6 Ways Girl Scouts Gave Back in 2013

Wherever there’s giving, there’s Girl Scouts.

Community service is an integral part of Girl Scouting. Troops all across Silver Sage Council have been busy this year with service projects, putting in a total of 269,000 service hours. Wow! Below are just a handful of ways that Girl Scouts gave back in 2013.

Bronze Award Projects

For their Bronze Award projects, Meridian troop 43 filled 75 donated shoe boxes with new Scholastic books, winter hats and mittens, small games, toiletries, and candy for the City Light Home For Women & Children. Girls partnered with Shopko and the local library to complete the project. The troop also planted a vegetable garden and donated 75 lbs of produce to the Meridian Food Bank with the help of Zamzows.

Warm Hearts,Toasty Toes

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage and ICON Credit Union have partnered for the 4^th annual sock drive. Twelve troop and members of the Icon staff will be spending the next few months collecting socks to donate to local charities to help keep everyone's toes toasty. Look for them in your local community today through January 18^th!

Kuna Weekend Backpack Program

Girl Scout troop 130 donated $300 worth of food to the Kuna Weekend Backpack Program. This program supplies hungry children with enough food for an entire weekend. The troop’s donation provided meals and snacks for 54 children for two days.

Festival of Trees 

For 30 years, the Festival of Trees has been a holiday tradition in the Treasure Valley, raising more than $7 million to improve community healthcare. Hundreds of lavishly decorated Christmas trees, wreaths, and holiday décor will take over Boise Centre on the Grove from November 26 - December 2. On Saturday, November 30^th, Girl Scouts from the Teen Advisory Committee will be on hand from 9:30 am – 9:30 pm running activities for the kids. Stop by and say hello!

Wagon Days

Girl Scouts Erica, Lily and Hadley volunteered a combined 140 hours for Wagon Days, a 55 year tradition in Ketchum featuring the largest parade in the Pacific Northwest complete with wagons, buggies and stagecoaches. These three Scouts were recognized by the city of Ketchum for selfless giving. 

Gold Award Projects

Sarah is one of 5 girls who earned her Gold Award this year. Gold Award projects require a minimum of 80 hours of community service and girls must propose a long term, sustainable solution to an issue of their choice. Sarah collected 1,358 toothbrushes for villages in Peru and Bolivia. She created  "Cepillarse los dentes! (Brush Your Teeth!)" banners and educated her Vacation Bible School about the need for supplies and dental education. 

How has your troop helped the local community this year? Email your story and pictures to kkuhnhausen@girlscouts-ssc.org.

Halloween is a time for ghosts, goblins and…Girl Scouts?

On October 31 in 1860, Girl Scout founder, Juliette Gordon Low, was born in Savannah, Georgia. "Daisy," as she was affectionately called by family and friends, formed the first Girl Scout troop in 1912. Every year, Girl Scout councils around the nation celebrate October 31 as Founder’s Day. Troops from every state hold celebrations to honor Juliette and her passion for Girl Scouting.

Pocatello troop 564 celebrated this year with cupcakes and a history of Juliette Gordon Low. Troop Leader Autumn M. dressed up as Juliette complete with authentic 1900’s attire and 100 year old shoes. Service Unit 55 in Meridian held a 1912 style birthday celebration complete with period costumes.

Some troops used Founder’s Day to honor one of the core tenants of Girl Scouting: community service. Twin Falls troop 47 and Service Unit 19 collected more than 100 pairs of new and gently used pajamas to donate to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program and Valley Health. Seventy Girl Scouts brought their donations to a pajama party where they made ghost lollipops, crafts and played a variety of games.

How did your troop/Service Unit celebrate?

Did You Know?

• On Juliette’s wedding day in 1886, a piece of rice thrown in celebration became lodged in her ear. When the doctor tried to remove it, he permanently damaged her left ear drum.
• Money was needed to keep Girl Scouts afloat so Juliette sold the pearl necklace her husband had given her as a wedding present.
• Juliette was 52 years old when she created Girl Scouts.
• In childhood, Juliette was known for taking in stray dogs and cats which earned her the nickname, “Crazy Daisy”.
• In 1979, Juliette was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Girl Scouts give back to their community and complete the Daisy Flower Garden Journey!

