Girls CAN!

Dear Friends:

The following is a treat from Jonathan — enjoy!

Summer activities and fun for girls to do!

(Recruitment tool for girls and volunteers!)

You should have received Dairy Queen coupons via mail by now.  If you have not — or if you need more information, contact Jonathan Crouch, jcrouch@gshpa.org.

A new sweet treat and a great time together are waiting for you and your GS girls!

Send in pictures of you and your girls at Dairy Queen for council recognition!

Dairy Queen, an official national licensee of Girl Scouts of the USA, is pleased to declare July 7 to July 13, 2008, Dairy Queen Girl Scout Appreciation Week! To celebrate summer, Girl Scouts and Girl Scout groups are cordially invited to visit a local Dairy Queen between July 7 and 13, 2008, for Dairy Queen’s Girl Scout Appreciation Week. Make it a fun family or Girl Scout group event!

This July, Dairy Queen will introduce a new treat — the Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard. Made up of creamy soft-serve blended with Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie pieces and a crème de menthe topping, the Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard will be available during July 2008 at participating Dairy Queen locations.

As the featured Blizzard of the Month, the Girl Scouts Thin Mint Blizzard will be advertised on national television and through local radio and print media and promoted on Dairy Queen’s website — DQ.com.

And as a community-oriented company, Dairy Queen and its operators want to help Girl Scout councils take advantage of this summer’s promotion to increase membership and volunteerism and create fun activities for girls — for Dairy Queen Girl Scout Appreciation Week and beyond.

To connect with a DQ in your area, visit Dairy Queen store-locator.

Please contact your local store directly to determine if they are participating in this national program as well as to make arrangements for activities, recruitment tables, programs, etc.

Here are just a few great ideas for how councils can work with Dairy Queen operators to make Dairy Queen Girl Scout Appreciation Week and this partnership a success:

Membership & Volunteerism:
·Work with your local DQ operator to set up a membership recruitment table outside the store. Email Jen Ward, GSVSC’s director of marketing and communications, at jward@gsvsc.org to request incentive coupons for this purpose.

·Work with your local DQ operator to place membership and/or interest indicator forms at the store. Establish collection procedures with the DQ operator or opt for self-mailing forms/postcards.

Fun Summer Activities for Girls:
·Work with your local DQ operator to coordinate “behind the scenes” tours for troops, groups, or day or overnight campers.

·Organize a “Blizzard-making class” with your local DQ operator.

· Invite your local DQ operator to talk with girls about what it takes to own and run a business successfully.

GSHPA will be promoting this special partnership and opportunity to our major media outlets. If you have any questions on how to best leverage this partnership with your local Dairy Queen, would like our assistance in coordinating press efforts in your area, or need more information, please contact GSHPA via www.gshpa.org!

To Contact the Board of Directors:

(There is no gate keeper for this method of contacting the Board)

board@gshpa.org

Snail-mail Address:

Attention Lee Beard / Personal & Confidential

Board of Directors
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
 350 HALE AVE
HARRISBURG PA  17104-1518

 Chair - E. Lee Beard, CPA of Drums

Click here to link to the GSHPA Board page.

 The Community Advisory Network plays a creative role in connecting Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania with local communities.  

Accept this challenge and help grow our advisory group.  We need you to recruit one person from your region for us.  We count on your knowledge of your regional community in identifying key people we will need to make this board advisory group work.  

• supports the Girl Scout brand and reinforces brand messaging,
• identifies community resources & supports council fundraising efforts,
• links GSHPA with funding sources & opportunities,
• serves as a catalyst to initiate council partnerships & collaborations,
• fosters community relationships to achieve these collaborations,
• assists in making connections with under-served communities,
• identifies community challenges, trends, and strategic issues,
• advocates with local, state, and federal governments. 

We are the eyes, ears, & advocates of the girls we serve.

As the Community Advisory Network, we maintain our membership with of GSUSA and we commit to donate financially to Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.

Above all, we realize that, Girls CAN!

 The following has come in from Anne at council.  If you are interested in helping out with this Girl Scout scholarship precess please let me know and I will pass it back to Anne.

It is that great time of year when we get together to discuss and review the Girl Scout scholarship applications.  Your contact information was provided to me because you indicated an interest in participating in the GSHPA Scholarship process.  I hope that you are still interested in being a part of this process.

Those that are interested in being involved should plan to review copies of the applications then attend one Scholarship Review Committee Meeting.  Copies of each application will be available to you prior to the Scholarship Review Committee Meeting so that you may become familiar with this year’s application, then we will come together as a group to select this year’s scholarship winners.  It is necessary that we have our final selections decided by the end of May, so that the girls may be recognized at the June 8^th Gold Award Celebration.  Invitations to the June 8^th event will be sent to you.

I would like to gather a bit info from each of you to ensure that the process meets your needs.  Please get back in touch with me as soon as you are able to, but no later than May 9^th with this information:

1)      Would you still be interested in participating this year in the Scholarship Review process?

2)      Would you prefer that our group meets in the evening on May 28^th or May 29^th?

3)      Would you prefer that we meet in the Harrisburg area or Pine Grove area (around exit 100 on 81)?  These locations seem to be the most centrally located for those receiving this information.

We have received quite a few applications for this year’s scholarships.  Are you prepared to be extremely impressed by the caliber of the applications?  Each time I participate in this process, I am more amazed than the last time!  I look forward to serving on this committee with you.

The following is from The Times Leader, Monday, March 03, regarding The Service for Peace Award.  Community Advisory Network member Catherine Shaffer’s firm, cds creative, is being recognized for service to the community.

Service award to be presented to cds creative

WILKES-BARRE: cds creative, inc., Forty Fort, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2008 David Frey Community Service Award for its various community services and its annual create-a-thon, a 24-hour annual blitz of free professional services dedicated to non-profits.

The marketing services provided during the create-a-thon have included items such as fundraising campaign plans, logos, Web sites, posters, print ads and strategic branding plans. The clients of these nonprofit agencies benefit in an exponential manner and provide crucial services to the community.

The Interfaith Resource Center for Peace and Justice presents this award to an individual, or group, whose actions have contributed, either by direct support of the mission of The Peace and Justice Center, or by making a contribution to the community and to the civic or corporate cause of peace and justice.

The award will be presented at the group’s annual award dinner on April 14.  Contact the Peace and Justice Center, 570-823-9977, for more information on the Peace and Justice Center’s Annual Award Dinner.

Just one more small example of Girl Scouts doing good work in the community!

Thanks to the Girl’s Can Advisory Network, Sister Miriam Stadulis, director of the McGlynn Learning Center of Boulevard Homes in downtown Wilkes-Barre has received assistance in re-establishing a GS Troop at the Learning Center.