Category Archives: GSACPC

NEW MyGS Account is Here

Girl Scouts released a new member management portal as part of the My GS community of online member resources and introduced several new updates making it easier than ever to manage your household’s Girl Scout memberships and keep track of your Girl Scout experiences – from troop participation, activity and event registrations and more!

Some of you may have caught the email from Girl Scouts Dec. 6-8 inviting you to reset your password and welcoming you to the system, others may have missed it. We understand. Emails can land in Junk folders or simply get lost in today’s crowded inboxes. The password reset link expires four days after the email is received. But it’s ok, you can still get started.

Simply click on ‘My GS’ in the top right corner of this web page and follow the system-provided prompts and guidance. Of course, if you have any trouble, be sure to reach out to our Council Staff Teams. As always, we’re here to support you every step of the way! Just email reghelp@girlscoutsaz.org, call 602-452-7030 or text 844-317-9041 (note, we recently switched to a new toll-free number for texts).

My Account makes it easier than ever to manage your household’s Girl Scout memberships and keep track of your Girl Scout experiences. With so many new features, we’re choosing to highlight just a few like:

  • The *NEW* Household Summary View: A scrollable list of all current and inactive Girl Scout members in your household along with troop affiliations and the status for all household memberships – renewing your girl has never been easier!
  • A *NEW* Event Dashboard: A scrollable summary of upcoming events and activities for your household.
  • The *NEW* Troop Summary View: There to provide you with a quick look at basic information on the troops that your household members are a part of!
  • The *NEW* My Account Menu: Ready to take to you pages like My Household, My Troop, My Profile, My Events where you will be able to find more details and information – beyond the summary views on your landing page—and where you’ll go to update and edit your member account information! 

Of course, there’s more but we wanted to save a few surprises for you to find. Be sure to check it out! We think you’re going to like what you find. Have fun exploring!

Girl Scouts’ Upcoming System-wide Refresh

Earlier this fall, we shared information via emails about an upcoming system refresh and plans to debut an enhanced member account management system in December. It’s happening! 

Starting Nov. 18 at 11:59 PM EST, GSUSA will begin system-wide updates that will temporarily restrict the ability to complete many volunteer and member related tasks and pause access to:

  • myGS
  • Volunteer Toolkit (VTK)
  • gsLearn (volunteer online training platform)
  • Looker (only Service Unit admin teams use this as a reporting resource)
  • Background check completion and submission for processing volunteers
  • New membership registration/s and membership renewals

GSUSA is on track to pull back the curtain and Go-Live with myAccount Dec. 7.

While much of the downtime period is set to occur the week of the Thanksgiving holiday, a time when many troops and volunteers take a break to be with family and friends, we know that Girl Scouts and volunteers are always on the go and want to make sure that you are aware of the downtime, it’s potential to impact your Girl Scout plans, and steps you can take to prevent any surprises.

What should you do?

Please take a moment to review the important information to understand what is impacted and any workarounds we have made possible in the meantime. 

As always, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to reghelp@girlscoutsaz.org or 602-452-7030 for assistance.

Thank you for your patience while we work to enhance your Girl Scout member experience.

All About Girl Scout Founder, Juliette Gordon Low

Did you know that October 31, yes, Halloween, is the birth day of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low?!

In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low (1860–1927) founded Girl Scouts of the USA, now serving millions of girl members and alumnae, and reflects the arc of her remarkable life.

An ardent believer in the potential of all girls, and the importance of fostering their individual growth, character, and self-sufficiency, Juliette is credited with establishing and nurturing a global movement that has changed the world. Take a look at some interesting facts about her, her life and how she influenced our Movement.

Fun facts about Juliette Gordon Low

  • She is also now known as “JGL,” but was fondly known as Daisy to her friends. 
  • Daisy started the first troop in Savannah, Georgia, which was her home. You can visit her birthplace if you go to Savannah. 
  • Juliette Low learned about Scouting from Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, as well as from Girl Guides in England. Inspired and enthusiastic with this youth program, she led three Girl Guides troops in England and Scotland. 
  • She then returned to America with “something for all girls” and a dream of world peace and friendship through a program that would unite the young people of all lands. 
  • Daisy Low worked endlessly and even sold her jewelry to spread the exciting idea of Scouting.
  • It was a piece of rice thrown for good luck at her wedding that caused Juliette to be partially deaf in her one good ear. It lodged itself in the ear drum.
  • She was buried in her Girl Scout uniform in Savannah, Georgia. 
  • Her friends honored her efforts by establishing the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. The organization finances international projects for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides.

Believe it or not, Juliette…

  • Never tasted sugar until she was 4 or 5 years old when General Sherman came to visit her mother and brought a packet of sugar.
  • Was an expert swimmer, horseback rider and fisherwoman, and loved tennis and curling, the national sport of Scotland. 
  • Had a parrot named Polly Poons.
  • As a young girl saved a toddler who had fallen into a stream. 
  • Found a dead robin while at boarding school and, with her classmates and teachers, had a burial service for it. 
  • Went to dancing schools and learned all the dances in vogue.
  • Was a talented artist who painted dinner plates, sculpted, and painted oil portraits. 
  • Went trout fishing in a nearby stream, after a formal dinner party, while dressed in full evening clothes with her friend, Rudyard Kipling. She once (accidentally) hooked a guest and was too deaf to hear him screaming.
  • Once bought a rabbit from some children “Because its ears were cold.” 
  • Helped her mother organize and serve in a hospital during the Spanish-American War
  • Knew where there was some khaki material and loaned the Girl Scouts $8,000 to buy it for uniforms during World War 1 (1918) when khaki material for Girl Scout uniforms was scarce.
  • Entertained nieces and nephews by standing on her head with skirts tucked between her legs. 
  • Climbed the Great Pyramid in Egypt and rode elephants in India.
  • Juliette LOVED to tell stories. She wrote many stories herself and girls encouraged her to tell ghost stories around the campfire. 
  • Juliette had a tea party after every Girl Scout meeting.

Popular Quotes

  • “Scouting rises within you and inspires you to put forth your best”
  • “Right is right, even if no one else does it.”

Fun Facts about Girl Scouting

  • The Birthday of Girl Scouting in America is March 12, 1912. Every year Girl Scouts celebrate that day with parties, special ceremonies or service projects. 
  • The first group of girls decided to change the name of Girl Guides to Girl Scouts. The very
    first camp was held the same year, 1912.

This information above is brought to you by the GSACPC History Committee and the Barbara Anderson Girl Scout Museum. If you would like to learn more about Girl Scout history or schedule a visit at the museum, please visit girlscoutsaz.org/museum.

Girl Scout History

Throughout our organization’s history, Girl Scouts has encouraged girls to participate in actions and activities they are passionate about, whatever any affiliated social causes may be. As the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, we feel it is our duty to encourage girls to participate in rather than shy away from issues they care about. We support the girl who supports the cause, which means we support girls’ agency in making choices that speak to them.

We are an inclusive organization and accept all girls in grades Kindergarten through 12 as members.

The Girl Scout organization stands firm in valuing diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, national origin, or physical or developmental disability.

Girl Scouts’ programming and approach—nonpolitical, nonpartisan—is designed to serve all girls.

Girl Scouts honors the values Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scout Movement in accordance with more than 100 years ago.

5 Skills Every Girl Scout Cadette Should Know

Whether you’re a first, second or third-year Girl Scout Cadette, there are some badges we think all Cadettes should know! Check out the list below to see which badges made the list and how you can earn them, too! With Girl Scouts at Home, you can add these badges to your summer list and earn them in no time!

  1. How to Treat Wilderness Injuries: What do you do if someone breaks a leg while you’re hiking in the mountains? Or how do you help someone who has nearly drowned on a boat trip? This badge will help you research injuries and talk to an expert on how to help in these situations.
  2. Find Common Ground with Others: Sometimes we make our differences so big we can’t see past them. But when you get to know people who aren’t exactly like you, you often find that they care about many of the same things you do and that you can find common ground—not by sacrificing or changing what you think, but by being open to other perspectives. This badge helps you listen to opinions that sometimes differ from yours.
  3. Understand Your Digital Footprint: The internet is a powerful tool! You can chat with friends, research school projects, play games, watch videos, or listen to music. The downside is that you leave information about yourself with every screen tap and click of the mouse. This badge teaches you to think carefully about the kind of information you are sharing every time you visit a website or use an app.
  4. Learn How to Think Like a Citizen Scientist: Scientists study nature and conduct research to better understand how it works. They use what they learn to create solutions that help people, animals, and the environment. To learn new things and do research, scientists use a process called the scientific method, which you’ll learn a little more about!
  5. Utilize Outdoor Cooking Skills: Over time, Girl Scouts have learned to cook great food in a variety of ways … in cardboard box ovens, on tin can buddy burners, and even on hot rocks. While earning this badge, you’ll try another technique – making orange cakes and cooking them in orange shells! 

