Recently in Girl Scouts in the News Category

Some of your fellow Girl Scouts have recently been featured in Disney FamilyFun magazine. Disney turned to Girl Scouts for a list of fun things groups and families can do together. Eight troops ideas were chosen from over 550 submissions. The troops whose ideas were chosen received $250, a complete set of Disney FamilyFun craft and activity books and a free digital and print subscription to the magazine.

The Disney FamilyFun published ideas and troops are:

• A Pajama Party That Also Collects PJs for Women in Need, Brownie Troop 96, Scottsville, New York
• Pudding Served Up in an Ice-Cream Cone, Brownie Troop 155, Marietta, Ohio
• Catnip Mice for the Local Pet Shelter, Junior Girl Scout Troop 1332, Littleton, Colorado
• Going Green with Plantable Greeting Cards, Girl Scout Troop 496, Bristow, Oklahoma
• A Twist on Tradition: S'mores in a Bag, Brownie Troop 1169, Scottsboro, Alabama
• Compliment Sheets Share the Love, Junior Girl Scout Troop 24259, Woodstock, Georgia
• A Pass-the-Mirror Game That Teaches Self-Esteem, Daisy Troop 1486, Maricopa, Arizona
• Hula Hoop Game: It's a Group Effort, Cadette Girl Scout Troop 1486, Kirkwood, Missouri

 

Maybe you can even try some of the activities with your troop or family! Congrats to all eight troops and their councils, and thanks for sharing the Girl Scout spirit.

 It's hard to believe but most of the 800 million girls around the world are treated differently from boys. In some parts of the world, simply being born a girl means being kept from going to school and told to just do chores and raise a family.

Yet, did you know, that the more education a girl gets, the more likely she is to have a healthy family, a solid income to invest back into her community, and a vision for her future? When a girl thrives, so do whole communities. Pretty amazing, right?

Empowering girls today is a global issue. There are girls everywhere in the world, including the United States, who aren't treated fairly. We have the power to change this and it starts with YOU!

Girl Scouts USA, CARE, Seventeen Magazine and the Documentary Group are asking teen girls, their families, troop leaders and other mentors to make a pledge at The Power of Girls to learn more about issues facing girls around the world. The goal is to collect 50,000 pledges by International Women's Day in March of 2011.

So empower yourself with information!  Take the pledge!

On Thursday, October 29, 2009 President Barack Obama signed the Girl Scouts of the USA Commemorative Coin Act authorizing the minting of 350,000 silver dollar coins in honor of Girl Scouts and the achievements of the 50 million women across the nation whose lives have been influenced by Girl Scouting. This legislation enjoyed strong bipartisan support, with more than 300 cosponsors in the House, and more than 70 cosponsors in the Senate. The measure passed unanimously in both the House and Senate earlier this month.  

The Girl Scouts Centennial Commemorative Coin will be minted in 2013, marking the end of the celebration of our first 100 years and the beginning of our second century of leadership. Ten dollars from the sale of each coin will go to GSUSA to help fund much-needed renovations at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia. The bill also calls for the Secretary of the Treasury, in collaboration with the GSUSA and the Commission of Fine Arts, to design the coin in a manner "emblematic of the centennial of Girl Scouts."

This victory would not have happened without your support.  Through your efforts, more than 40,000 messages were sent to Members of Congress asking for their support. Thanks to each of you, we are poised to have a Girl Scouts commemorative coin to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting!

Calling all Girl Scouts!

Girl Scouts everywhere are encouraged to tell the world how they are Remarkable, Energetic, Aspirational Leaders by entering the Justine R.E.A.L. Girl contest where the prize is a feature in the national teen/tween lifestyle magazine, Justine.
 
This R.E.A.L. Girl Contest is open only to Girl Scouts between the ages of 13-19, who are working to make the world a better place in their local communities and beyond.  The winner will be featured in an article telling all about her activities as the R.E.A.L. Girl, and she will win a trip to the Justine offices in Memphis, Tennessee, for a professional photo shoot, as well as other fun prizes and Justine subscriptions for her troop and her school library.
 
Submissions will be accepted until mid-January 2010, and the finalists and winner will be selected in February. For more information and contest rules, check out: justinemagazine.com.

Call for Entries

 

WHO:   Calling all Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie and Junior troops or groups. Disney's FamilyFun magazine wants to hear from you!

 

WHAT: As part of an upcoming story celebrating Girl Scouts, Disney's FamilyFun magazine would like to feature Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout troop or group projects and activities. The best stories will reflect fun, learning, and inspiration and be those that Girl Scouts and their families can enjoy.

 

In addition, the best entries will:

·         Be memorable group projects, crafts, games, or activities;

·         Highlight the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Stories about girls enjoying the Girl Scout Journeys are encouraged.

 

Volunteers whose stories are published will receive $250 for their Girl Scout troop or group, a free set of FamilyFun recipe and craft books, and a free print or digital subscription, so please let your leader know!

 

HOW:   To enter, send a description of your Girl Scout troop or group's project, craft, game, or activity.  Photos are encouraged!  Please write "Girl Scouts" in the subject line and send your submission to: letters.familyfun@disney.com

 

WHEN: Submissions are needed by Friday, Sept. 25

A Girl Scout Cadette Troop from Pennsylvania wants to go to Switzerland in two years, and they've come up with a new idea to raise the $30,000 they'll need to get there... What could they possibly be doing?  You won't believe it!  The Girl Scout troop is raising money for their trip by placing flamingos on lawns of unsuspecting victims who pay to have them removed.

 

Read more about it at The Pennsylvania Patriot-News Website.  Maybe this story will get your creative fundraising juices flowing!

At twenty years old, Alli Owens is signed with D'Hondt Motorsports and drives the #19 Toyota under the ElectrifyingCareers.com banner. A 2010 Nationwide Series hopeful, Owens got her start in the BMX Bicycle circuit, moved to a dirt track at Volusia Speedway Park in 2003, competes currently in the renowned ARCA RE/MAX Series and has her sights set on being a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Her sponsorships range from the National Electrical Contractor's Association to Nutrisystem.  Owens also happens to be a Girl Scouts enthusiast, inviting girls to attend racing events and participating in the National Girls and Women In Sports Day.

 

Read more about this at GSUSA's blog!

Are you Twitterific?  Well, Girl Scouts is being talked about by lots of people on Twitter - including Taylor Swift!  On July 23, she tweeted, "Girl Scouts came to my meet and greet and brought Girl Scout cookies. Beyond stoked."  If you are on, you'll want to follow GSUSA's official Twitter page at twitter.com/girl_scouts. 

 

Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Join at twitter.com to start receiving GSUSA's  tweets.

Look what we found at GSUSA's blog!

 

Tonight (June 10) ushers in the premiere episode of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." In the show, big-time kitchen kings and queens compete for $100,000 in prize money for their favorite charity.

Several Girl Scouts are being featured as guest judges. Think they're push-overs? Not so much. Just ask Boston's Michael Schlow.

 

Swing by Bravotv.com for information, videos and more about the show!

Kelly Clarkson meets with Girl Scouts and talks about self-esteem, body image and photoshopped images of stars.  Here's the link -- check it!