Daisy Troop 602 have been busy bees in the garden completing their Welcome to the Daisy Flower Garden Journey! 

Over the course of the Journey, the troop from Three Creek, Idaho not only learned how to care for a garden, but also learned leadership, teamwork, responsibility, and the importance of community service. 

The first part of their journey involved planting lettuce, parsley, and peas in their mini-garden. Daisies quickly learned that if they didn't water their plants, they wouldn't sprout. This taught girls to be responsible for what they do, which in turn helped them earn the Watering Can Award. 

To earn the Golden Honey Bee Award, the girls had to take action through a gardening effort to make the world a better place.  One of the Brownies suggested planting apple trees at Three Creek School as a community service project. A portion of the troop’s cookie money supported the project and the girls planted 2 gala apple trees. "I learned how to plant and water apple trees," said Daisy Katie. "And I learned how deep the hole needs to be."

The girls also worked with teacher Dena Pollock to implement a community garden at Three Creek school. They learned about permaculture and worm composting with Rusty Bowman of Earthen Exposure as well as grew ladybugs for the Three Creek School community garden.

They also took a field trip to Tubbs Berry Farm in Twin Falls to learn about apiaries where the Daisies discovered the importance of honey bees, which is crucial in a Daisy Flower Garden.

To complete the journey and earn the Amazing Daisy Award, the Daisies planned their garden party at the end of our Court of Awards. They requested veggies, honey butter sandwiches (cut with a Daisy cookie cutter), apples, and V8 Splash Berry Blend juice. The troop leaders also decided to host an ice cream party with the girls making ice cream in a bag.

The Color Run Returns to Boise on August 24, 2013

 

 

 

 

The 2012 Color Run in Boise was a blast for runners and volunteers from the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage. We were chosen as the charity partner again for the 2013 event on August 24th. All Girl Scout members, families and friends get a $5 discount off the registration price and the Silver Sage Council gets a portion of the funds raised from the event. How cool is that? No wonder The Color Run is the Happiest 5K on the Planet! Visit our web page at www.girlscouts-ssc.org for information.

With no winners or official times, The Color Run celebrates healthiness, happiness, and individuality. It brings the Boise community together to create a 5K canvas of colorful FUN in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in different colors at each kilometer. Visit their website at www.thecolorun.com and be sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on You Tube too. Then, sign up as an individual or team runner or event volunteer. You'll be glad you did!

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Donates Cookies to Area Nonprofits

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Donates Cookies to Area Nonprofits

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage cookie manager Clint Kofoed and
Idaho Foodbank driver Terry Kindall load 250 cases of donated cookies.

The Girl Scout Cookie season wrapped up in May and now the Silver Sage Council is busy delivering remaining cookies to area churches, schools, and nonprofit organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Ada County and of Nampa, Ronald McDonald House, Interfaith Sanctuary, Life’s Kitchen, and The Arc. Altogether, 1,023 cases (12,276 boxes) will be donated to 20 organizations by the end of this week.

The Idaho Foodbank and American Red Cross will receive 250 cases and 200 cases respectively. The Girl Scouts of Silver Sage also partnered with the American Red Cross during the spring cookie season to offer “Cookies from the Heart.” Through the program, Girl Scout cookie buyers can donate cookies they purchase to the American Red Cross of Boise and Treasure Valley. These donations benefit disaster victims, military members and their families, blood donors, and domestic disaster relief efforts. 

Each year, the Silver Sage Council orders about 700,000 boxes of cookies from Little Brownie Bakers. Girls and troops take orders from friends and family in February, then fulfill those orders in March. In April, troops blanket the community to sell cookies to the general public. They set up education and sales booths outside high traffic stores, such as Albertsons, Walgreens, Paul’s Market, Walmart and Fred Meyer.

