Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania



	ENEWS January 25, 2008 WELCOME TO 2008 Dear Fellow Girl Scouts, Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family. I also hope that amidst the rush of the holidays you found some time to reflect with pride on all that you accomplished for Girl Scouts in 2007. The work was hard and the challenges were extraordinary—but we did all that we set out to do—and more. We have brought joy, confidence, courage, and leadership into the hearts and minds of thousands of girls and volunteers. As early adopters of realignment, we have been an inspiration to councils across the country. We have paved the way for Girl Scouts today and for generations to come. Indeed, Juliette would be proud of what we have done for the Girl Scout Movement. With a new year stretched out before us, let us never forget our past accomplishments. Our efforts in 2007 demonstrated the limitlessness of our potential, the power of our faith in this movement, and the magic working towards our mission as one Council. For 2008 let us remain united in building girls of courage, confidence and character who make our world a better place. I wish you and your families all the best in 2008, Ann Meredith Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Eastern PA __________________________________________________ ANNOUNCEMENTS Girl Scouts of Eastern PA is pleased to report that a record 26 girls from GSEP applied for a destinations, and 19 girls have been accepted into a program of their choice. We congratulate our girls on their success! If additional girls would like to pursue this opportunity please visit www.studio2b.org and submit an application to Joan Hannahoe (610-791-2411 or jhannahoe@gsep.org). It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time! Coatesville celebrated the season with a cookie pep-rally at Friendship Elementary school. Troops preformed skits, played games and won prizes. Click here to for a link to the video. The video is under the heading “Girl Scouts Making Headlines.” http://www.gsep.org/ Girl and Adult Delegates Needed to Send to the Girl Scouts USA National Council Session Would you be interested in representing Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania at the National Girl Scout Council Session? You would meet Girl Scouts and volunteers from all over the country and have an opportunity to make decisions about the future of Girl Scouting. Prior to the Council Session, a Girl Scout Leadership Conference is being held. National Councils are held only once every three years. When: Girl Scouts Leadership Conference, October 29, 2008 Girl Scouts National Council Session, October 30 - November 2, 2008 Where: Indianapolis Indiana Qualifications: You must be a citizen of the United States, 14 years or older, a registered Girl Scout, an active member of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, and able to fulfill the requirements of the Delegate job. For girls, you must be able to miss several days of high school, travel independently, and follow a conference schedule and instructions from the Delegation Manager. Responsibilities: You will be responsible for attending 1-2 mandatory meetings prior to going to the Council Session. GSEP will pay for your registration, hotel, breakfast, and airfare (estimate $1275 for girls and $1075 for adults). You will be responsible for your lunches, dinners, and incidentals (estimate $250). To apply: Applications and girl reference forms will be available at www.gsep.org January 15. Deadline for applications and references is March 1, 2008. For more information: Call Olivia Selinger, GSEP 2008 Delegation Manager, at 215.564.2030, ext.1040, or email her at oselinger@gsep.org. __________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS The following is a list of community events within our Council area that may be appealing to our Girl Scouts. Girl Scout Day at St. Joe’s Women’s Basketball When: Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 12 Noon Where: the Fieldhouse on St. Joseph’s campus in Philadelphia Fee: Free for girls in uniform Details: On Sunday February 24 the Hawks will take on George Washington at 12 Noon. The game will take place at the Fieldhouse on the St. Joe’s campus, and all scouts in uniform will be admitted to the game FREE. It is sure to be an exciting afternoon of basketball, with tons of contests, prizes and give-aways. Tickets for family members and friends can be purchased at the door on game day. Indian Creek Foundation Presents Les Stroud When: Friday, March 14, 2008 at 7:30 PM Where: Calvary Church in Souderton Fee: Students $15; Adults $35 Details: Meet Les Stroud, host of Survivorman. This event is hosted by Indian Creek Foundation. For more information or to register call 267-203-1500 or visit www.indcreek.org. Scout Day at the Brandywine Zoo When: March 16th from 12:30 to 4:00 PM Where: Brandywine Zoo Fee: $8.00 per person, including leaders and chaperones. Details: Fee covers entrance, games, crafts, activities and a Brandywine Zoo Patch. All Scouts are invited, including Boy Scouts. Space is limited. To register please contact the Brandywine Zoo at 302-571-7850, ext. 209 or visit them online at