Girl Scouts are resourceful, and this can look like continuing your journey on your own, even when away from a troop setting. Explore all available badges and make your own plan with the Badge Explorer!

Helping Animals During Crisis Is Important to Girls

It’s in the Girl Scout DNA to help in a time of crisis. In fact, over 62% of K-5 girls (surveyed by GSUSA in April) want to do community service activities, and 72% want to do activities that help their community. That’s why one of the first at-home program opportunities we put together for girls once COVID-19 social distancing was in effect was a Guide to Helping Others, a summary of ideas and opportunities to serve the community safely. Not surprisingly, some of the most exciting projects in our Council have been around helping animals!

Animal-related Girl Scout badges are commonly completed. They include the Brownie Pets Badge, Junior Animals Habitats Badge, Cadette Animal Helper Badge, and Senior Voices for Animals Badge. And our Council offers the PetSmart Paw Patch in partnership with PetSmart Charities, which is one of our most popular patch programs (10,000 patches have been earned and distributed in the last two years!).

While the badges and patches are a fun way to engage girls in pet care, advocacy, and veterinary careers, girls have leveraged these opportunities to give back to their community. Most girls, when completing the badge and patch requirements, conduct pet care supply drives, volunteer at local shelters, and make pet toys, sew blankets, and pillows.

Supporting animals is a special and unique way for girls to be of service in this time of need – as many girls love animals, they quickly see how pets are important members of our communities, and this helps fill a gap when animals aren’t top of mind for all adults during this pandemic directly affecting people.

So far during the pandemic, girls have earned the Girl Scout Pet Badges and PetSmart Paw patch through several exciting service projects:

We’re proud of how girls are taking charge and caring for Arizona—feeling inspired, too?

>>Join or renew to continue the fun

>>Earn your Pet Badge or PawPatch

>>Choose a way to help others

>>See more virtual Girl Scout opportunities

Girl Scout Summer Adventures Proves to Be a Virtual Learning Success

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, all students – those who didn’t finish the recent school year in-class to those who will start school for the first time – face a very different set of circumstances than previous years. School administrators express that more than ever, mental, emotional, and social preparedness is paramount.

To address the pandemic’s impact on education in Arizona and replace in-person programs canceled due to social distancing guidelines, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-pine Council (GSACPC) partnered with ASU Prep Digital to create a unique, online program for K-12 girls this July.

The new program, “Girl Scout Summer Adventures,” is structured so girls can connect socially and emotionally during this time of isolation and support their formal education at the same time. It’s all about setting girls up for success by enriching their socially-distanced summers at home and helping them prepare for the coming school year. Through the program, which is tailored to each grade level, girls are working with new friends, having fun, and tackling new skills through age-appropriate activities and experiences.

The four-week pilot leads girls through a choose-your-own-adventure journey exploring life skills, STEM, entrepreneurship, and outdoors. With a mix of live and recorded sessions and downloadable content, girls have been able to go at their own pace and on their schedules. The program is guided by GSACPC program staff and licensed educators. And since Girl Scout programming complements academic curriculum, participants in grades 7-12 have had the opportunity to earn free summer school credit.

 “As an organization that positively impacts academic achievement for girls, we feel an obligation to innovate our program model so we can continue to support girls during this monumental time when their education is in upheaval,” said Christina Spicer, GSACPC Deputy Director.

Thanks to a long-standing history with ASU Prep Digital– the local accredited online high school affiliated with Arizona State University– once the pandemic began impacting schools, GSACPC rapidly went to work to develop the Summer Adventures program in partnership with the school.

GSACPC was also able to coordinate special, behind-the-scenes live visits for girls by tapping into some of their other dedicated partners. From business owners, arts and culture organizations, to VIP visitors, session experiences have included Q&As with female role models like Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to cooking class with a pro chef and touring an observatory.

Parents and guardians are praising the quality of the program:

A parent who is also a teacher noted, “It is an impressive amount of planning, organizing, and implementing! Both my daughters are excited about the line-up for their [grade] levels, and I hope to sit to the side for a lot of it, too! One of their material boxes arrived in the mail today, and I’m in awe of the badges and journeys incorporated and provided. You should all be commended for creating such a professional, age-appropriate, packed-with-fun program.”

A longtime Troop Leader shared that she has never seen such excitement from girls in her troop, “Six of my [Troop’s] Girl Scouts registered for the Summer Adventures program, and they are having so much fun! They send me pictures and talk to me about all the exciting projects they’re doing.”

To make the program accessible to all girls, a fee was not required to participate. A donation of $100 for the full 4-weeks was suggested, but families were able to determine how they could support the program. GSACPC hoped to serve 250 girls through the July pilot session, and 416 girls are currently registered.

“ASU Prep Digital helped us learn how to offer Girl Scout programming within a Learning Management System. We look forward to using this knowledge as we continue to adjust our program delivery model to meet the needs of girls,” said Spicer.

With this success underway, GSACPC plans to continue assessing how programs like this might catalyze deeper partnerships with all local schools to support formal education outcomes for girls, especially as school districts are looking at their plans for returning safely to the classroom.

24 New Badges Prepare Girl Scouts to Be Ambitious and Decisive Leaders

Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) today announced 24 new badges designed to help girls practice ambitious leadership in the crucial areas of automotive engineering, STEM career exploration, entrepreneurship, and civics, many of which remain male-dominated. In a year of unprecedented global change, our country’s need for strong, broad-minded, and decisive leadership has never been greater. Through new and existing programming, Girl Scouts equips the next generation of female change-makers with the breadth of knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to take charge and do good for the world, both now and in the future.

The new Girl Scout badges include:

  • Entrepreneurship (grades K–12). Girls develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they engage in age-appropriate exercises that help them create and pitch a product or service that solves a problem. They build their own business plan and think about topics like production, cost, profit, marketing, and competition. Three in four of today’s girls are interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but more than half also say they need more support in this area; these badges are designed to fill the gap. Funded by Susan Bulkeley Butler and designed in collaboration with VentureLab.
  • STEM Career Exploration (grades 2–8). Girls explore their career interests and connect them to STEM fields—particularly computer science, nature/environmental science, engineering, design, health, and agriculture—that can help them address the pressing issues of our time and change the world. The IF/THEN® Collection, a free, downloadable digital asset library of real-life women in STEM, is an integral component of the badges. The dearth of women in STEM fields is well documented, but data shows that girls are more interested in a STEM career when they learn how they can use it to help people, demonstrating the value of Girl Scouts’ unique approach. Funded by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
  • Automotive Engineering (grades K–5). Girls learn about designing, engineering, and manufacturing vehicles, as well as the future of mobility. They design their own vehicles, test prototypes, learn about design thinking, create their own assembly line manufacturing process, and more. Only 13% of engineers are women, underscoring the need for these badges which will introduce more girls to the field. Funded by General Motors.
  • Civics (grades K–12). Girls gain an in-depth understanding of how local, state, and federal government works, preparing them to be voters, activists, and even political leaders. They research laws and how they’re created, voting, and the electoral college, the representation of women in government, and more. They also research their own government officials and are encouraged to meet them. Just 24% of eighth-graders are proficient in civics, and only two in five American adults can name the three branches of U.S. government, highlighting the need for these badges. Funded by the Citi Foundation.

Steady leadership is essential during a crisis such as COVID-19, from fostering trust and showing compassion, to managing challenges with agility, to evaluating outcomes of decisions. The Girl Scout program is proven to develop strong and effective leaders—among many positive outcomes, Girl Scouts are much likelier than non-Girl Scouts to take an active role in decision making (80% vs. 51%), which is a critical aspect of leadership.

