The GSSA Weekly from Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama

May 12, 2016 

 


Welcome to GSSA Weekly, the council's e-newsletter. 
 
At right, Auburn Girl Scout Troop 7282 used their cookie proceeds to benefit the senior citizens at Ease House. 

Besides learning how to make soap bars, they used their Savvy Shopper Badge skills to stretch their dollars in buying shampoo, toothpaste/brushes, and other fun items to make goodie bags for all 105 residents.  

Their favorite part was having refreshments and playing games with the residents!
 
Click on the image or here to see a larger version. 

Want to see your Girl Scouts featured in GSSA Weekly?  
E-mail the photo with event information to communications@girlscoutssa.org.
  
Lucy Puranen's Gold Award Take Action Project Matched High School & Junior High Band Members

Lucy's Gold Award Take Action Project led her to develop a mentoring program in conjunction with her high school band. This offered one-on-one tutor-type private music lessons for younger students and leadership opportunities for older students. 

Lucy has been a Girl Scout for 13 years, earning both her Bronze and Silver Awards. She has served as a camp counselor at Camp Scoutshire Woods and at Kamp Kiwanis

Lucy will graduate from Prattville High School in 2016.  She plans to attend the University of Southern Alabama, majoring in nursing (and joining its band). Her parents are Chris and Laura Puranen of Prattville.
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Quick Links
Volunteer at Camp Sunshine in Montgomery!

You know the value that volunteering brings to the community (and to you)!  

We need volunteers to help at Camp Sunshine, a weeklong day camp for underserved girls in Montgomery. If you have volunteered in the past, you have experienced the value that Camp Sunshine brings to girls in the Montgomery area.  
 
Your presence during the week of June 6-10 will provide the help we need to ensure that Camp Sunshine is AWESOME.
 
Please contact Karlyn Edmonds at 334/272-9164 or kedmonds@girlscoutssa.org for details on this year's program. Or you can start right now by filling out the volunteer application on our website.


Sign Up for Camp Now to Attend Your Favorite Session!

Summer means Camp!  Playing in the spillway, gliding down the zip line, and learning camp songs. Making friends (and memories) that will last a lifetime!

Camp is about so much more than vacation.  Girls grow in confidence when they try new activities away from home, under the guidance of trained camp staff.

They even find out they can happily survive without technology for a few days! 

Visit our Summer Camp page, or download the 2016 Camp Guide for more information.  

Collect Toiletries Supplies for Camp Sunshine Girls!

This summer, GSSA will run Camp Sunshine, a day camp for underserved girls in Montgomery.  Many of our campers lack hygiene supplies, and we are asking our troops to help out!

Please collect toiletries like toothpaste, deodorant, and combs for our Camp Sunshine girls.  Please bring them to the Mobile or Montgomery Service Centers.

We are collecting items through May 20.  This is a great way to be a sister to every Girl Scout!  Thank you so much!

A Golden Friend Will Remain in Our Hearts Forever 

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.   For those of you who have met me out and about, you might know that I was often accompanied by someone gold.   She was a rescue golden retriever who wasn't necessarily the healthiest pet, but an animal that loved to be around girls, camps, and council events.
What I have often learned in life is sometimes others know more about what is good for me than I do.    After living here two years with no dogs, I contacted Gulf South Golden Retriever Rescue to see if they had a golden retriever for me.   I had a lengthy discussion with their volunteers (who, by the way, are wonderful).   My criteria was that I needed a dog I could have around the girls.   Because I travel a lot, my dog would need to be happy in the car.   Also, I needed one that I could have in the woods, when I am there alone and with others -- in other words, a dog that would not run off.  They discussed the different goldens they had available at the time and decided they had one that I should look at.   So one April Saturday I drove to New Orleans and met a foster parent, Alicia.   This was clearly an interview.   The question is whether I could handle the dog and whether the dog would connect with me.   This is when I met Amber.
Continue reading on our Virtual Volunteer Blog. 

New Programs & Updates
 
Both Service Centers and the online shop will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day.

 Save the Date: Thin Mint Sprint August 20 (Mobile)
   
Upcoming Deadlines 

Event
Location
Date
Deadline
FA/CPR/AED Certification (Volunteers)  
 Montgomery
5/12
online study
FA/CPR/AED Certification (Volunteers)  
 Montgomery
5/26
online study
Gators After Dark (Leader/Daughters Registration)  
 Spanish Fort
6/11
5/20
Gators After Dark (Mother/Daughters Registration)  
 Spanish Fort
6/11
5/26
webinar
6/2 & as needed
RSVP 
 
Other Opportunities
Because we want our girls to have many learning (and fun!) opportunities, we offer this additional calendar for programs that are not presented by our council. Some of these programs are presented by our volunteer Troops and Service Units, others are put on by groups in the communities we serve. Calendar listings do not imply endorsement by the council.  This calendar is available on our Events & Programs page 
Please contact the volunteer listed in the program for more information and program status. 
Newly Listed Events: