Event Spotlight: G.L.O.W.

GSHCC's first annual Girls Leading Our Way (G.L.O.W.) Conference was a great success! G.L.O.W. was designed to bring older Girl Scouts together and give them resources to enhance their leadership skills. On Saturday, May 31, 2014, a total of 46 Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts participated in workshops and discussions where they learned valuable info, such as how to boost public speaking skills and prepare for college, to what it takes to succeed. In the evening, all of the girls came together to bond, have fun and reflect on the day.

G.L.O.W.  was an amazing experience that Girl Scouts Heart of Central California was proud to host. If you missed the conference this year, be on the lookout for G.L.O.W next year!  

Girl Scout Award Highlights

Girl Scout Silver Award Ceremony, Girls Who Inspire Award Ceremony, bridging ceremonies, and Court of Awards—there are SO many Girl Scout accomplishments to celebrate this time of year. And we couldn't be more proud! Here are a few highlights...

This pic collage is from a recent Court of Awards Ceremony. The girls worked so hard during the cookie season and reached their cookie goal, so they wrote a letter to What's the Scoop? Ice Cream sharing their story and the Sacramento hop donated ice cream for their party.

The Girl Scout Silver Award Ceremony was held on June 7 at the Sacramento Convention Center. This year, 190 girls from GSHCC received their Silver Award... amazing!

On June 8, we held the Girls Who Inspire Award Ceremony at Crest Theatre, honoring girls who received the highest awards in Girl Scouting. This year, 52 girls received their Girl Scout Gold Award, 14 received their GSHCC Rose Award, and 20 girls received their Bridge to Girl Scout Adult Award. Great job, Girl Scouts!


Congratulations to all Girl Scouts who received an award or celebrated an accomplishment this year! And a big thank you to all the volunteers, advisers and parents who supported their Girl Scout and her journey.

BIG Day of Giving on May 6, 2014

On May 6 we are trying something NEW: Girl Scouts Heart of Central California is participating in an online crowdfunding campaign for Sacramento Region called the BIG Day of Giving (#givebigdog), which aims to inspire and unite the community in supporting hundreds of local nonprofits (nearly 400!).

For 24 hours, you will have the opportunity to give where your heart is. Starting at midnight on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, online donations to GSHCC will be accepted through this link: http://givelocalnow.org/girlscouts. One of the best parts? There’s an incentive to BOOST all donations! Thanks to awesome community foundations and businesses, every donation will receive a prorated match from a pool of matching funds.

GSHCC’s BIG goal: 

Our #givebigdog goal is to receive 102 individual donations on May 6—a donation for each of the 102 years that Girl Scouts has been building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.

YOU can help! Here’s how:

• Give: Please consider making a donation to GSHCC. Programs for girls receive only 6% of philanthropic dollars in the U.S. By donating to GSHCC—the premier leadership development organization for girls—you’re helping to empower girls to develop their full potential… which in return will help create a brighter future for all of us. And with the matching incentive, your donation will go even further on May 6.

• Share: Our social networks will be active with #givebigdog content between now and throughout the BIG day. Please share the content with your friends, family and personal networks to help get the word out! If you don’t already follow us on Facebook and Twitter, please do so:
• GSHCC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSHCC
• GSHCC Twitter: https://twitter.com/GirlScoutsHCC

Thank you for your continued support of Girl Scouts! For more information on #givebigdog, visit givelocalnow.org or email funddev@girlscoutshcc.org.

Anna Maria Chávez sets the Record Straight

"At Girl Scouts, we stand for girls. Our mission is to help today's girls develop the skills they need to become tomorrow's leaders." Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez sets the record straight on recent misconceptions. Please watch this video...
 


For more information, visit the "For the Record" section on our website.  

Two New Cookie Incentives!

GSHCC's 2014 Girl Scout Cookie Program is off to a great start... and it just got sweeter. We're excited to announce two new incentives are being offered: one for #cookiebosses and the other for service units.

Exclusive incentive for cookie bosses: Girl Scouts who sell 1200+ packages of cookies will now receive a V.I.P. Cookie Boss Overnight!

Sweet incentive for service units: The top five service units that boost cookie sales over their 5% goal will be awarded a custom patch made especially for them.

Here's to a great cookie season!

What's your cookie goal this year? Which recognitions are you most excited about?

National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend!

This year we’re celebrating National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend on Friday, February 7 & Saturday, February 8! This is a great opportunity for Girl Scouts and supporters to share with the community the importance of the Girl Scout Cookie Program and what it does for the girls and their communities.

On National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, Girl Scout councils from around the nation will be celebrating and promoting the five skills girls learn while participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

These five skills include:

• Goal Setting
• Decision Making
• Money Management
• People Skills
• Business Ethics

Join with us on February 7 & 8 to share with the world the power of the Girl Scout Cookie Program!

Here’s how:
Feb. 4-8: Help us spread the word on social media about Girl Scout Cookies and what girls learn by participating in the Cookie Program! Plus, participate in a GSHCC cookie video montage--share your National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend photos with us:

• GSHCC’s Facebook page. 
• Tag @GirlScoutsHCC on Instagram 
• Tag @GirlScoutsHCC on Twitter 
• Email photos to marcomm(at)girlscoutshcc(dot)org 

Feb. 5: Participate in the virtual Twitter Party with Girl Scouts, Mom It Forward, and a panel of experts to celebrate National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend. Join the conversation to talk all things cookies (yum!), learn about this season’s sweepstakes and discuss the five skills girls acquire while participating in the largest girl-led business. The virtual Twitter Party starts Wednesday, February 5 from 6–7 p.m. PT. See here for details about the giveaway. (Hashtags: #gno #cookieboss)

Feb. 6: Giveaway ends and winner will be announced soon after. Enter the GSUSA and Mom it Forward National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend Giveaway and you could receive a basket full of Girl Scout merchandise.

Feb. 7: Stop by the National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend cookie booth at Sacramento’s Capital Garage! The booth will be up from 8–10 a.m.

Feb. 7 & 8: Celebrate with your Girl Scout troop by discussing your cookie goals, making signs and decorations for your upcoming cookie booths, or fill out thank you cards for customers who have already purchased cookies. This is a great weekend to prepare for Girl Scout cookie booths! Psst… and a great weekend for a troop slumber party!

We can’t wait for the fun! And don't forget to pick up your National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend fun patch from The GS Shop!

How will your troop celebrate National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend?

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!

There's more to Girl Scout Cookies than what's in the box! Selling cookies teaches skills essential to leadership. 

Here are some tips for the start of the Girl Scout Cookie Program:

1. Decision making & goal setting: If you haven’t already, set your cookie goals! Then decide as a troop what you’d like to do with the troop money earned, such as fun activities and community service projects. Use the COCO Cookie Command as a tool.

2. People skills: Be sure you know your product! Remember to let your customers know what you are selling, why you are selling it, and why they should purchase it. Continue to practice your “sales pitch.” Team up with a friend and take turns being a potential customer. Ask each other questions a customer might ask you.

3. Money management: Since a package of Girl Scout Cookies is $4.00 even, it makes it easy to make change. Make a change “cheat sheet” so that you know how much change to give a customer quickly. Learn how to “count back” change. This is great customer service and this technique will make sure you are collecting the right amount of money and returning the right amount of change.

4. Business ethics: Use some key parts of the Girl Scout Law such as “honest and fair”, “friendly and helpful”, “responsible for what I say and do” and “respect myself and others” to keep yourself on the right track when running your sale.

5. Project Thank You! Did you know GSHCC has an opportunity for customers to give Girl Scout Cookies to the military? Project Thank You will donate Girl Scout Cookies to American Red Cross who will take them to the military personnel serving our country.

More tips coming soon! For more information about the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please visit the GSHCC website.

Mrs. Claus is coming to town!

Mrs. Claus has been visiting Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) for several years, and this year she will be at the GSHCC Sacramento Regional Program Center's GS Shop on December 21, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.! This free event will include a photo opportunity with Mrs. Claus, games, crafts, and special shop sales. Plus, if you bring a donation of school supplies for GSHCC’s World Thinking Day education event, you will receive a 25%-off coupon to use at The Girl Scout Shop. 

The Modesto Regional GS Shop will also celebrate from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on December 21 with raffles, games and a fun wintery photo backdrop. 

While you’re at the shop—check out the perfect holiday gifts! GS Shops have everything from stocking stuffers, dolls and Speed Stack cups, to warm knitted scarves, caps and gloves. 

Happy Holidays!

Please note GSHCC's holiday hours: The GSHCC offices and shops will be closed December 25–January 1 for the holiday break, but our eShop will be open 24/7 with FREE shipping!

Invite a Friend!

As a volunteer, you introduce girls to new experiences that show them they’re capable of more than they ever imagined. You’re their cheerleader, guide, and mentor, helping them develop skills and confidence that will last a lifetime.