“Whether they are fighting cybercrime, exploring how engineers solve problems, or advocating for issues affecting their community, Girl Scouts are learning how to proactively address some of the foremost challenges of today while also building skills that will set them up for a lifetime of leadership,” said GSACPC CEO Tamara Woodbury. “I am so proud that our new programming continues to push girls to be forward-thinking and equips them with the skills they need to make today’s world a better place. We believe in the power of all girls, and we invite them to strengthen their unique abilities by joining Girl Scouts.”

 “Now more than ever, it’s critical that we have strong leaders who can make informed decisions,” said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. “During our current health crisis, the world leaders who have been among the most decisive and effective in addressing the pandemic have been women. With these new badge experiences in STEM, entrepreneurship, and the critically important subject of civics, Girl Scouts is continuing to build the transformational female leaders of today and the future and showing girls the power they have to truly change the world.”

Girl Scouts has made free self-guided activities from select new and existing programming available digitally to the public through Girl Scouts at Home™, keeping families engaged and connected to their communities. Girls can further engage with the badges and topics through online videos, activities, or special live virtual events. Members can access a suite of Girl Scouts’ programming digitally through the Volunteer Toolkit (VTK), including troop meeting plans and other resources to help girls earn badges and awards.

Join or volunteer with GSACPC in central and northern AZ today! 

An Update on our Council’s Fiscal Health

Dear Girl Scout Volunteers,

As we continue to monitor and adjust our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, always prioritizing the health and safety of our girls, their families and our broader community, I want to reach out and express the staff and my deepest gratitude for your continued commitment to Girl Scouting and the girls we serve. While you’ve been juggling the changes that COVID-19 has caused in your own life and family, your level of engagement in supporting one another, the girls, the council and the community has been truly remarkable.

We’ve seen thousands of you learn new technology skills to conduct ongoing virtual troop and service unit meetings. So many of you and your girls have animated the Girl Scout Promise and Law through numerous service and take action projects, including mask making, collecting food for our food banks, and gathering thousands of pounds of cat and dog food as well as other supplies to help Hopi and Navajo families who have been severely impacted by the coronavirus.

This kind of engagement and commitment to the Girl Scout Movement through this pandemic and economic instability, is why this Movement has survived many challenges over the last hundred plus years. We’ve heard that some of you are concerned about the long-term financial health of our council, given that the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and social unrest could escalate and/or linger for many months. Like most organizations and businesses, these are indeed very difficult times for our council and the national Movement. Our revenue streams have been significantly impacted and we have yet to see how this pandemic will impact our largest revenue stream – our Girl Scout cookie program. Thankfully, our council’s board and staff have managed our financial resources with fiscally conservative diligence over the past two decades. The council has the financial reserves, set aside for times just like these, to help sustain our council over the next couple of years, as our annual report shows. Nonetheless, we will need to be prudent and adapt our business practices in order to weather this storm. We’ll also need to continue to bring in as much revenue as feasible to sustain our organization and maintain our facilities for a future when we can all enjoy our camps and in-person events and program activities again.

We’re approaching the summer and upcoming fall season with a mixture of caution and hope. We will continue to prioritize the health and well-being of all our members and the numerous communities throughout our jurisdiction. We look forward to a time when we can gather again, in-person, to continue to learn, celebrate and enjoy what Girl Scouting offers us as individuals, and as a Movement that has helped build the social fabric, strong values and beliefs that promote civic engagement and sustain our democracy. We stand on the shoulder of the girls, women and men who lived through wars, natural disasters, and other pandemics. I have faith that our girls and volunteers like you will lead us through the current challenges with amazing innovation and passion.

Tamara J. Woodbury
GSACPC CEO

Random Act of Kindness Patch Activity

We got our girls busy on virtual patch-earning in mid-March – we completed Random Acts of Kindness and Keep Calm, I am a Girl Scout patches. Here is what we did if you would like to do it with your troop:

Random Acts of Kindness

The girls learned what it meant to live the Girl Scout Promise and Law over eight days to earn the first patch. Every day they were asked to do something to exemplify a section of either the Promise, the Law or a combination. Each night they and their parents posted a picture, video or confirmation of what the girls did through our private online group. We were proud of their responses and feel this experience has helped them to understand GS values, not just memorize and repeat them.

Activity Sheet / Instructions Example

Complete a listed action each day based on the Girl Scout Promise or Law. Have a parent post it in the online group each day, using a photo, video or drawing. It has to be done the same day it was posted. Suggest keeping this requirement so all patches can be earned with honor.

We will start on ______and continue for 8 days.  Questions? Contact Leader _______or Leader _________.

  • Day 1. Girl Scout Promise: What did you do to serve your God or Country?
  • Day 2. Girl Scout Law: What did you do to be honest, fair, considerate and caring?
  • Day 3. Girl Scout Law: How were you responsible for what you did or said, to show respect for yourself and others?
  • Day 4. Girl Scout Law: In what ways were you courageous and strong?
  • Day 5. Girl Scout Promise and Law: How were you friendly and helpful to at least one other person? Now, come up with an idea that would make a person smile. A card? A poster? A video? A song? Your funniest face?
  • Day 6. Girl Scout Law: What did you do to respect authority?
  • Day 7. Girl Scout Law: How did you use resources wisely?
  • Day 8. Girl Scout Law: In four sentences, what does it mean to be a sister to every Girl Scout?

Keep Calm, I am a Girl Scout

The second patch we worked on was Keep Calm, I am a Girl Scout. This one was designed for family participation and ran for ten days. Since school started again, via the internet, we gave the girls two days for each project. Origami was our theme, starting out simple with a cat and dog face, we progressed to more difficult designs each day, ending with a pony that flips.

Since not everyone had origami paper at home, and we did not want anyone going out for supplies, the girls were given several ideas of what they could cut into 6- or 7-inch squares. Magazine pages, Sunday comics, wrapping paper, copy paper that they colored, drew on, marbled, textured with watercolor and salt, or anything they could come up with.

To order your Random Acts of Kindness and Keep Calm, I am a Girl Scout patches, visit the online Council Shop!

By Troop 655 in Payson
Troop Leader: Jessica Kjellstrom
Co-Leaders: Denise Blanchette, Alexis Kjellstrom

How Girl Scouts Helped Me Help Others

I have been a Girl Scout since first grade, 12 years to be exact. I am now entering my sophomore year in college, and everything I learned as a Girl Scout has helped me tremendously in every phase of life. Thanks to Girl Scouts, I learned how to communicate effectively and put others before myself. This has helped me not only when applying to jobs and colleges, but I have also been able to use these skills for things such as building friendships and growing my inner confidence. Girl Scouts has offered me some incredible experiences; my troop has traveled to London, Italy, France, New York, and Costa Rica. Along with being able to travel the world, I have completed my Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, the highest awards in Girl Scouting, which require tackling community issues and sustainably serving the community.

Earning my Gold Award, in particular, was something that I worked extremely hard at, and I am incredibly proud of completing it. My project, Dream for Dresses, focused on the 29,537 homeless children in the Arizona Public School systems who cannot afford the luxury of new clothes for the start of school. At the beginning of this project, I focused on creating dresses for young girls, as they are primarily the ones whose confidence suffers the most when it comes to appearances. As I began, however, I also wanted to gather clothes for boys and organized a clothing drive as well. Per the Curvilinear Model of Self-Esteem, achievement in school is at its lowest efficiency rate when self-esteem is low. The goal of my project was that through new clothes, these children would gain the confidence they needed to raise their achievements in school, as they are the future.

As mentioned before, there are 29,537 homeless students in the Arizona public school systems alone. On a national level, the number is significantly larger: 1.3 million. While my project impacted those locally, I hope that my project and its presence on social media will inspire others to do the same everywhere. While I am in Rhode Island attending the University of Rhode Island, I plan to continue to help the homeless youth here and create awareness on the East Coast.

My new commitment to Girl Scouting has been helping a younger troop with not only their Girl Scout Cookie sales but also with holiday bazaars, earning badges, and their Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards. Last March, during my Gold Award, I invited them to collaborate with me, offering training and tips for their future service projects. I taught the girls how to sew and put the dresses together and shared why I chose this as my Gold Award project, and they too became passionate about helping students. So much that they agreed to continue my project, and so I donated all surplus supplies to them.

The truth about Girl Scouts is that it shapes women into strong individuals who have the power to change their community. Girl Scouts gives girls confidence and strength to take on the world and be successful in any endeavor.
 

Kaya Evans is a Gold Award Girl Scout and GSACPC Alum. She currently attends the University of Rhode Island with hopes of becoming an occupational therapist.  

Spring Girl Poetry Contest

’Til Next Time, Selling Cookies for the Future Generations of Girl Scouts

This year’s cookie sales were bittersweet for me. I am graduating from high school this year, and this was my last time participating in the cookie program as a girl member. In 13 years, I have sold thousands of cookies. I have schlepped wagons full of cookies door-to-door. I have moved thousands of cases at cookie deliveries, and, believe it or not, I once froze half to death at a booth when it was snowing – in Phoenix!

Every year, my favorite part of the cookie program (well, besides the access to boxes of Samoas) was to collect donated packages for Cookies for the Community. My service unit pulls cookies together, and we give them to a chaplain in the Air Force who gets them to deployed service people. The cookies bring a piece of home to those who are away from their homes, protecting our country.

One of the first things I learned about selling cookies was that I needed to be friendly and outgoing! This tip works well when you are a small Daisy or Brownie, but as you become older, customers want to know your goals. Once I reached middle and high school, an important strategy was selling cookies door-to-door to the network of loyal customers who had known me since I was a Daisy. Of course, I learned other skills like goal setting, money management, and business ethics – all things I’ll use my whole life. I also learned things that aren’t as obvious and often not spoken. For example, I learned to accept rejection and to be resilient. Believe it or not, there are people out there who CAN turn down a box of Girl Scout Cookies! Not every sales pitch lands a sale. Sometimes people passed our booth without even looking at us. Handling rejection in a healthy way is critical to everyone’s development. Knowing how to accept that rejection, not take it personally, and move forward – or be resilient– are invaluable skills not just for someone’s professional development, but for their toolbox for whatever life throws their way.

Every year my troop set a goal and decided what to do with our cookie money. We paid for and had the time of our lives at summer camp several times. We have used some money for community service projects. And in the last few years, I have sold cookies so that my troop could help fund Gold Awards for my Girl Scout Sisters and myself.

And as we all get ready for the next step, this year is bittersweet since we won’t be going to summer camp and, instead, preparing for college. This year I sold cookies for the future. So that each of my troop members can get a Girl Scout Lifetime Membership. So that the camps we enjoyed so much will be there for our younger sisters. So that girls in the future will get to experience the excellent opportunities that we did. And I thank everyone who has supported girls like me through the cookie program to help fuel the experience and opportunity of Girl Scouting for everyone and for years to come.

Brianna Iannone is a member of Troop 297, a Gold Award Girl Scout and GSACPC Girl Advisory Member, who plans to attend Arizona State University as a Girl Scout Alum. Her goals are to become a computer coder and developer. 

Reading and Resources on Antiracism

We’ve compiled helpful content previously shared, as well as some newly available pieces, in one place. Keep checking back as we’ll continue to update this list. 

Parenting/Kids

Articles/Resources

Books

Videos

Have a resource we should add? Send it to us. 

Ways to Take Meaningful Action Against Racism

As an anti-racist organization, Girl Scouts stands firmly against the racism and violence that continues to silently seep into every part of our society. We choose to amplify our mission of building leaders who make the world a better place. We choose to live up to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who once described Girl Scouts as “a force for desegregation.” We choose equality and equity for all people.

We recognize and claim this as a moment for us all to stand up and speak out against racism and violence. And to speak up for justice for all humankind. This is a critical moment in time and history. We must listen and we must act. Change will only come from action.

Taking Action is in Girl Scouts DNA. If you’re looking for additional ways to use your voice, take action and create change, we’ve gathered tips and resources to learn about antiracism and inspire advocacy:

1. Don’t think you need to be perfect. Just be prepared to do the work.

Oftentimes, the desire to “get it right” stops people from speaking up and taking action. Too often the result is saying nothing, not wanting to rock the boat. This silence gives way to oppressive culture. Don’t let concerns about how you show up prevent you from showing up ― even if you’ve been slow to get involved in the past.

The first step is listening, no matter who you are. It hurts to hear that you might hold prejudice, especially if you consider yourself an open-minded person. But instead of getting defensive or jumping in to explain your own perspective immediately, listen to other points of view including those of Black change-makers, elected officials, friends and coworkers. Push back on prejudice in your own social circles, even if it requires awkward conversations. And educate yourself on your own inherent bias, even if you don’t think you hold any.

It’s important that you prepare yourself to understand that coming to terms with your own privilege will not be a pretty or fun experience. It is necessary to feel feelings of guilt, shame, and anger throughout the process in order to grow, and build strength and resilience.

2. Check-in on your Black friends, family, partners, loved ones and colleagues

This is an emotional and traumatic time for the community, and you checking in, bearing witness and listening can go a long way to supporting your loved ones’ mental health. Ask how you can provide support.

3. Educate yourself

It is not enough to dislike racism, rather, we need to work towards antiracism. A good place to start is to read up on antiracist works.

As with any civil rights movement, don’t expect the oppressed party to educate you and tell you what to do. Search for the answers on your own in ways that work for you. In addition to reading books, you can listen to podcasts and watch documentaries, or follow activists online.

Girl Scout Alum Katie Couric put a thorough listing of resources together, including kid-friendly options for youth and teens. Check it out>>

4. Avoid sharing traumatic content

Whatever your intentions, it is vital to consider sharing videos of black people being abused and hurt can be both traumatic and triggering for many black people. Avoid sharing this content as it also contributes to the dehumanization of black people.

5. Take [civic] action, like a Girl Scout

Girl Scouts learn to use their voices to speak up and take action on issues that matter to them. Each person has the power to create change through using their voice, advocacy and civic engagement.

Our Council is looking at what more we can do to support racial healing in our community and Girl Scout family and will be looking for your involvement to help us find our way. Please contact us if you’d like to volunteer with these efforts. Together we can create a more just world for everyone.

A Message from our CEO and Board Chair

Dear Girl Scout Friends and Family,

We must not be silent. We choose to be present in the conversation, we choose to be of the times, and deliberate in our actions. We choose to live up to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who once described Girl Scouts as “a force for desegregation.” We choose equality and equity for all people. We recognize and claim this as a moment for us all to stand up and speak out against racism and violence. And to speak up for justice for all humankind.

For far too long, our Black sisters and brothers, and all people of color, have faced discrimination in education, jobs, voting rights, health care, law enforcement and opportunity. And far too many have suffered abuse, and even death, at the hands of people misusing their authority and power caused by systemic racism.

We must not be silent. This is a critical moment in time and history. We hope and pray that this moment is a pivotal and powerful turning point to justice. We must pay attention – that’s why the protesters are marching across the nation and calling us all to claim this moment and to be a collective voice and outspoken advocate for real change. We must listen and we must act. We must call out the injustices. Change will only come from action.

This is everyone’s problem. What can you do, you ask? Take action. That’s what Girl Scouts do. Here are three suggestions:

  1. Take the Pledge to Stand Against Racism. Educate yourself about racism and its historical context in this country (read a book, take a class, go to a seminar). It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.
  2. Remember, you don’t have to be a perfect ally to speak up. Speaking up about human rights violations is not political, it’s moral. Don‘t be silent.
  3. Become more civically engaged locally. If there is violence or brutality against people of color in your community, speak up – call or text your local district attorney, your mayor, and your police chief to pressure for justice.

More suggestions for taking meaningful action. 

We stand together with our Black Girl Scouts and their families, and all people of color, in the sisterhood that is Girl Scouts. We love and support you. As an anti-racist organization, Girl Scouts stands firmly against the racism and violence that continues to silently seep into every part of our society.

We must not be silent. We choose to amplify our mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character whose actions will make the world a better place. Our girls and young women are watching us, and we endeavor to live the values we believe. 

In the coming days, our council will be looking at what more we can do to support racial healing in our community and Girl Scout family and will be looking for your involvement to help us find our way. Together we can create a more just world for everyone.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Tamara Woodbury & Lupe Camargo

GSACPC CEO           GSACPC Board Chair

Spring Girl Poetry Contest

In April, we celebrated National Poetry Month by launching a poetry contest! We’re inviting girls to participate by submitting their poem for a chance to win prizes!

  • A grand prize of a $25 gift card to a Girl Scout Dessert Challenge restaurant and Girl Scout swag bag with be rewarded in each age category.
  • Runner up in each age category will win Girl Scout swag bag filled with goodies! 

Please review the contest guidelines; all girls are encouraged to submit an entry. Entries will be shared in our Fall issue of GS Connections magazine. 

Girl Scout Daisies – Juniors

In the style of an acrostic poem, a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message, write a poem in which the first letter of each line spells the word GSACPC.

Girl Scout Cadettes – Ambassadors

In the style of an acrostic poem, a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message, write a poem in which the first letter of each line spells the name GIRL SCOUTS.

How to Enter: Girls must be current members and submit their entry by 12:00 am on May 22. All entries must be submitted via email to our Marcom Team with the contest name in the subject line. When submitting your entry, include your name, troop number, Girl Scouting level, and parent email. 

Girl Scout Alum Chef O’s Girl Scout Cookie Inspired Recipe

As troops get into a new routine of meeting virtually, we’d like to share with you some activity ideas to try out! It’s great to host virtual meetings after working on badge work, to wrap up a week, and just for fun socializing! Hosting for the first time? Refer to this check list first. 

On Virtual-GS, we’ve included Resources to Meet Virtually – which lists free video and audio-conferencing tools for troop meetings. There are also chat and collaboration apps and additional low-cost tools. Once you’ve selected which virtual meeting resource works best for you, try these meeting ideas: 

  • Start with a check-in – To start the meeting, pose a question to the group and invite each participant to take a turn responding. For your first virtual meeting, consider keeping the topic light – What is your superhero name, and what powers do you have? As the girls become more accustomed to the practice, include more in-depth topics that allow the girls to express their concerns and feelings. The questions can also relate to the focus of the meeting. For more suggestions, check out this article.
  • COVID-19 Time Capsule – Long Creations has developed free time capsule digital downloads “for fellow families with children living through this difficult time.” Individuals can use them to document their personal experiences during what will become a landmark event in history. Send to your troop ahead of a meeting and allow girls to share their thoughts, feelings, and time capsule creations during your virtual meeting.
  • Pen Pals – While this activity is typically delivered through USPS, and done with pals who are far away from each other, modify this activity for troops to connect on a smaller scale! Troop Leaders match girls as Pen Pals within a troop, with another troop in your neighborhood, or other Girl Scouts across the state! And a simpler alternative to postal service is to set up the pen pal system via email. To find a pen pal troop within our Council, connect with other leaders on Facebook.  Girls can then share stories during a troop meeting and leaders can share suggestions about what to write about. 
  • Play games together – games like charades, Scattegories, Kahoot app trivia, and Minute to Win it make fun group interaction online.
  • Take a virtual field trip together – Visit Exploring the World Wide Web on Virtual GS and view the different museums that are offering virtual tours! Girls can also choose to explore a popular travel destination like the Great Wall of China, National Park like Yellowstone, or country through Google Earth virtually and share the screen to travel together. 
  • Stay @ Home Challenge – invite girls to report on how they are earning points to earn the patch. If the activities required crafting something, invite girls to share what they did. 
  • Earn the Safety Award for your level – most of these awards focus on being prepared. Refer to your level Girl Scout Guide Book for the activities.
  • Plan Community Service – Now is a great time for girls to be thinking about giving back to their community in safe and responsible ways. Make cards and notes for first responders, learn some songs together and make a video to send to your local nursing home, or brainstorm sustainable changes you can make to earn your High Awards. Start with a brainstorm during your next meeting, and then get down to planning in future meetings. For ideas, reference our Girl Scout Guide: Helping Others During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Show & Tell – no matter the age, sharing something they love gets the girls comfortable speaking online, and it’s an excellent way to practice listening and being open-minded to others’ ideas.
  • Scavenger Hunt – Create fun and friendly competition by providing a list of items for the girls to find at home within a time limit. Girls can quickly go off-screen to find the item and return to the meeting with the thing they found. Prizes can be picking the next activity, being a virtual assistant for the next meeting, or something unique to your troop!
  • Karaoke Battle – girls create a list of karaoke songs they like to sing. Depending on the size of your troop, divide girls into pairs or small groups, and have them practice their song (tip: this is seamless when using breakout rooms feature in Zoom). Then, come back together to perform for the group as a whole. 
  • Unconventional Fashion Show – use recycled items around the house to make new fashions! Items can be newspapers, magazines, tissue paper flowers, garbage bags, sheets, (toga party anyone?), or anything else that sparks creativity. Then, everyone struts their wares at the end, or at the top of a future meeting (like show & tell!).
  • Free Chat Space – at the end of the meeting, consider leaving the video connection open for girls to visit with each other. Spending time with their friends is the best part of Girl Scouts.

First Time Virtual Meeting Checklist

Thinking about hosting a virtual troop meeting? This checklist is a great place to start! You’ll realize it’s easy as pie, just like planning for one in-person and with the virtual tools we share, you’ll quickly learn how easy it is to get started! 

How to set up a virtual troop meeting:

Determine the virtual meeting tool the troop will use to meet. See Resources to Meet Virtually on the Virtual-GS page for our recommendations. 
Next, contact your families to confirm that everyone has internet access and the comfort level to connect online. Many tools have multiple ways to call into a group meeting, including just through the cellphone and not using a computer. 
 Plan to keep the first gathering short and focus on the relationship more than a group activity or badge content. Once everyone is comfortable, you can plan more ambitious agendas. 
Treat the first virtual meeting as you would with any first meeting; set up expectations and ground rules, such as not using the chat log for side conversations during the meeting.
Create a schedule that works with families and girls, and provide agenda items, so they know what to expect and plan for! This gives girls something to look forward to as well.
Collaborate! Work with families and the girls to get ideas and feedback on what the girls would like to do! 

Now that you’re ready to host your first virtual meeting, check out these fun Virtual Troop Meeting Activity Ideas! 

2020 Cookie Contest Winners

Our 2020 Girl Scout Cookie Season is gives us much to celebrate: from selling over 3 million packages of cookies, to having over 10,000 girls participating in the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world.

In addition, we’d like to shout out to our top sellers, and all the girls who participated in our 2020 cookie program contests. We saw many unique booths and wagons, and creative Cookies for the Community patch entries.

Top Selling Girls:
Zoey Gerlach – 6,585 packages
Maddie Dunlap – 6,208 packages
Madison Carnal – 6,101 packages
Carolyn Stewart – 5,506 packages
Kaitlyn Van Der Werf – 5,105 packages
Jilian Lazard – 5,008 packages
Top Selling Troops:
SU Name
Troop #
Total Sold
Hayden’s Ferry 36 32,079
Cactus Bloom 558 27,127
Lake Havasu City 1892 22,318
Gilbert 156 21,830

Cookies for the Community Patch Design Winner:
Kayla Wolfe – Troop 181
Cookie Flair Winners:
Savannah Torres – Troop 9601
Caroline King – Troop 3814
Olivia Elwell – Troop 3871
Allison Wehnau – Troop 1563
Pepper Leger – Troop 1096
Jazmine Morales – Troop 4262
Walkabout Winners:
Ava Gillane – Troop 2202
Clementine Anderson – Troop 4692
Malia Lovelace – 5212
Story Delgado – Troop 3186
Taylor Aldrich – Troop 3249
Trinity Quintanilla – Troop 3999

Girl Scout Alum Chef O’s Girl Scout Cookie Inspired Recipe

When it comes to owning your story and living out your dreams, Omei Eaglerider (aka Chef ‘O’) is a testament of what it means to wholeheartedly commit to your journey, while teaching and serving others along the way. 

And for Omei, her dedication to persevere and excel, began with Girl Scouting. 

Omei’s drive to excel and the creative gifts that were made known to her throughout her 18 years Girl Scouting as a girl and staff member served her well. Not only was she a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award at the age of 17 (then called the First-Class Award), but she even held the Guinness World Record for ‘Continuous Yo-Yo’ while in high school. 

Over the last 53 years, Omei has made it a point to stay involved with Girl Scouts in some capacity. As the Executive Chef at Fry’s Signature Marketplace Culinary School in Paradise Valley, Arizona, she offers a wide variety of cooking classes and often works with troops from around the Valley to help girls earn their cooking badges.  

Chef O Loves to concoct Girl Scout Cookie-inspired creations. We invite you make her latest recipe, Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Toffee Cookie Bites. 

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER-TOFFEE COOKIE BITES

Yield: 48  |  Heat oven to 325°  |  Place paper liners in 2 mini muffin tins.

COOKIE CRUST CUP

  • 1 cup Girl Scout Trefoil or Toffee-tastic Cookies*, crushed
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar (about 50 grams)
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted

In a small bowl, mix crushed cookies, graham cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in melted butter. Spoon a tablespoon of cookie mixture into each. Press down and up the sides to form a cup. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes then set in the fridge to completely set.

 PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE

  • 1/3 cup natural-style smooth peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 
  • Pinch of coarse kosher salt
  • 2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, separated
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, and coarse salt together until well blended. Gradually mix in 1/3 c heavy whipping cream. Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 c of cream, the sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Chill until ready to use.

 CHOCOLATE GANACHE

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (114 g / 4 ounces)
  • 1 cup bittersweet chocolate (70 – 72%), finely chopped (170 g / 6 oz)

Heat the cream in a small pan until it’s very hot; it should be steaming, just short of a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. This gives the cream a chance to soften the chocolate. Using a hand whisk, stir the mixture until the chocolate and cream are smooth. Let cool.

 ASSEMBLE THE BITES

  • 2-4 ounces dulce de leche or caramel sauce, optional
  • 2 ounces peanuts, crushed or toffee bits, optional

Spoon or pipe about a teaspoon of ganache into the bottom of each cookie cup. Scoop or pipe the peanut butter mousse on top of ganache, dividing it evenly among the cups. If using, drizzle some dulce de leche over the top of each and sprinkle with peanuts or toffee bits. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

 NOTES

If you happened to have eaten all your Girl Scout Cookies, you could substitute regular shortbread cookies or all graham cracker crumbs for the crust. You don’t have to have a fancy piping bag. Just use a heavy-duty freezer bag and snip a corner to pipe.

To make these gluten-free, use 2 cups of Toffee-tastic cookies and omit the graham crackers.

Meet the 2020 GSACPC Gold Award Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts change the world! Nowhere is this more apparent than in Girl Scout High Awards, through which girls address community issues by identifying an issue in their community and implementing sustainable change. Thirty-three Girl Scouts in our Council earned their Gold Award this year, for making a lasting impact in our local communities. 

Meet the young and remarkable women changing the world for good: 

