so much more to girls than irresistible cookies
January 15, 2009
More Than Just Cookies: Rethinking the Girl Scouts
Leaning against the fence of a simple horse barn one recent Sunday afternoon, Lynn Gentine wistfully watched her oldest daughter, 13-year-old Mikayla, groom a chestnut mare named Sadie for perhaps the last time. The horse program, an activity of the local Girl Scouts council, is shutting down as the organization suffers declining membership and dwindling resources. The council itself is being merged with another, which doesn’t need Camp Daisy’s horses.
“She’s not at the mall, she’s not on the Internet, she’s not texting her friends,” Gentine says of the time her teenager spends cleaning stables and teaching young Brownies about horses, riding and safety. Camp Daisy is a hilly, wooded haven in eastern Kansas, not far from Topeka, where the Flint Hills meet the westward-sweeping tallgrass. It’s named after Juliette “Daisy” Low, who founded Girl Scouts in 1912.
Nearly 100 years later, Girl Scouts are fighting to stay relevant and hip. Shuttering camps is a difficult and emotional side effect of an ambitious plan to streamline Girl Scouts and roll out a whole new “leadership” program to revive interest in the 2.6 million-girl organization.
With membership falling by 250,000 in just five years, the Scouts have done a lot of soul searching. The group hired a management consultant and marketing team and laid out a “core business strategy” to make its programs “more purposeful,” as one executive put it. Although November is cookie month — your doorbell may be ringing — the Scouts don’t want to be known for cookies and camping anymore. Instead, executives use phrases like “outcomes-based,” “pathways,” “gap teams,” “fading brand image” and “market share” to describe the new approach. (See pictures of pioneering women in space.) (See pictures of pioneering women in sports.)
Part of that approach involves reducing the number of local Girl Scout councils from 312 to 109 through mergers. In some cases, the newly merged councils have more facilities than they need. For example, when Camp Daisy moved under the umbrella of the Kansas City, Mo., council, officers took a cold look at the rustic horse barn. The council already has a state-of-the-art Scout Equestrian center two hours away, which made Daisy’s horse program an easy target. (The Scouts are still trying to figure out just what to do with Daisy’s 23 horses.)
In all, about half of the enlarged Kansas City council’s 1,700 acres of camps are being “rested” for a year while final decisions are made about their fates. That includes Camp Oakledge, a 420-acre lakefront retreat in the Missouri Ozarks with a mile of shoreline. To some, “rested” is just a way of saying that the camps will be sold. “It’s difficult, but it’s necessary to ensure the future of this organization,” says Girl Scout spokeswoman Gina Garvin of the Kansas City area. Camps cost the council $1.7 million last year, so something has to give, she explains.
Due to sagging cookie sales, a drop-off in donations and investment losses, the Kansas City council expects a $1.6 million loss this year. Each council has its own budget, separate from the national organization’s $70 million. Nationally in 2007, Scouts lost $1 million in membership dues and another $1 million in grants and gifts.
Near Racine, Wis., Scouts just sold a camp for $7 million — they’d been trying to unload it for years due to a lack of use. In New York, 65 acres along the Great Peconic Bay was sold in 2006 because girls just weren’t attending camp. In New Jersey, three councils merged into a single group with six camps — two of which weren’t being used much. Those two probably won’t operate next summer, says Mary Connell, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey, which will do a cost-benefit analysis of all the region’s camps.
“We have a saying — we’re operating at the speed of girls,” Connell said. It became clear 10 years ago that girls were no longer into pitching tents. Now they prefer “yurts,” circular huts modeled after the homes of Central Asian nomads — but featuring Western amenities like electricity and handicap accessibility. “These are 21st Century girls,” says Connell. “They, at the very least, want to be near a cell phone tower.”
As part of their soul-searching, the Girl Scouts found that girls were so bombarded with after-school sports, lessons and high-octane homework that neither they nor their parents found Girl Scouts compelling enough to keep on the calendar. “It was a brutal truth we had to confront,” says Cathy Tisdale, the Girl Scouts national vice president for “mission to market.” So they set out to become the “premiere leadership organization for girls.” Troops and badges will still exist — but girls can also choose to take “journeys” instead, opting, for instance, to make a six-week foray into the community for service, rather than meeting once a month in a church basement.
“It’s not putting the uniform on and the cookies in front of the store anymore,” says Susan Swanson, vice president of membership and volunteerism. “The old troop model is not dead, but we’ve got flexible options.” Meeting monthly to hear a troop leader talk may be a yawner, Swanson says, “but if there’s a cool career seminar on Saturday, they’ll say, OK.”
