SHARE:  
Website About Us Contact Us Volunteers Programs Girls Camp Nuts/Cookies Donate
Be Connected 
April 2015 VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 

Dear Volunteers,

 

At GSHPA's annual meeting of April 25th, Carolyn will be stepping down from the Board and from her role as Board Chair. And on May 15th Jane will be stepping down from her role as CEO to begin a new chapter of her life in Minnesota nearer to her family and starting a new job.

 

Both of us have loved our work for GSHPA and will miss direct involvement with our mission of helping girls thrive, as well as missing the girls, staff and volunteers who make it all happen at GSHPA. We are in constant awe witnessing everything that happens through our volunteers and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

 

We have worked hard, along with the board, staff and volunteers, to bring our young council to a new place-a place of financial stability, quality programs for girls, updated camp facilities, and signature initiatives. These are all things we did not have six years ago. We have many people to thank for constructing this solid platform from which our council will move forward.

 

There will be no change in the council's direction. GSHPA will actively pursue our new strategic plan, the heart of which is about turning around the trend of declining membership and being resourceful about obtaining and retaining Girl Scouts-girls who will benefit for the rest of their lives from their connection to Girl Scouts.

 

The GSHPA Board of Directors will be meeting next week to plan an orderly transition and search for a new CEO. In the meantime, we have supportive and passionate leadership in place. We are delighted that our next Board Chair, Veronica Longenecker, has a long history in Girl Scouts. She knows the rewards and challenges of delivering Girl Scouting to girls from direct experience. On the staff side, we have an award-winning Chief Financial Officer, Susan Kreidler, a fabulous new Chief Operations Officer, Suzanne Moore, and strong leadership in program, customer support services, fund development, product sales and outdoor experience.

 

We look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming annual meeting and to watching GSHPA grow and prosper.

 

With sincere thanks,
 
Signature - Jane Ransom
 Carolyn Warman  Jane Ransom
 Board Chair    President & CEO

Early Bird Registration-Easy Start for Troops 

 

Beat the fall rush and get an early and easy start for the 2015-2016 Girl Scout year by re-registering your Girl Scout troop during our Early Bird Registration April 15- June 30.

 

Get a Jump on Fall Registration

  • Get a head start and ease into troop planning.
  • Secure girl participation in troops.
  • Your troop can hit the ground running in Fall.
  • Girl Scouts will receive a FREE Early Bird Registration fun patch.*

We heard your feedback last year and encourage you re-register your Girl Scout troop. Here's the scoop--all Early Bird Registrations must be for the 2015-2016 Girl Scout year and completed from April 15-June 30, 2015 in order to receive the fun patch. When you re-register your troop you must have:

  • Parent permission from every re-registered Girl Scout
  • Correct contact information for each Girl Scout including:
    • Name spelling
    • Valid email
    • School
    • Entering grade

A whole year of adventures, fun and friendships is waiting for your Girl Scout Troop! Visit our online registration page. Registering online is easy and can be completed in a few minutes with just a couple of clicks.   

 

Want help re-registering your troop? Take advantage of your one-on-one meeting with your Membership Associate (April 15-July 30) to help you with Early Bird Re-registration-just be sure to sign up during the Early Bird Re-registration months! Discover more meeting benefits below!

 

*Fun patches will be sent out in July via USPS mail to all girls who re-register from April 15 - June 30, 2015.

 

1 on 1: Time to Brag to your Membership Associate

   

You and your Girl Scout troop are having an amazing year so far and now is the perfect time to meet with your Membership Associate (MA) and brag about it. Your MA is excited to meet with you one-on-one from April 15-July 30, 2015 to hear about your year. At your personalized meeting you can:

  • Tell Girl Scout Troop highlights and success stories
  • Provide feedback about your experience
  • Share ideas on how we can support you
  • Receive individualized support from your MA
  • Get assistance in completing year end troop administrative paperwork
  • Get help re-registering your Girl Scout troop for Early Bird.