The annual Girl Scout Cookie season usually lasts only three months, but was extended through May this year due to poor weather in April. Most years end with some excess inventory, and these delicious boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils and Savannah Smiles are donated to local organizations that help families and communities in need.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is designed to help girls grow into leaders of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.  The five skills the girls learn through cookies sales – goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, business ethics - are a key ingredient in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage serves more than 5,000 girl members, 2,300 adult volunteers, and 400 troops in southern Idaho and parts of eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience includes several pathways for participation, including summer camps, series programs, travel opportunities, and troop activities for girl members and adult volunteers. To learn more, visit www.girlscouts-ssc.org.

Girl Scouts Honored with Two AEP Awards

Girl Scouts Honored with Two AEP Awards

Maureen O’Toole Named CEO of Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council



Maureen O’Toole Named CEO of Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council

The Girl Scouts of Silver Sage has selected Maureen O’Toole to serve as the Council’s new Chief Executive Officer. She brings expertise in team building, training, strategic planning, business systems, public speaking, and organizational mission, vision and values alignment.

“We are excited to welcome Maureen to this important leadership position,” said Icon Credit Union CEO Connie Miller, who is chair of the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Board of Directors. “She brings tremendous drive and a passion for helping youth identify and develop their potential.”

A retired military intelligence officer and public school teacher, O’Toole created and taught teen leadership classes and partnered with Idaho youth organizations to provide training. “Girl Scout programs are designed to help develop girls as leaders and build confidence by learning critical skills for success in the real world,” she said. “I can’t imagine a better place to be.”

O’Toole earned a BA in Anthropology from The College of William and Mary in Virginia, a BA in Bilingual Elementary Education from Boise State University, Idaho, and a Master’s of Organizational Leadership from George Fox University, Idaho campus. She is also certified as a Franklin-Covey facilitator.

She served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves for 25 years, holding two command positions and earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. While in the military, she studied organizations and systems in depth in order to predict behavior.

Maureen’s 17 years as a teacher included private tutoring, private music instruction, K-8 curriculum and Spanish instruction. Leveraging off civilian and military teaching experiences, she created a leadership curriculum and instruction program to teach individual and group leadership and soft business skills.

Specifically, her program helped youth:  Identify gifts, talents and potential; set specific goals to creating powerful, positive lives; and participate in small group problem-solving and teamwork. She partnered with local youth-centric organizations to build leadership boot camps and, over the course of four years, these programs impacted over 700 Boise youth.

In her role as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, O’Toole will provide strategic and tactical direction to achieve the organization’s critical goals, which include outreach and collaboration with community partners, increased visibility and financial sustainability, membership recruitment and retention, and constituent engagement.

Maureen started at the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage on April 29, 2013. “I see this position as a perfect intersection of my professional background and passion for helping youth reach their potential with the Girl Scout mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place,” she said.

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage serves more than 5,000 girl members, 2,300 adult volunteers, and 400 troops in southern Idaho and parts of eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience includes several pathways for participation, including summer camps, series programs, travel opportunities, and troop activities for girl members and adult volunteers. To learn more, visit www.girlscouts-ssc.org.

Having it All: Girls & Financial Literacy

While lack of financial literacy is a growing concern for everyone today, relatively little research has been done on how young people think about and experience money and finances, with even fewer studies focusing on girls specifically. To address this gap, the Girl Scout Research Institute conducted a nationwide survey with over 1,000 girls ages 8−17 and their parents to better understand girls' level of financial literacy and their confidence about, attitudes towards, and experiences with money. Having It All: Girls and Financial Literacy reveals that girls need and want financial literacy skills to help them achieve their dreams, with 90 percent saying it is important for them to learn how to manage money. However, just 12 percent of girls surveyed feel "very confident" making financial decisions. Learn more about the financial literacy study. You'll find the summary and full report, along with the Girl Scouts Financial Empowerment Program materials here: http://www.girlscouts.org/research/publications/financial_literacy/



Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Donation Page is Active on Idaho Gives Campaign Website. Schedule Your Donation for May 2, 2013 Today!