A new set of handbooks guide the “journeys,” offering exercises in critical thinking, ethical decision making, “assessing team dynamics” and “community asset mapping.” Is Juliette Low rolling in her grave as camps close down to make way for jazzier Web content and global networking? Lee Ann Maley, a Girl Scout executive in South Carolina, believes that the founder would approve of the new model of assertive girlhood. “We’re doing more with science, technology, engineering and math,” Maley says. “I think Juliette Low would be standing up and blowing her horn — the girls can do it, too.”
Following is a note from network member Jessica Hopkins on behalf of Education.com; it regards our mission. Enjoy!
Hey Rod,
As active supporters of the Girl Scouts, you already know why it’s such a great organization for women and girls. Education.com, an online resource for parents and educators agrees. I wanted to share some more of the excellent benefits that participating in Girl Scouts offers: Click here for: Why the Girl Scouts Matter
Characterized by generations of women pioneering social causes like non-violence and health & fitness, Education.com knows that the Girl Scouts offer so much more to girls than irresistible cookies.
Feel free to share with your troop (and we would love it if you posted on Girls CAN!), and please let me know what you think. Look forward to hearing back!
Best,
Jessica
Jessica Hopkins
360i on behalf of Education.com
Community Advisory Network fun!
July 8, 2008
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!
Contact the Board of Directors
July 7, 2008
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.
a few fun events in Luzerne County
April 15, 2008
Creative works include sketches by David Castro, a student at Coughlin High School; oil landscape paintings by Henry Rodriguez of Wilkes-Barre; watercolor paintings and charcoal sketches by Rod Gereda of Kingston; and, acrylic paintings by Alina Tellez-Bueno, who is temporarily residing in Scranton. Made of a variety of materials, including cardboard, acrylic paint and fabrics, Hector Tellez of Scranton creates “Catrinas,” which depict four scenes of traditional Mexican festivities, including the “The Day of the Dead.”
Artists will discuss their work during a gallery talk from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Widmann Gallery. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours: Mon. through Fri., 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., as arranged. The Widmann Gallery is located in the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center, between North Franklin and North Main streets.
For more information, see the Experiencing the Arts Calendar at www.kings.edu or contact Dr. Beth Admiraal, assistant professor of political science, at (570) 208-5900, ext. 5754.
The performance is free and open to the public.
The 20-member band, led by Sem’s Lower School music teacher Robert Lugiano, will perform music by Bill Chase, Larry Neeck, Peter Blair and others. Selections to be performed include “Get it on,” “Groove Machine,” “Takin’ the Plunge,” “Super-sized,” and more. The program will feature Sem seniors Hannah Roman, Jacob Cole and Oliver Williams as soloists.
For more information call the Wyoming Seminary Public Relations Office at 270-2190.
Preparatory School, 154 Centre Street, Freeland, 7 p.m.; Call the school at 570-636-1108 for tickets and information.
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ARTS GRANTS FOR YOU!!!
In case you missed it, check our last newsletter for information on a FREE workshop that will teach you everything you need to know about getting a grant for YOUR creative project!
DON’T MISS OUT! ATTEND THE WORKSHOP ON APRIL 29TH, 6pm – Miller Conference Room, 2nd Floor of the Henry Student Center, Wilkes University.
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The time is NOW to reserve your spot for our bus trip to the Roberson Museum in Binghamton for “Visions of the Susquehanna” DON’T WAIT!!! Reservations are coming in for our bus trip to the Roberson Museum in Binghamton for Visions of the Susquehanna – 250 Years of Paintings by American Masters. Here’s what you need to know:
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encourages the girls to not quit Girl Scouts
April 15, 2008
Greetings All,
I’m probably going to knock a hornets nest off a tree with this post.
I hope GSCM (Girl Scouts of Central MD) is monitoring the e-mails of this
group, because I am about to unload. I just returned from a Venturing
event this weekend with my daughter’s Venturing crew. The success of
that event, just reaffirms what I have been observing over the past 7
years of leading a girl scout troop. (the past 4 of which has been at
the Cadette/Senior level).I think GSCM is failing our girls (and families– particularly when
it comes to including Dads) miserably when it comes to providing
periodic adventure and outdoor events for girls 14-18 which includes
male (as well as female) role models.My daughter is a 1st year Senior Girl Scout and a Venturer (she joined
a Venturing crew 1 year ago). I just tuned over the leadership of my
Cadette/Senior troop to a Co-leader and the GS troop is in good shape.