www.brandywinezoo.org. __________________________________________________ PROGRAM CORNER The following is a list of upcoming programs that still have registration room available. Passport to Global Tolerance When: Saturday, January 26, 2008 / Saturday, February 9, 2008 Where: January: International House in Philadelphia / February: Cedar Crest College in Allentown Age Level: Cadette and Senior Fee: $20 per girl; $20 per adult over Safety-Wise® ratio Details: Passport to Global Tolerance is a min workshop focused on traveling abroad – not as a tourist but as a sensitive and responsible appreciator of diversity. Girls will “visit” five continents to survey prevalent issues challenging girls and women today and will learn how to tap into their potential to effect positive change across borders and cultural backgrounds. Chamounix Mansion invites GSEP to the Philadelphia Flower Show When: March 2 – March 9, 2008 Where: Chamounix Mansion in Philadelphia Age Level: All Details: Chamounix Mansion, Philadelphia’s elegant, eclectic, and very friendly international hostel in Fairmount Park invites GSEP to stay over and enjoy the Philadelphia Flower Show. The Flower Show is held March 2 to March 9, 2008 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Book your overnight stay any day during the flower show. Weekends are also available. Visit Chamounix on line at http://www.philahostel.org or email Todd Kimmell for more information at chamounix@philahostel.org. Tickets should be bought online in advance. Sleeping Beauty at the Arden: Girl Scout Night When: Friday, January 25, 2008 from 4:30 – 8:30 PM Where: The Arden Theatre Company at 40 N Second St in Philadelphia PA Age Level: All Fee: $20 per person includes the production, workshops, the Arden Activity Patch, a snack, and juice. Details: Girl Scout Night at the Arden includes a performance of *Sleeping Beauty* complete with post-show discussion and an exciting series of workshops in acting and technical theatre. Bring a bag dinner and The Arden Theatre will provide a soft pretzel and a juice box. Here comes a modern, funnier version of one of your favorite tales. Meet our smart and independent Princess, a girl named Briar Rose (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty) and Gryff, her sidekick half-dragon with big dreams. There's Branwen, the friendly witch and there’s a Prince of course - Owain. It's a twist on the story you remember, right through to the happily-ever-after. In between is a magical adventure, replete with troublesome fairies, a Spider King, and a dashing sword fight. Register through E Council. Junior Program Day at Cabela’s When: Saturday, March 8, 2008 Where: Cabellas Outfitters at 100 Cabela Drive in Hamburg, PA Fee: $7 per session or $10 for the entire day. Please limit adults to 1 for every 8 girls. Additional adults are $7 per session or $10 for the day. Fee includes program and patches. Details: Bring your Junior Girl Scouts for the whole day, or ½ of a day and earn 1-2 badges. Please bring your lunch if attending for the entire day. AM Workshop 8AM-12PM. Work with Cabela’s Outdoor Experts, take a Scavenger Hunt in the store and earn the “Your Outdoor Surroundings” badge. PM Workshop 1-4PM: Work with Cabela’s Outdoor Experts and GSEP “O” Patrol, use your map and compass on a “in store” course, learn and use GPS units while earning the “Finding Your Way Badge”. Registrations will be taken through E-council, by fax or by mail. __________________________________________________ COOKIE CORNER WAWA has changed its corporate policy toward solicitation this year and upper management has declared that each branch may only give 6 days per year to charitable groups. Only 1 day may be given to any individual organization. GSEP promptly contacted the PA Divisional office to make sure Girl Scouts received one of those 6 days for this year. We have arranged for February 9 to be open for Girl Scout booth sales in all the WAWA’s in our Council jurisdiction. While we know that Girl Scouts have traditionally had far more than 1 booth sale date during our Cookie Sale, the new policy is firm. Our staff worked quickly to secure February 9 before all 6 days were gone completely. If you have any questions, please contact Barb Bankert at 215-564-4657. ACME and GSEP have forged a strong relationship for cookie sales. All ACMEs in our jurisdiction have agreed to allow Girl Scouts sales during every weekend of February. In addition, they will provide advertising for the Cookie Sale and cookie locator in select weekly circulars. Please contact your Service Unit Cookie Manager to sign up for a cookie booth at your local ACME or check the council booth listing on our website at http://www.gsep.org/pages/fallproducts.html If you participated in the Council Booth lottery, you should have received an email confirming your booth date and location. If you have not received your email confirmation please contact Wendy Dyer-Avis at wdyer-avis@gsep.org or 215-564-4657 ext. 1022. If your troop did not participate in the lottery but would like a Council Booth, you can apply for the Council Booths by emailing Wendy Dyer-Avis at wdyer-avis@gsep.org. A list of available booths can be found at http://www.gsep.org/pages/fallproducts.html. Troops