page ť

Clearance Sale starting January 2!
Visit your local GSOSW shop or phone in your order starting January 2 to receive 20-85% off clothing, jewelry, fun patches, Girl Scout cookie-themed items and much more! Offer not available online.

Bling Your Booth

Girl Scout cookie season is here! The GSOSW shop has everything you need to look your best while running your cookie business. Find banners, yard signs, flags, t-shirts, hats and more at your local Girl Scout shop.

Opportunities for Girl Scouts

Resident camp brochure now online!

The 2014 Resident Camp Programs brochure is now online and registration is open! A printed copy of the brochure will be mailed (one per household) to every currently registered member of GSOSW in January. But don't wait until then - find your summer adventure today!

Choose from all of your favorites, plus 15 new programs! Discover the magic of Camp Arrowhead with Fairy Finders, explore your senses with Breathe at Camp Cleawox, learn about horses and try riding with Pony Express and Camp Whispering Winds, and much more! Check out all available programs quickly with our "Camps at a Glance" tool ť

Nominate a Girl for the Holly Hammann Award

Nominations due January 22, 2014
The Holly Hammann Award recognizes an outstanding girl who exemplifies Girl Scouting in her community by her actions and contributions, and who wants to go to camp. The award is for a full campership for one session at resident camp. Nominate a girl today!

Upcoming activities for girls

Digital Media Studio

January 18 in Portland, $12

Girl Scout Cadettes-Ambassadors learn the basics of digital video editing and production while making a video slideshow! No experience required. Register by 1/17/14 ť

Science in Action

January 25 in Corvallis, $5

Girl Scout Brownies participate in hands-on science and engineering activities like Outrageous Ooze, Magic Butterflies, Rotocopters and more! Register by 1/17/14 ť

Zoo Snooze

January 25 in Portland, $42

Experience the Oregon Zoo in a whole new light - moonlight! Go behind-the-scenes and up close with the animals. Register by 1/11/14 ť

For additional activities, check out the Fall-Winter Program Guide or browse Personify.

Opportunities and information for volunteers

Adult Awards Nomination Deadlines Approaching

Put simply, without the amazing dedication and generosity of our volunteers and community supporters, there would be no Girl Scouting. That's why it's so important to take time each year to recognize and thank these amazing individuals for their contribution to making the Girl Scout mission
a reality!

Leaders, parents, friends in the community, service unit volunteers, staff, and board members can all be recognized for their support of Girl Scouts. You can explore available awards and find nomination forms on our website at girlscoutsosw.org/adults/recognitions.

Many nomination deadlines are quickly approaching (for National Recognitions and Alumni Awards especially), so take the time to nominate someone today!

Endowment offers support for
girls and volunteers

The Vera E. Heidenreich/Willagillespie Community Center Endowment Fund is available to girls, volunteers and staff of Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington. Applicants can request up to $500 to purchase equipment or engage in activities or enrichment opportunities that are unknown or unforeseen at the time the council budget is adopted, and which help advance the council goal of bringing Girl Scout program to all girls.

Applications are accepted January 1-31 and funding awards are announced by February 28, 2014. For more information about the history of this award, or for details about applying, visit girlscoutsosw.org/girls/scholarships after January 1.

More Than 500 Hours of Volunteer Training Completed this Fall

Congratulations, volunteers! More than 1,000 of you participated in 200 training sessions (500+ hours!) during August- November of 2013. Nearly 80% of this training took place in person. Thank you for giving your time to learn, ensuring you are able to provide girls with the best possible leadership experience.

A special thanks to the volunteer trainers that work so hard to deliver these learning opportunities. Without their dedication and expertise, training wouldn't be possible!

If you are in need of training or want to learn about what opportunities are available, check out upcoming trainings in Personify. Don't see the training you need, or want to request a training? Contact your service unit's learning services coordinator (or interim) to coordinate your request.

GSOSW is Hiring!

Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington is hiring for multiple positions at this time, including:

Please spread the word about these wonderful opportunities to help us achieve our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place!

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character,
who make the world a better place.

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