My daughter has decided to continue as a Juliette (for some personal
and medical reasons). The interesting thing that I’ve noticed and am
grateful for is, that Venturing really encourages the girls to not
quit Girl Scouts and helps them work toward completing their Gold
Award. My daughter was about ready to quit GS because she wants to
teach younger girls outdoor skills, but her male Venturing Advisor
encouraged her to stay with GS. In fact VENTURING provided her with a
way to earn more leadership hours toward her Gold Award, through a
program at a local elementary school called “ACCESS” which is a
program to introduce scouting underprivileged kids at area schools.
She in essence was a den
chief for Cub Scouts at an under performing school (normally an adult
position).She would have done the same to introduce girls to girl scouting, had
there been an ACCESS program for GS and I know that ACCESS must exist
for young girls. When a little girl saw Krista in her Venturing shirt
doing ACCESS with the 14 kindergarten- 1st grade age boys she asked
her, “Isn’t there a meeting for little girls too?”We just returned from a weekend just north of Pittsburgh from a
Venturing Quest. The event was well run, well organized, and provided
adventure and co-ed fellowship for the kids involved. (Archery, Trap
shooting, pistol, hatchet throwing and climbing and rappelling)– The
Girls loved the hatchet throwing the best!.I would estimate that of the 200 youth attending (there were nearly 350
total participants, with over 125 being adult advisors), about 70 percent were
girls and 30 percent boys. Of that 70 percent girls attending about 50
percent were former girl scouts and the female Venturing Advisors were
former or “soon to be” former girl scout leaders who were just
frustrated with Girl Scouts and the feeling that Girl scouts actually
makes Girls more dependent because the organization is so risk averse.After seeing this event as compared to GS council events; I am
convinced that Venturing is the Gold Standard for girl run/boy run
programs. There are a lot or things that the GSCM can learn from the
Baltimore Council or National Capital region of Boy Scouts. There are
many things that the Boy scouts (especially Venturers) do right and
Girl Scouts do wrong. The biggest thing, and most positive thing, I saw was the
involvement of FATHERS at this Venturing Quest!
Girl Scouts needs to involve fathers more and GET OVER its aversion
to anything Boy Scout organized and pick up a few pointers. Either
that or I predict will lose (its older girls) to Venturing in droves.This event was well balanced. What impressed me most was the girl/boy
run Area wide elections to determine the girl/boy leadership of the
area (MD, Delaware and PA). The girls learned to work with the guys
(which is what life is about anyway) and in many cases (especially the
climbing wall and repelling) the girls out-did the guys. You can’t
flirt when you are climbing a 150 ft tower. In short, I think the
Venturing serves to dispel a lot of gender
stereotypes for both the boys and girls. Most importantly, there was
a mix of good male and female role models to teach the Venturers. (75
percent male advisors — fathers; 25 percent female advisors)
This summer, my daughter and her crew are going kayaking/camping down
the Delaware River, stopping at the various scout camps. The girls and
guys of the crews are doing most of the organizing and planning and
the Adult advisors are there to do just that advise, counsel and
consent.My point in this lengthy e-mail is that a representative needs to
actually participate in one of these Venturing events to learn how to
keep older girls in Girl Scouting. The Venturing business model works
and works well. It only has been around for 10 years, and I think it
will overtake Girl Scouts for older girls unless GS USA recognizes
it’s competition and learns from it.Take Care,
Donna
Girl Scouts, their own pinewood derby?
April 11, 2008
Oak Ridge — After spending the last six years watching her brothers create wonderful handmade cars with their dad, and race them with everyone cheering on, Allison Borrelii finally asked her mother why the Girl Scouts didn’t have their own pinewood derby. This was the inspiration for a Daddy Daughter Pinewood Derby that the girls hope to make an annual event. Allison’s mother, Andrea Borrelli, leader of Troop 185, including Allison and 18 other fourth-grade girls at Paradise Knoll School in Oak Ridge, immediately began planning the event.Awards winners were:
Every troop with children from their elementary school was invited. Enthusiasm for this new event was great, and the registrations poured in. It was decided that the refreshments stand at the event would benefit the Paradise Knoll School Playground, which is in need of replacement. Troop 294 volunteered to bring baked goods, and other parents offered to bring supplies. Shop Rite donated a voucher to purchase hot dogs, buns and more. Lakeland bank sent a donation as well. Indianapolis 500 race car driver and Girl Scout patron Sarah Fisher sent autographed posters for each girl.