Margaret AtkinsGilbert Water Safety 101Margaret was inspired by her summers spent as a lifeguard to share her knowledge of water safety with her community. She organized and hosted three water safety events at the Gilbert Fire Department, The House of Refuge, and her neighborhood pool. At her events, she taught people of all ages the importance of knowing how to prevent drowning and what to do in case of emergency. Margaret also created a “Water Safety 101” video. She posted on YouTube and it currently has over 300 views. This video will continue to help others learn about staying safe in the water. Margaret credits Girl Scouts for giving her the confidence to become a strong leader and speaker and the determination to overcome adversity. Margaret has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to study journalism or communications after graduating from Chandler Preparatory Academy. 
Cynthia BatemanMesaArt and Ag PatioCynthia’s passion for agriculture inspired her Gold Award, which involved developing a small area of unused land at her high school, Highland High. An empty dirt-filled area at her school was transformed into an outdoor patio filled with garden beds, a tree, and a seating space to host students for academic purposes but also for them to have a place to wind down. Cynthia says her Gold Award has taught her the importance of communicating effectively and how to adapt to situations while working on completing a challenging goal. Through Girl Scouting, she has made lifelong friends who have taught her to be the best version of herself. She was a Girl Scout for nine years and is currently attending Northern Arizona University. 
Kori BerraPrescottRestorative Justice in Prescott High SchoolWith the recent rise in mass shootings, schools throughout the nation have begun enforcing active shooter drills. Kori noticed these drills weren’t being taken seriously by her classmates – so she took action. Kori implemented a program at Prescott High School called Restorative Justice, which is a theory of justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by hurtful behavior. The practice is conducted by holding a productive conversation to address how an event affected those involved personally. Kori’s research led to the creation of a student-led Restorative Justice club at her school that was qualified to take on cases turned in by school administrators. The club created a safe space for students to proactively address conflict and misunderstandings before they lead to revenge-oriented actions, often a motive of school shootings. Kori was a Girl Scout for 13 years and is studying biomedical science at Northern Arizona University.
Sara CurryPhoenixCostume Closet MakeoverIn charge of costumes for her high school’s play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Sara had a difficult time accessing the school’s full inventory and quickly pulling costumes. She found that costumes had been stored incorrectly, and it often took too much time to search for a single piece. To solve this problem, Sara sorted through their one thousand costume items and designed an online database that featured a description and photo of each one. Now theatre club members can quickly search the inventory by keyword to find where an item is located. By creating an online database to manage the inventory, she has also garnered more interest from students to join the club. Sara has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and said this project has helped her recognize her strengths as a leader. She is currently enrolled at Arizona State University, studying environmental engineering. 
Sadie DeShonChandlerTaming Trichotillomania WorkshopSadie’s Gold Award was personal. Struggling with trichotillomania, a disorder causing compulsive hair-pulling, she aimed to bring awareness of it and educate students at her school. Sadie hosted a day-long workshop for students and their parents who struggle with trichotillomania. The workshop consisted of team-building activities, group discussions, and presentations from three professional counselors. She also created a Facebook support group for students to continuously encourage each other, share their stories and progress. In their feedback, participants called the workshop helpful and uplifting. By being vulnerable and sharing her personal story, Sadie felt rewarded to see how she had inspired and encouraged others to be brave. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to attend a university to study history.
Kansas EarnshawTollesonBuilding a Fence Around a Non-Retrieval Area From a family with a strong agricultural background, Kansas was determined to protect the food source for elk and deer in northern Arizona when she learned they were not getting enough nutrients. Wet grasslands, called riparian meadows, were constantly being destroyed by large vehicles driving through the meadows near Long Valley, north of Pine. Kansas teamed up with the Arizona Elk Society to build a log fence to protect the riparian meadows from further damage and allow the natural vegetation in the area to regenerate, directly supporting the growth of the elk population. It took over two years to complete this, as drought and forest fires intermittently put work on pause. Kansas credits her Gold Award for teaching her to stay motivated and persevere no matter the circumstance. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to major in environmental studies and sustainability at the University of Arizona.
Juliet FarrTempeA New Chapter in ReadingReading has always been a passion for Juliet, and she wanted to encourage more reading among elementary school students in her community. To increase accessibility to books for the students, Juliet created “library boxes” in the Tempe Elementary School District. Library boxes are small-scale versions of a library where students can trade in books they’ve already read for new ones. This system allows students to borrow books and exchange them for others at their leisure, thus sustaining the supply for other students. Juliet also created book logs for the library boxes she built to track the number of books borrowed or given. Juliet has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and plans to double major in Marketing and Design with a minor in Mandarin once she graduates high school.
Nichole GeistMesaRainbow GoldAfter noticing a limited supply of LGBTQ+ books in her school library collection and community libraries, Nichole decided to take action by introducing resources into her high school and the Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in her area to help educate teens. She also built lending libraries at local foster homes, support groups, and youth centers, allowing people to trade in old books for new ones. Among the resources she provided were over 500 LGBTQ+ fiction books featuring positive representations of LGBTQ+ characters and a website that she created where the community can learn about local events, support groups, and read about others’ LGBTQ+ journeys. Nichole has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and credits her troop for showing her that each person is unique, and everyone has something special to contribute. Visit Nichole’s website to learn more about her Gold Award and how to access LGBTQ+ resources. 
Jasmine GoodePhoenixKnitting Know-HowInspired by her grandmother’s passion for sewing and knitting, Jasmine dedicated her Gold Award to reintroducing textile arts to youth in her local community. She started a club called “Knitting Know-How” where women of all ages would teach each other to knit, crochet, and participate in other crafts. Her club appealed to people from ages two through 80 which gave all generations the rare opportunity to regularly collaborate and converse together. She brought inspiration to the young participants and sparked creativity in the seniors at local senior housing facilities. Many members expressed that this club gave them confidence, new friendships, and social skills and encouraged them to try new things. Jasmine says her Gold Award increased her leadership and time management skills. She was a Girl Scout for eight years and currently attends Phoenix College. She plans to transfer to Arizona State University and major in geoscience. 
Kimberly HartleChandlerHelping HandsWhile taking her first sign language class, Kimberly realized how little she and her fellow classmates knew about the language and the deaf community. She decided to spread awareness by creating a website called Simple Signs. It contains lessons on basic American Sign Language as well as information on the deaf community and their unique culture. The website garnered over 1,200 visits in just a few weeks and continues to grow. People from countries around the world have accessed Kimberly’s website and several visitors have reached out to her expressing their enthusiasm about the site. Kimberly is thankful for her nine years as a Girl Scout, especially for reminding her how unique each person is. She believes learning about others’ differences helps build a stronger and closer community. Kimberly is studying biological sciences at Arizona State University. Visit Kimberly’s website to learn more about her Gold Award.
Ashley HoltGlendalePeople Helping PetsAshley wanted to give back to the AZ Humane Society through her Gold Award because of her own experience of adopting a dog and her general love for animals. She toured the facility and learned they were always in need of blankets because typically, cats and dogs are given blankets when they are sent home. Ashley created an educational brochure detailing shelter services and the need for blankets. She also organized a no-sew blanket event where she explained the need for donations and led 60 people in creating 156 no-sew blankets. Through her experience, Ashley learned that she is capable of being a leader and the importance of communication and time management. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and plans to study engineering at the University of Arizona. 
Holly HoogstraChandlerMindful, not Mind FullIn 2018, Chandler High experienced a tragedy when that year’s valedictorian committed suicide. This was a hard time for everyone at the school and left Holly wondering how students cope with stress. She decided to develop and implement a mindfulness program to help students learn emotional coping techniques to manage stress and anxiety. She worked with staff, including her psychology teacher, and had a Mindfulness Room designated along with 1,000 positive affirmation bookmarks and 500 stress balls. She also created a club, Instagram page, and brochures to spread awareness of mental and emotional health. To measure her success, she surveyed students using a 1-5 grading system, five being healthiest. The school average was 3.6, and after a few months, it rose to 4! Holly says this project has taught her project management and communication skills. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to earn her degree in economics.
Emma HornPhoenixSTEM Educational ProgramA passionate STEM scholar, Emma decided to make STEM education more accessible to all students by designing a STEM activity program from the ground up. In partnership with the staff at Guadalupe Library, Emma developed an easy-to-deliver curriculum for the staff and library volunteers. Along with the initial pilot program, multiple programs have been successfully hosted and Emma’s goal of making STEM programming more accessible for children in her community has been realized. Through her Gold Award, Emma learned the importance of communication and conducting research prior to building a project. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and credits Girl Scouting for building her confidence and her drive to pursue her passions. She is currently enrolled at Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University studying mechanical engineering. 
Alexa HowellQueen Creek#PlantASeedAfter taking an American Sign Language class during her sophomore year of high school, Alexa gained greater awareness of the need to create more accessibility to activities for those who are differently abled. Alexa connected with her school’s Garden Club mentor and offered to rebuild the garden, so more students were able to participate. Alexa built standing garden boxes, a shed, and stools for the garden. She then created captioned videos with lessons on how to plant and care for the garden so those who are hard of hearing can participate. Alexa’s efforts encouraged more students to join the Garden Club and existing students to come back the following year. Having been a Girl Scout for 11 years, Alexa feels the sisterhood has shaped her into the person she is today. She plans to study mechanical engineering after graduating from Queen Creek High School. 
Ashley HuffordGilbertHope for the Homeless AnimalsAfter visiting animals at the Maricopa Animal Shelter, Ashley knew she wanted to support the animals with supplies as well as make pets more adoptable. After raising $700 through donation efforts, Ashley sponsored 15 spay and neuter procedures at Altered Tails, a low-cost spay, and neuter clinic. She also educated students at local schools about overpopulated shelters and hosted an event for Girl Scouts to create pet toys to donate. Ashley also led a donation drive where she collected pet supplies and over 500 pounds of dog and cat food. Lastly, she paid the adoption fees of two animals who had been at the AZ Animal Welfare League for a long time to make the dogs more adoptable. Ashley has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and says this program has given her a platform to express her voice. Ashley will be attending Arizona State University to study interior design. 
Lauren HylandMesaA Contemporary Tin Pan-Alley Lauren has a passion for music. She grew up playing the bass but only had access to a low-quality instrument due to the lack of affordable quality instruments. This inspired Lauren to help people find high-quality, affordable instruments and teach others tips and tricks to play on below-par instruments. Lauren traveled to three schools and taught the basics of playing guitar and bass as well as giving a presentation on common issues students face when playing used instruments. She then put all her valuable information on a website she created called Contemporary Tin Pan Alley. Lauren also hosted two community talent shows where she raffled two guitars for the community to win. She credits Girl Scouting for shaping her into a well-rounded person through countless activities. Lauren has been a Girl Scout for 10 years and will be studying business management at Northern Arizona University. Visit Kimberly’s website to learn more about her Gold Award. 