On May 2nd, Idahoans will come together for a day of giving to support the nonprofits in communities across our state. From midnight -11:59pm a share of every dollar raised by Idaho nonprofits will be matched with funds from the Idaho Gives award pool. In addition, the top five organizations with the most unique donors (nonprofits are divided by size) will receive bonus grants of $3,000, $1,000, $500, $250, and $250 respectively.

Please help the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage raise $10,000 for our programs!

What can you do to spread the word about Idaho Gives?

•Like and follow Idaho Gives on Facebook and Twitter. Share the posts with friends.
•Promote Girl Scouts of Silver Sage participation in your emails, website, newsletters, groups and forums.
•Post flyers and hand out post cards with our donation page QR code at your workplace, school, church or club meetings (find these at the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage website: www.girlscouts-ssc.org on the Idaho Gives web page)
•Like the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Facebook fan page. Follow our Blogger posts.
•Subscribe to our Girl Scouts of Silver Sage You Tube Channel. Follow us on Twitter.
•Tell your friends and family about Idaho Gives, even if they don't live in Idaho. They can schedule a donation for May 2nd so they don't forget about the incredible day of giving.
• Visit the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage donation page at www.idahogives.razoo.com and search for Girl Scouts.

If your company would like to offer a matching gift to the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage to encourage more donations on May 2, please contact Mary Ann at mreuter@girlscouts-ssc.org for details.

Silver Sage Council Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sales Begin Friday, April 5

Cookie Manager Clint Kofoed (aka the "Cookie Man") and Jeannie Pattan, program manager, staff the Silver Sage Council "cookie cupboard" in Boise. They will help troops load up their cookie supplies for booth sales, April 5 through April 21. Only a few short weeks to buy Girl Scout Cookies in southern Idaho!

BOISE – There’s more to Girl Scout Cookies than what’s in the box. That’s the message on every package of cookies sold by over than 400 Silver Sage Council troops this season. Some 3,500 girls will be selling Girl Scout cookies from community booths in southern Idaho beginning Friday, April 5.



Visit www.girlscoutcookies.org and enter your zip code in the “cookie finder” to locate a booth near you. The cookie finder is also available as a downloadable Smartphone app from the site. Booth sales end on April 21.



The Girl Scouts of Silver Sage is also sponsoring a 5 for 5 Cookie Contest this year. Customers who buy five boxes of cookies are entered into a contest with a chance to win five cases premium favorites, including Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils and Savannah Smiles. Look for details on the Silver Sage website: www.girlscouts-ssc.org. Freeze the extra cookies to serve for the holidays!



The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the world. The new cookie box describes the five financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills the program teaches. These critical skills - goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics - will last girls a lifetime. Did you know that 80% of women business owners in the U.S. are former Girl Scouts?



To learn more about the local Girl Scout Cookie Program and the 5 Skills and Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes, visit the Girl Scout Cookie page on the Silver Sage website.

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage 2013 Annual Conference is April 26 and 27

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage 2013 Annual Conference

Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27

Courtyard by Marriott, Meridian, Idaho

Friday workshops for volunteers, followed by a fundraiser/social on Friday night. Two keynote speakers on Saturday, plus a luncheon/awards ceremony and annual membership meeting. A highlight of the annual conference is the opportunity to honor and inspire our fabulous Girl Scout volunteers. Please plan to join the celebration!

Visit our conference web page at www.girlscouts-ssc.org for details.

Idaho Girl Scout Cookie Tax Exemption Legislation Hits a Roadblock in Democracy

Opinion by Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council



It might be difficult for a girl studying political history in middle or high school to understand this, let alone a Girl Scout Daisy, but the governmental process allows for one person (a committee chairman) in the Idaho State Legislature to essentially vote for an entire committee by not allowing a bill to even have a hearing.



The committee hearing is part of a democratic process that allows a group proposing changes to state law to present their case, the committee members to discuss it, and these lawmakers, representing their constituents, to vote yes or no to send a bill out of committee to the full House of Representative or Senate for consideration.



In the case of the Girl Scout Cookie Program sales tax exemption, after passing unanimously through the House Revenue and Tax Committee to the full House of Representatives, where HB 250 passed without discussion by a 59-11 vote on March 19, 2013, the bill is being held by the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee Chair, Senator Jeff Siddoway. Without a hearing, the bill will die.