Pull your friends together and talk about the fun you’ve had with Girl Scouts! Over coffee, dessert, or even a girls’ night out, invite a friend to be a role model for girls by volunteering with Girl Scouts. And check out this last chance offer: If you’re one of the first 500 current Girl Scout volunteers to invite a friend to join Girl Scouts as a new troop leader or assistant troop leader for Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors (kindergarteners through fifth graders), you’ll receive a Girl Scout prize pack of your choice:

Small and Mighty Pack 

Trefoil Earbuds, Accessory Case, Trefoil Pens, Girl Scout Shorthand Charm (silver tone), and Girl Scout Profile Stickers

Tech Savvy Pack 

Trefoil Headphones, Tablet Sleeve, Mouse Pad

Invite as many friends as you can to be a Girl Scout troop leader by sharing your story. Once you’ve invited your friend, ask your friend to complete a membership form or volunteer application, then notify us by filling out this short form, and if you’re one of the first 500 volunteers to invite-a-friend, you'll receive a prize pack! Your friend will be contacted by Girl Scout staff to help get started! Offer ends 11/20/2013.

Have a question or need supporting recruitment materials? Check out the FAQ section on our website!

Exciting week for Girl Scouts!

This week is Girl Scouts’ “I can’t wait to” National Recruitment Week—September 30–October 7. Girl Scout councils nationwide are promoting the “I can’t wait to” campaign, signing girls up to be Girl Scouts, and spreading the message that we need more adult volunteers so that even more girls can become Girl Scouts. And to kick off the week, GSUSA released a video featuring our Honorary National President, First Lady Michelle Obama—check it out: www.girlscouts.org/join. In this video, she highlights the fun of Girl Scouting and the important role of Girl Scout volunteers… exciting, right?!

We want everyone to hear about the fun and importance of Girl Scouts!

Here’s how you can help spread the word:

• Please share with your networks online and offline about Girl Scouts’ “I can’t wait to” National Recruitment Week.
• Specifically share the link to the video with your networks as well: www.girlscouts.org/join.
• Interact with GSHCC’s posts on our social networks (Facebook and Twitter).

To celebrate recruitment week, please leave a comment sharing with us what you love most about Girl Scouting!

Day Camp Spotlight: Air Aware

Air Aware day camp wrapped up its fourth year hosting Girl Scout Cadettes! Thirty-one girls participated this year, completing the requirements to earn the Aware and Alert awards from the Breathe! Journey. The girls had guest presenters from BREATHE Sacramento; Spare The Air and Yoga Seed. These presentations lent a hand in projects the girls were working on, to become more aware of the impact we have on the air and the environment. 

They also got to tour Sacramento State University, spend a night at the Sacramento Hostel and were even treated to a movie at Esquire IMAX! At the end of the week they presented their newfound knowledge about air to parents, staff, troop leaders, and volunteers. It was a fantastic week of fun, learning, adventure and memories, with a great group of girls. Another successful year for Air Aware!

 

 

Troop 4223 Recycles to Help Girls Become Girl Scouts

Girl Scout Daisy Troop 4223 collected and redeemed recyclables throughout the school year, then donated the $150 earned to Girl Scout’s Family Partnership Campaign. Their efforts and funding paid for 10 girls' membership fees through their troop donation to the Family Partnership Campaign. In addition to providing an opportunity to discuss using resources wisely and helping the planet by recycling, this effort tied-in nicely with their first grade lessons about the value of money.

Troop 4223 will continue this recycling project annually. To expand the program, the troop plans to collect recyclables at large school functions. The girls will post signs at special collection bins throughout each venue. They will also encourage the community to give their recycling to the troop, so they can recycle those goods and earn more money for the end of year donation.

Troop Leader Lisa Pryor said, “I am proud of the girls and all they've been able to accomplish. The recycling project has been packed with valuable lessons, and the troop is thrilled knowing their efforts are helping other girls become Girl Scouts.”

Financial assistance through the Family Partnership Campaign guarantees that no girl is ever denied the Girl Scout Leadership Experience because of the inability to pay. By offering financial assistance, more girls become Girl Scouts which gives them the opportunity to develop leadership skills, discover personal interests, and make life-long friendships.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit the GSHCC website. 

Congratulations to our Buy 5 Drawing Winners!

Two years ago, Girl Scouts Heart of Central California started a “Buy 5 Drawing” during cookie season. How does the drawing work? For every five packages purchased, customers can enter to win Girl Scout Cookies for a year – that’s 12 cases of cookies, totaling 144 packages of their favorite varieties. Awesome, right!?