Samantha JanssenGilbert Plants Need to Be ConservedSamantha noticed the vegetation at Riparian Reserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert was suffering. She teamed up with a local naturalist to help guide her through the process of rehabilitating the desert landscape. After laying out her plans, she received a generous donation from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery to completely revamp a quarter of an acre of land on the reserve. Samantha cleaned out dried vegetation and replaced them with new native plants to promote a healthy environment. Samantha then created a YouTube video to spread a message to the community on the importance of the conservation of native plants and landscapes. Through the Riparian Reserve’s Agents of Discovery App, Samantha was able to share information about the conservation work she had done and inspire others to continue to protect the land. Samantha has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and plans to study engineering at Arizona State University. 
Ashley LucasPeoriaPeoria Goes GreenAfter discovering the shortage of recycling bins at her school, Peoria High, Ashley dedicated her Gold Award to making her school more environmentally conscious. She created a club and hosted informational booths about the importance of recycling, reducing waste and the impact it has on our earth. After successfully securing a donation of 40 recycling bins, she developed a schedule where her club would pick up the bins and properly dispose of the recyclable materials. Through this process, Ashley was able to measure her results by how many bins they had to empty on a weekly basis and the number of materials each week. Ashley’s Gold Award inspired her to focus her future studies on sustainability and has taught her to be a better leader. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and plans to major in sustainability at Arizona State University. 
Shannon MaloneyChandlerSaving the Environment One Step at a TimeShannon was disappointed the recycling program at her school ended due to a cost increase. She set out to reinstate it by educating her peers on the importance of recycling and how contaminated recycled materials negatively impact the program. Then she created sustainability initiatives following the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. To reduce, Shannon collected over 300 signatures pledging to reduce their plastic straw usage and gave out 500 environmentally friendly straws. To reuse, Shannon worked with her principal to have water bottle filling stations installed at her school. And lastly, she reinstated the importance of recycling to faculty, recommending a new recycling company to her principal, and additional recycling bins. She also added one more R: Refuse, which encouraged her peers to refuse the use of plastic straws and bags. Shannon has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to study geology after graduating high school. 
Ashley MinksGilbertCaring for the HomelessIn researching the homelessness crisis in our state and around the nation, Ashley decided to dedicate her Gold Award to raising awareness of this issue and support the local organization La Mesa Ministries. She organized a donation drive and collected clothing and blankets for the organization, which offers services to people experiencing homelessness. She also helped expand La Mesa’s children’s ministry program and created social media accounts and content to reach more people in need. She credits Girl Scouts for preparing her with skills she can use later in life and skills necessary to be an effective leader. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and plans to study neuroscience and cognitive science at the University of Arizona.
Megan NelsonGilbertMath PathWhile math may be a subject some students despise, Megan learned to love math and hoped other students could, too. She learned that students with a stronger math foundation are more likely to take advanced courses, more likely to earn an undergraduate degree and have a higher income. For her project, she established the first math tutor center at her local Boys and Girls Club. She asked for donations from local businesses to purchase supplies, recruited high school student tutors, and students from elementary and middle schools who needed tutoring. As of February 2020, her club had successfully tutored 604 students, with over 90 hours of tutoring work recorded. Megan feels this project increased her self-confidence, improved her writing techniques and communication skills. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and plans to attend a university and become a scientific researcher. 
Gabrielle NeversPeoria Glittering GuardAs an active member of the Color Guard program at her school, Gabrielle dedicated her Gold Award to supporting, improving and growing this team. Gabrielle noticed a lack of interest in this activity. To combat this, she hosted a “Try It Out Night” for incoming freshmen students to learn about the program and rehearse intro-level routines. During this process, she also re-organized, properly stored and cataloged all the flags. Her organizational efforts were applauded from visiting band directors in the region and her recruitment efforts led to the team doubling in size. Gabrielle learned time management, problem-solving and organizational skills. She credits the Girl Scout Cookie Program for helping her become a better leader. She has been a Girl Scout for 11 years and will attend Northern Arizona University to study elementary and special education. 
Emma ParryLitchfield ParkTheatre for YouthTheatre and performing arts were some of the ways Emma learned to be more confident. Throughout her involvement in theatre, she noticed fewer people attending or auditioning and wanted to bring awareness to performing arts to youth in her community, especially to those who are shy or don’t have access to theatre programming. For her Gold Award, Emma wrote and performed an anti-bullying one-act play inspired by The Wizard of OZ to 40 special needs students in her community. She managed the team and put together the logistics and supplies needed to perform the play. She then developed virtual kits and made them accessible to anyone via a website. Her Gold Award taught Emma that hard work and help from others can lead to making a difference. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to attend Northern Arizona University to major in biology and chemistry. 
Brooke PfingstenMesaAwareness of MentalityAfter Brooke’s best friend tried to commit suicide multiple times, she wanted her Gold Award to bring more awareness to this problem and educate other teens on suicide prevention. She produced a video with different testimonies of people who have contemplated suicide, have been depressed or have experienced PTSD. In this video, she included prevention information and resources, as well as hotline information for people in need. She uploaded the video to YouTube and conducted surveys, which showed most viewers learned something new. Through this process, Brooke now feels like she can accomplish any task. She has been a Girl Scout for seven years and plans to study elementary or special education at Grand Canyon University. 
Davina SaberMaricopaMulticultural Club To help her foreign student peers, Davina founded a Multicultural Club at her school and provided opportunities for students to make new friends and learn about each other’s cultures. Davina led the club to participate in school events and service projects. They volunteered in school athletic activities, stadium clean-ups and at neighboring schools’ events. In total, they completed over 75 volunteer hours. Davina’s goal of inclusivity made a great impact not only at her school but on the club members. She learned that no matter how small, the effort one shows to an individual can impact their whole life, and despite differences, all kids want to experience true friendships. She has been a Girl Scout for 9 years and plans to join the U.S. Air Force. 
Jacey SalisburyTempeJacey Feeds at Jaycee ParkAfter witnessing the number of people and pets experiencing homelessness in her community, Jacey took a different approach to help them. She reached out to her city’s Councilwoman, Jennifer Adams, and learned that people with pets are often denied housing because government housing assistance requires pets to be vaccinated. To help, Jacey enlisted a local veterinarian to provide vaccinations for seven homeless pets, ultimately leading to their owner’s acceptance by housing requirements. She also handed out over 800 one-gallon bags of cat and dog food, dog booties, leashes, collars, and other necessities to homeless pets. Her work was recognized by Mayor Mark Mitchell, who declared Oct. 29 Jacey Salisbury Day in Tempe. Jacey says that through Girl Scouting, she has learned teamwork, responsibility and project management skills. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and plans to study psychology and business at Arizona State University. 
Jessica SchuchmanParadise ValleyBunnies and BooksThe fear of being judged by her peers pushed Jessica to overcome her dyslexia by improving her reading skills with the help of some furry critters. As a child, Jessica would read to animals to develop her reading and build confidence. For her Gold Award, Jessica wanted to give this same opportunity to other children. She started a reading program called “Books and Bunnies” for children ages five to 12 at the Tranquility Trail Animal Sanctuary, where children could spend their time reading to bunnies. Jessica also partnered with the Jones Gordon Lower School, which arranged quarterly field trips to attend her program. Jessica’s reading program is now available to the public once a month. She credits her Gold Award to teaching her how to lead and organize large tasks. She has been a Girl Scout for seven years and hopes to attend Stanford University. 
Sierra SmithPhoenixPhysics of FlightSierra’s love of physics and aviation-inspired her to share her knowledge with others in a fun and interactive way. After multiple trial and error experiments, Sierra created a mock wind tunnel for under $100 that physics teachers around the world could use in their classes. Sierra designed blueprints, created an instructional guide, material list and lesson plans for others to be able to create the wind tunnel. Once she gathered everything needed, Sierra created a YouTube video where she demonstrates the entire production process. Sierra shared this resource with the public through social media. She credits Girl Scouts for inspiring her love of STEM over the past eight years and plans to go to college to become a Naval Aviator. 
Tressa StevensonChandlerComputer ConfusionAfter witnessing her grandma struggle to operate a smartphone and navigate through social applications, Tressa realized there was a need for senior tech classes. For her Gold Award, Tressa developed curriculum, volunteered as the computer tutor at Chandler Senior Center, and taught computer classes to a group of 35 seniors. Her curriculum not only taught seniors how to use smartphones and computers but also how to be safe and efficient online and while using social applications. The seniors she taught expressed how this helped them feel up to date with modern communication styles and less isolated and lonely. Tressa has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and credits Girl Scouts for helping her speak up for change. She plans to attend Arizona State University and study global politics and Spanish.
Elise StoopsGilbertBirthday Bags for Foster ChildrenElise has always enjoyed helping others, especially young children. As she learned about children in foster care, she thought of ways to help them and bring more awareness to their experience. She created an informational website about children in Arizona foster care, with information on how to help, and articles about this issue. Elise also hosted a donation drive at her school to collect birthday gifts and gift bags to donate to AZ Helping Hands, a non-profit that provides basic needs and care to children in foster care. Her drive successfully collected over 100 items and provided the opportunity to share key information on this issue with the community. Through her Gold Award, Elise learned time management skills and how to be a better leader. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to major in nursing at an in-state university. Learn more about Elise’s Gold Award by visiting her website. 
Emily StopherChandlerBetter Bags, Better DesertEmily participated in a clean-up event at South Mountain Park and Preserve, where nearly 8,000 pounds of trash was collected. After realizing most of the trash was plastic grocery bags, Emily dedicated her Gold Award to building awareness of the impact plastic bags have on our environment. Emily educated over 300 people on the importance of using reusable bags and how to properly dispose of them. Emily hosted drop-off destination events to exchange plastic grocery bags for reusable bags. In each reusable bag, she included a handout with information about her Gold Award and how to assist in reducing plastic bag usage. Emily collected over 12,000 grocery bags and worked with Sprouts Farmers Market to properly recycle them. Emily expresses how Girl Scouts has given her a platform to advocate for causes she’s passionate about. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to study environmental engineering. 
Amanda YorkLaveenInternational Distinguished Scholars ClubWith a mission to instill the importance of education in her peers, Amanda started the first student-led club at her high school called the International Distinguished Scholars Club. The club aimed to promote peer-to-peer learning and teach skills like teamwork and goal setting. The club also focused on providing resources to pursue post-secondary education and provided a safe space to grow and plan for the future. She shared all the resources the school has for club members and how to use them. The club organized a school-wide community project and collected 250 children’s books to donate to a local daycare. They also read to children, organized books and assisted teachers at this daycare. Amanda’s club increased the desire for members to pursue college. Her experience taught her many levels of leadership. She has been a Girl Scout for ten years and plans to major in chemistry to pursue medical school. 
Diana ZaunSedonaFoster FeverAfter fostering two puppies for the first time, Diana felt she needed to bring greater awareness about fostering animals and how it provided needed help to shelters that are at capacity. Diana raised money to purchase pet supplies and created 60 care packages to be given to future foster families. In addition, she personally fostered 28 puppies and 2 adult dogs, all of which, except five, were adopted. Through her efforts, she has grown the foster animal program at the Coconino Humane Association and helped more dogs be nurtured in a family environment to help prepare them for adoption. Diana feels that earning her Gold Award has helped solidify her plans for the future and has improved her communication and leadership skills. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and plans to major in veterinary science at University of Arizona.