wanting additional booth times are also encouraged to apply for the booths. Please check the Council Booth listing often as it is updated frequently. Cookie costumes and cookie incentive sets are available for rallies or Booth Sales. For rentals please contact your Member Services Rep. Simply email your request and include your pick-up date and time, your return date and time, and your daytime phone number. The Member Services Rep will respond via email to confirm your request or to ask for alternate dates if the items are already reserved. Delaware County Service Center Lisa Doyle: ldoyle@gsep.org or 610-328-3100 Lehigh Valley Service Center Linda Mikle: lmikle@gsep.org or 610-791-2411 Seltzer Service Center (NE Philadelphia) Susan Schmalzried: sschmalzried@gsep.org or 215-745-8757 Shelly Ridge Service Center Maryellen Mastrobattista: mmastgrobattist@gsep.org or 215-564-4657 Valley Forge Service Center Donna Howell : dhowell@gsep.org or 610-933-7555 __________________________________________________ ADULT DEVELOPMENT CORNER SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, March 1, 2008 POT OF GOLD 2008 - "The Pot is Golder” at GSEP* Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania presents its premiere Adult Leadership/Enhancement Day at Montgomery County Community College. All adult volunteers are welcome to gather in a fun, dynamic learning environment. Whether you're a brand new leader or an experienced volunteer, we have something for you. Become a better leader, learn a new skill, and develop professional expertise. Network with your Girl Scout friends, old and new. Registration information will be available on the website and in print by January 28. Are you looking for a way to help? There are lots of opportunities. Workshop Presenter: Are you interested in facilitating a workshop? Contact Susan Donahue-Sinback at sdsinback@aol.com or at 215-945-6417 Older Girl Opportunities: Cadette, Senior and Studio 2B troops can receive service hours or earn funds for programs by selling breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverages. Girls can also provide child care services and lead flag ceremonies. For details and submission form contact Amy Immekus at amyi54@aol.com or 610-431-2064. Name that event: Thanks to those of you who contacted us to say - "let's keep the name of this event Pot of Gold." The tradition continues with a great future ahead. "The Pot is Golder" at GSEP and we’re bringing great opportunities for our adult volunteers. Volunteer Learning Opportunities: Training Schedule:* The GSEP training schedule is updated on the GSEP website each week. Visit http://www.gsep.org/pages/adult_training.html. To access our schedule of learning opportunities with registration instructions, click on the "Training Information" link. Online Registration is available through E-Council for all trainings. Printed schedules are also available through our Service Centers. We will be adding many new age level and first aid learning opportunities for winter. Training to you: We want to help make your learning options as convenient as possible. If you have a group of at least five participants that need a specific training, please contact us at training@gsep.org or Teresa at 888-564-4657 ext. 1021 and we will work with you to try to secure a volunteer trainer at a mutually convenient time. Thinking of becoming a learning facilitator / trainer? We need you! Contact Lorrie Klaric, Adult Development Director, at lklaric@gsep.org. We’re working with GSUSA to make the process of becoming a learning facilitator much easier. This will help us offer the number of learning opportunities we need to have available for all of our volunteers. Adult Recognitions: New information about awards will be available on the GSEP website next week with applications and a directory of adult recognition options for Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. Deadline for submission of awards will be extended until March 1, 2008. Questions about training? Contact us at training@gsep.org __________________________________________________ MISSION MANTRA "The Days are Long, but the Years are Short" Submitted by Sandie Kramer, Brownie Troop #220066 Leader of Carillon Service Unit. The quote encourages her to “remember the little day to day things that make my life so full.” Calling all wise sages: If you have an inspiring quote you live by, we would love to hear it. Please email Tonya Towles at ttowles@gsep.org. Be sure to include Mission Mantra in the title of the email. __________________________________________________ BEST PHOTO Greasy Hands and Beautiful Smiles Junior Girls from Troop 21872 in Newtown, Bucks County got together to make meals for Aid for Friends. The meals were delivered to St. Andrew Church. Due to your overwhelming response, we will continue to feature a best photo in each GS News. If yours is not selected for the current issue, rest assured it will be considered for future issues. To submit your photo for our weekly Best Photo section, simply email the image along with a brief description of the event (when, where, who, why) to Tonya Towles at ttowles@gsep.org. Be sure to write Best Photo in the subject line of the email.