Last year, there was only one council winner. This year we chose two winners – a winner from the council’s northern region and one from the southern region. Check out the deliveries to the winners…

Buy 5 Winner Matt S. of Antelope receiving his cookies from
Girl Scout Brownies in Troop 16 and Troop Leader Stephanie Emerson.

Buy 5 Winner John S. of Lodi receiving his cookies from
Kyra in Troop 1133.

Congratulations to this year’s winners, and thank you to everyone who entered into the drawing. Stay tuned for the upcoming cookie season… you could be the next Buy 5 Drawing winner!

Troop’s Mission to Spread Anti-Bullying Message

Sister Girl Scout, Ariel, struggled with the effects of bullying. As a result, she and her troop stood up. They stood strong. It’s now their mission to spread an anti-bullying message as they also work to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award.

Troop 170 spent the last year planning a free event called "We R 1" in Patterson that involved community organizations, information about bullying, as well as some fun and games. The event proved to be a huge success with more than 100 people in attendance. It didn’t stop there. The troop was invited to present their anti-bullying campaign at more events as well as address the local City Council. Ariel gave a speech about her experience at both the community event and for City Council. Attendees were moved, and many even brought to tears.

Troop Leader Angela Kraft said, “The girls have done a tremendous job. I am proud of all of their efforts and look forward to seeing their campaign continue.”

Congratulations to Troop 170 for making a positive impact in the community!

Girl Scout Junior Troop 845 “Caches in, Trashes Out”

Hey troop leader's for Girl Scout Junior troops: Have the girls earned their Geocacher badge yet? Here’s how one troop combined a Take Action project with their favorite pastime—geocaching!

Cache In Trash Out  (CITO) is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community. Since 2002, geocachers around the world have been dedicated to improving parks and other cache-friendly places.

Geocaching is an activity that involves the out-of-doors and technology. “Caches” or containers with  tracker logs are hidden at GPS coordinates and others try to find them for sport. At each cache, trackers can log that they found the cache and sometimes they trade swag—little trinkets left behind.
Girl Scout Junior Troop 845 has been geocaching for a few years and has attended other CITO events. When they noticed trash along a local bike path and creek, they decided to plan one in their own town.
Guided by their troop leader, Roger, who has organized CITO events in the past, the girls did all the planning and talked with the park and recreation department to organize the event, which they called “Girl Scouts Giving Back.” With their leader’s help, they were able to post the event on the geocaching website to invite the public. On March 3, more than 100 geocachers and Girl Scouts attended the event—one person even drove in from San Jose, another Girl Scout troop came from Novato. Great job, girls!

Want to be adventurers too? The Geocacher badge is in the The Junior Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting. Geocaching tools are available for purchase at The GS Shop in Sacramento and Salida. 

GOT MILK? ®-Girl Scouts Photo Contest Finalists

The finalists of the statewide GOT MILK? ®-Girl Scouts Photo Contest have been chosen!

Girls from GSHCC submitted their photos with captions answering the prompt: How have Girl Scouts and milk helped me become strong, healthy and confident?

Here are the three finalists from GSHCC. Each received a $350 camp scholarship, funded by the California Milk Processor Board.

Elyssa G: “How have Girl Scouts and milk helped me become strong, healthy and confident? By providing me strength to achieve new heights!”

 

Julianna L: “Girl Scouts are confident and milk is healthy!”

 

Anna R: "Milk feeds my body, Girl Scouts feeds my soul."

 

Everyone who knows me knows that I love change. I think sometimes it is a curse but life is always interesting and, hey—changing. I should have started this blog when I started at Girl Scouts but it seems fitting to start it at the end and work backwards.

I leave an organization I love – one that helped me as a girl and that still inspires me today. I have been able to accomplish so much with the help and support of a lot of people. We have a new Program Center, new office in Modesto, and best of all an almost new Camp Menzies. If you believe things can happen – they do. All of these steps, supported by generous donors, have resulted in a refreshed look and feel for GSHCC. While we have consistently remained committed to one mission—to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place—we have made it a priority to remain innovative and relevant. And this is reflected in our new Program Center. Our digs are very industrial and cool; we just look like a place where amazing girls would want to go.

One of the nice things about retiring is the kind words from many of the volunteer. I guess I was a breath of fresh air when I arrived and I of course didn’t know that until now. I remember driving around in a golf cart at camp and just yelling to the heavens, “I love my job!” Who wouldn’t after leaving a 25-year career in the insurance industry?