For speed, 1st place went to Amanda Seugling; 2nd Place to Kaitlyn Klosz, and 3rd place to Grace Lemanowicz.
For style, the winners were: Fastest Looking, Dakota Vigh; Most Original, Rachel Lyons; Most Colorful, Lindsey VanNortwick; Sportiest, Lauren Peterson; Spirit of Girl Scouts: Allison Borrelli; and the crowd’s favorite, which looked like a pinball machine, was created by Katie Villalobos.
One of the highlights of the event, which was held on March 30 at the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church Parish Hall, was when Sam Burlum and his teammate Tommy Vigh Jr. of Tommy Vigh Jr. Racing arrived with their 1981 Ump Dirt Car Street Stock Camaro, which races at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. The girls climbed in and the cameras came out.
In all, 41 racers attended the derby and had a very exciting time.
The Girl Scouts: shaking up its national image.
March 26, 2008
Girl Scouts Seek an Image Makeover
As Organization Faces
A ‘Nonjoiner’ Society
March 25, 2008; Page B5
The cookies will stay, but the green skirts are history.
The Girl Scouts is shaking up its image.
On Tuesday, the organization is expected to announce the appointment of its first chief marketing officer, a former senior partner and executive group director at WPP Group’s Ogilvy & Mather.
Laurel Richie will be in charge of modernizing the image of the Girl Scouts, which is viewed by many as a rigid, old-fashioned organization focused on cookie fund-raisers and campouts. “Girls think of us as outdated,” says Kathy Cloninger, chief executive of Girl Scouts of the USA. “They have stereotypes of who we are that are not right.”
![[advert_girlscouts2]](https://i0.wp.com/s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-BE711_advert_20080324115041.jpg) |
| Girl Scouts of the USA |
| Ads that show the Girl Scouts’ recent efforts to transform their image. |
Appointing a marketing chief is part of a broader, multiyear effort to bring the 96-year-old organization into the 21st century. Over the past three years, the Girl Scouts has streamlined its organizational structure to 109 leadership councils from more than 300, added programs on topics such as managing busy schedules and online bullying to better reflect current issues, and narrowed the age ranges within each troop.
Trying to reinvigorate an old brand is a classic marketing challenge, and remains one of the trickiest feats in the business. On top of that, the Girl Scouts are trying to win over a demographic that is not only notoriously fickle but is also bombarded with marketing pitches: technologically advanced adolescent girls.
“They’re very smart about media consumption, and deft at avoiding any communication that’s not relevant to them,” says Samantha Skey, executive vice president of strategic marketing at Alloy Media + Marketing.
The Girl Scouts was started in 1912 as a way to give girls more opportunities outside the home. It has since focused more on helping girls work together in groups and develop leadership skills. The Girl Scouts has long offered programs on everything from running a business to mountain climbing.
But the big problem for the organization these days is that it is seen by many as sleepy. Though it has held up as an American icon, the group has little name recognition beyond its cookies, its executives say. The group, which has 2.8 million scouts from ages of five to 17, has been losing 1% to 2% of its membership a year for about 10 years.
After conducting a study of itself, the group discovered its main competition for members wasn’t the sports teams or church groups it suspected, but rather what it calls “nonactivities,” says Ms. Cloninger. “Girls start hanging out at the mall, spending time online or just being with their friends, and basically become ‘nonjoiners’ — that’s [what] we were losing the most girls to.”
![[advert_girlscouts]](https://i0.wp.com/s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-BE710_advert_20080324114524.jpg) |
| Girl Scouts of the USA |
Advertising efforts over the past two years also reflect the group’s new direction, including public-service announcements in publications such as Entertainment Weekly and Girls Life that highlight girls’ independence, and the tagline: “It’s a Girl’s Life. Lead it.
“Repositioning the organization “isn’t about us trying to be cool,” says Ms. Richie. “We’ve seen jeans, sneakers and soft drinks try to do that and you just cringe.”
Ms. Richie is hoping to increase the group’s exposure among demographics that have been underrepresented in its troops, particularly Hispanics, Asians and other groups. She says she will also try to do more outreach to mothers, both to drive membership of their daughters and to recruit more volunteer leaders.
As for the cookie box, the former Ogilvy executive says she wants to turn it into more of a marketing tool — some 200 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies are sold each year. “I’m dying to get my hands on it,” says Ms. Richie. The nearly three million scouts who sell them door-to-door also need to become more opportunistic about promoting the organization. “I don’t mean [for them] to be shills, but there’s an opportunity for them to genuinely speak about their Girls Scouts experience,” she says.