With just one week left in this Legislative Session, Chairman Siddoway has yet to allow testimony on the bill to exclude the Girl Scouts from paying sales tax on the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Idaho is one of only two states to tax this financial literacy curriculum that teaches goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.



The Girl Scouts want a hearing. We deserve the right to present our case. The committee members need the opportunity to vote on the matter. It’s unfair for one person to disrupt the democratic process by holding the bill in a desk drawer. It is bad policy and a bad example to Girl Scouts, who represent our future leaders, not to hold the hearing.



Please tell your legislators that all we want is a hearing. We encourage our supporters to email Senator Siddoway, Senator Hill, Senator Davis, Senator Fulcher and Senator Winder, all of Senate Leadership. EMAIL NOW at these email addresses: jsiddoway@senate.idaho.gov, bhill@senate.idaho.gov, bdavis@senate.idaho.gov, cwinder@senate.idaho.gov, rfulcher@senate.idaho.gov. Urge them to allow the democratic process to take place by a vote.

Cookie Season is Almost Here!

Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Cookie Season Starts Tomorrow!

It's that exciting time of year again! Preorders for Girl Scout cookies start tomorrow, February 15 for delivery in March! Public booth sales will begin in April.

Cookies are More Than What's in the Box
Everyone knows how delicious Girl Scout cookies are, but not everyone realizes how much of an impact the experience of cookie selling has on a girl.  

When you purchase your box (or 5) of your favorite Girl Scout cookies, you are providing an excellent opportunity for girls to learn how to set goals, make decisions, manage money, improve people skills and learn about business ethics.  Not only that, but girls earn "Cookie Dough" from your purchase that helps fund troop projects, summer camp tuition,and basic Girl Scout costs!

How to Buy Cookies
As you can tell, a successful cookie season isn't just measured by the amount of boxes sold, but also by the lessons and skills each girl learns through planning, setting goals, and engaging in quality interactions with buyers. Check out this cool that helps cookie buyers make sure that each Girl Scout gets the most out of her cookie selling experience.

 

See How Far Cookie Dough Can Go! 
It may seem like a daunting task for a girl to approach hundreds, if not thousands of people, to buy Girl Scout cookies but when you set a goal and see how far it can take you, it makes it much easier.  Just ask Nickee B. 

“Selling Girl Scout cookies may seem hard, and I'm not saying it's easy, but if the right steps are taken it becomes easier,” Nickee recounts, “I remember how hard it was going out on the weekends in the freezing cold and knocking on every door. But I learned to observe who actually bought from me, who answered their doors, when people were home, and what other neighborhoods I could sell from too.”

Nickee had set cookie sales goals high because she knew, with a little help from her parents and some sisterly advice, where she wanted to go and what she needed to succeed. She planned to earn enough to go on a destination.  

“I wanted to go on a destination because my sister had before me and she still hasn’t stopped talking about it. I just became old enough to go on one and my parents wanted me to learn from raising money and earning the destination.”  

Nickee has recently been accepted to the Adrenaline Rush Destination.  She will spend a week with 23 thrill seekers from around the county engaging in high adventure activities around greater Atlanta. She will get to raft the Ocoee River, fly through the air on zip lines, paddle lakes and ride horses in the Appalachian foothills. She will get to top all that excitement off with man-made thrills at one of the world class amusement parks in Atlanta.

So how did she do it? Here are a few tips from this seasoned selling pro of 13 years old:
·         Make a goal, not just cookie sales, but what you can do with Cookie Dough afterward!
·          Let customers know what you’re doing with your proceeds
·         Get as much pre-selling as possible. Sell to your relatives, friends, door to door.
·         Observe who buys, who answers doors, and when they are home.
·          Next is cookie booths sales, be at as many booths as you can possibly manage.
·         When you are selling be really friendly. Just keep smiling!  

Nickee’s last little bit of wisdom for girls, “You will not only learn from selling, but you’ll enjoy the trip more, it will have more significance to you.”