-Pam Saltenberger

Roseville Older Girl Lounge gets crafty at Anthropologie

Hear&Now staff and MarComm interns Riley and Gianna recently joined up with 16 girls from the Older Girl Lounge in Roseville to learn more about Anthopologie’s artistic side. At the event, they discovered that many employees have art degrees and both conceptualize and hand-make all of the displays throughout the store. Here’s Riley’s recap:

On Sunday, Sept. 9, Gianna and I went to Anthropologie in Roseville for an older girl outing. We learned about the crafty side of clothes! Not only does Anthropologie sell adorable clothes, and house ware, but they do so many DIY (Do It Yourself) projects for their different displays in the store! While we were there we got to paint tree logs for a new window display that Anthropologie is putting up soon. Also, we looked at all their displays, and different areas of the store, and saw how they made each one themselves. One of the displays was a paperclip piece of art, and they linked 40,000 paperclips together to make it! Wow! My favorite display was the one behind the cash register, where an artist outlined a city scape in pencil and then hammered in nails over her drawing. After, she hung string across all the nails to create a beautiful picture behind the counter. Gianna’s favorite was a chandelier made out of dyed mop heads! The artist at Anthropologie who dyed the mop heads had green hands for days when she was done! All in all, Gianna and I had such a fun time, learning, playing, painting and meeting girls from different troops during this amazing Older Girl Lounge event.

The Older Girl Lounge in the Sierra Creek and Sierra Rose service units brings together Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors (grades 6-12) for unique and fun events. Girls can sign up for events with their troops or individually. Older Girl Scouts and their parents can contact Lounge organizer and troop leader Beth Martin to find out about upcoming programs: bnrmartin@surewest.net.

 

 

Best Friends for LIFE

Hi, my name is Alana and I love being a Girl Scout because it provides me with an outlet where I can be myself and make a difference in my community. Having a Girl Scout troop also gives me a group of life long friends that I can continually rely on. I don’t have to fear being judged by them for the clothes I wear or the way I style my hair because I know they embrace me for me.

Throughout my 11 years as a Girl Scout I have made friendships that have lasted. I first moved to Sacramento when I was in 1st grade and the first thing my mother did was enroll me in a Girl Scouts. It made the transition to a new town much easier because I knew that I had a group of girls that would help me through the first day.

I met my best friend Jane through Girl Scouts. She was in my troop and we happened to live in the same neighborhood. Our parents enrolled us in many of the same Girl Scout day camps and we went to many of the same Girl Scout events. After about a year I started attending the same school Jane went to and we were in the same class. Being able to spend time together in school and outside of school really allowed us to see every side of each other. As time went on our friendship grew stronger and stronger, and today I know that she’ll always be there for me. I never have to fear going through everyday life without someone whom I can confide in and whom I know has my back. Without Girl Scouts we would never been able to make such a deep connection and maintain our friendship for so many years.

Jane and I as young Girl Scouts.

Jane and I today.  BFFs!

Susanne wrote to GSHCC about a trip her troop took to Washington, D.C. for the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary celebration on March 12.  This troop saved their cookie money in order to make the trip possible. 

Well, we did it—and thank goodness we were prepared!
A huge thank you is owed to our supporters for helping us on our journey to Washington, D.C. We pack a lot in during our short trip, and saw so many things. I think, if given the opportunity, we could all sleep for the next day-and-a-half straight.

Each night, after the girls were showered and in their PJs, we gathered in one of the dorm rooms in a circle and each shared one highlight of the day. The highlights varied from the hamburger at Johnny Rockets, the orangutan on the zip-line at the national zoo, meeting Congresswoman Matsui at the capitol and meeting the women Girl Scout astronauts at NASA. But for me, I have to say, one of the greatest highlights was seeing those girls take it all in, and seeing Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world swarming into the city on droves as the big 100th event approached. By Friday, walking down the street in Washington, D.C. was impossible. We couldn't get on the Metro without running into several troops of Girl Scouts. Girls everywhere were wearing Girl Scout shirts, either self designed or from the GS Shop. A lot of girls were also wearing their vests and pins.

We were "SWAPed" out within an hour of the event on Saturday, because we had been trading SWAPS all week long.  Everyone we met was so kind and thoughtful, both Girl Scouts and others that saw that we were Girl Scouts.

As I looked across the Washington Monument grounds on Saturday at the "thousands upon thousands" of Girl Scouts, I was in awe. It brought tears to my eyes, and still does today...and you know that each and every girl on that mall was there because someone bought a box of cookies from her.

With warmest regards,
Troop leader of troop 54, Susanne

At the mall on March 12.