Ms. Richie is looking for an agency to add more panache to upcoming Girl Scouts marketing efforts; the group’s current ads were created in-house. Coming marketing campaigns, she says, should balance the tension adolescents feel about being part of a group while maintaining individuality.
At its national convention in October, the Girl Scouts will officially endorse the new uniform for scouts in the fourth grade and older: a sash or vest that displays achievement badges, worn over the scout’s own white shirt and khaki pants or skirt. “That gives them the opportunity for self-expression,” says Ms. Cloninger. Scouts at the Daisy and Brownie levels, usually students from kindergarten through the third grade, will keep their trademark blue and brown uniforms.
Community Advisory Network member Catherine Shafer
March 3, 2008
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!
GSHPA Council News
February 18, 2008
You are invited to a
Girl Scouts in the Heart of
Pennsylvania Open House
The Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Service Center in the Scranton area has moved and you are invited to our open house. Please come see the new facility, greet our staff, and learn about some of the great opportunities in your area through Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.
WHEN: Thursday, February 26
TIME: 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Scranton Area Service Center
1444 East Lackawanna Avenue, Suite 222
Olyphant, PA 18447
No RSVP is necessary and everyone is invited. Door prizes will be given out! We look forward to seeing you there!
Jonathan Crouch
Executive Administrative Assistant
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
350 Hale Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17105
(717) 233-1656 Phone
(717) 234-5097 Fax
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[the following post comes from our good friend Jonathan]
The Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Hazleton office has a new address.
The office didn’t move, but the township has renumbered the buildings.
Our property director has contacted the Post Office and they already recognize the new address.
All mail addressed to the old address will automatically be corrected and delivered to us for one year.
The new address is as follows.
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
426 Airport Road
12 Beltway Commons
Hazle Township, PA 18202
The information on our web site under the “contact us” section has already been updated with this information.
Jonathan
Jonathan Crouch
Executive Administrative Assistant
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
350 Hale Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17105
(717) 233-1656 Phone
(717) 234-5097 Fax
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Volunteer Voice – Make Your Voices Heard!
GSHPA is looking for ideas from volunteers on ways to make Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania even better!
As always, Thanks again for all you do!
Please email your suggestions to ideas@gshpa.org.
Volunteer Ideas! Click here for GSHPA idea page!
You are invited to a
Girl Scouts in the Heart of
Pennsylvania Open House
The Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Service Center in the Scranton area has moved and you are invited to our open house. Please come see the new facility, greet our staff, and learn about some of the great opportunities in your area through Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.
WHEN: Thursday, February 26
TIME: 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Scranton Area Service Center
1444 East Lackawanna Avenue, Suite 222
Olyphant, PA 18447
No RSVP is necessary and everyone is invited. Door prizes will be given out! We look forward to seeing you there!
Jonathan Crouch
Executive Administrative Assistant
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
350 Hale Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17105
(717) 233-1656 Phone
(717) 234-5097 Fax
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The following good news comes from E. Lee Beard:
Girls CAN! group members, Marion Alexander, of Hummelstown, PA, (GSHPA board member) and Joy Dougherty, of New Cumberland, PA, (former Board Chair for Hemlock), shall co-chair a newly created Fund Development Committee.
Shirley Valentine-Attoh, Interim CEO, GSHPA, will take the staff support lead for this group.
They have graciously agreed!
Their first task is to put together the members of this new committee. Anyone interested (and available), please let us know. Marion and Joy will determine the best way to select committee members and the appropriate size of their committee.
It is most necessary that the Girls CAN! group step forward to help make this new venture successful. We, the advisory group, know the council’s geography best for membership and fund resources.
This committee is expected to be very pro-active, and hands on. In short, this group will work with management and staff to develop and help GSHPA implement the fund raising work we all need to be doing. Our GSHPA board chair, Lee Beard, will ask staff to ensure that the Girls CAN! group be kept fully informed and made aware of where we can help with this important work.
I am sure that most of us will want to volunteer for this, but please remember that submitting a name for the committee is not a guarantee that the candidate will be asked to serve on the committee – again, the size and scope of the group will be up to Marion and Joy.
Please reply to: geredas@aol.com , (Rod Gereda) if you want to take part in this important task. I will forward your contact information to Marion, Joy, and Shirley for consideration.
Girls CAN! 