As a 'thank you' for attending your one-on-one MA meeting you will receive a $15 reward from GSHPA! In order to receive this reward you must:

  • Attend a one-on-one meeting with your MA from April 15-July 30.
  • Bring all the necessary materials (Your MA will send you an email listing out all the paperwork and materials you must bring).
  • Be a re-registered volunteer for the 2015-2016 Girl Scout year.

Look for an email from your MA soon about scheduling a time for your on-on-one meeting.

 

New Child Protection Policies

   

You might have read about the new child protection policies (Pennsylvania Act 153) that covers all of Pennsylvania in the newspapers or seen it on TV. In February the Board of Directors of GSHPA passed three new child protection policies pertaining to our volunteers in order to keep pace with changes in Pennsylvania law.

 

Child Abuse Reporting Policy

Under Pennsylvania law, Girl Scout volunteers have become mandated reporters who are required to report any suspicions of child abuse directly to the PA ChildLine Child Abuse Registry at 800-932-0313. Accordingly, GSHPA's new Child Abuse Reporting policy makes this same requirement of our volunteers. In addition, if the abuse happened during a Girl Scout activity, they are also required to make a report to GSHPA's CEO.

 

Volunteer Background Clearance Policy

In addition to going through GSHPA's pre-screening background check (paid for by GSHPA) volunteers who work directly with girls and members of the Board of Directors must also get these clearances now required by the state:

  • PA State Police - $10
  • PA ChildLine Child Abuse Registry - $10
  • FBI (Only if the volunteer has lived in PA for under 10 years) - $27.50

Volunteers who have no direct contact with girls, such as those who deal strictly with finances and members of the Board's standing committees, must get a GSHPA pre-screening background check (paid for by GSHPA).

 

Financial Aid for PA Background Checks

Volunteers who qualify for GSHPA financial assistance will be able to apply for and receive financial reimbursement for the background checks required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 

Implementation of New Background Checks

Volunteers whose GSHPA background checks are current on July 1, 2015 will have until July 1, 2016 to complete the new PA background check requirements. Volunteers joining after July 1, 2015 will be required to complete them before beginning to work with girls.

 

Also, please note that volunteers may show clearances received from other volunteer work, as long as they are up-to-date.

 

GSHPA will be announcing procedures for and information about getting the new background checks this summer.

 

If you have questions or concerns background checks, please contact your Membership Associate.


Travel Made Easy: Reduced Roster Requirements 

 

We have exciting news for Girl Scout troops on the move! Effective April 1, 2015 travel roster requirements will be as follows:

  • Travel rosters and trip applications will only be required for overnight or longer trips. Overnight/longer trip forms should be submitted to your Membership Associate a minimum of one month prior to the planned trip.*  
  • Troops/groups do not need to submit travel rosters for meeting time or day trips.  However, leaders should ensure the following:
    • All girls participating are registered members
    • There are the correct number of registered, background cleared adults attending to meet the required girl/adult ratio (as per GSUSA guidelines)
    • Drivers have appropriate, current background clearances on file with GSHPA, as well as hold a valid driver's license and vehicle registration
    • Provide a travel roster to their emergency contact for the trip (i.e. a parent or other adult who is not participating in the trip, but rather is the stay-home contact should the leader need to reach someone in an emergency. This person should have a roster so they can help contact parents/guardians with updates/changes in plans).
  • Troops do not need to submit travel rosters for Girl Scout Community planned events to their Membership Associate. 
  • For GSHPA Council-wide events, Signature Events and GSHPA Camp Site Reservations, appropriate applications/reservation forms and travel rosters are still required.

* The Membership Associate reserves the right to approve/cancel a troop trip if the appropriate travel guidelines and/or paperwork is not submitted on time or incomplete. 

 

If you have questions about changes in the roster updates, please reach out to you Membership Associate.

 

Troop 50219 and 70027 Reign as the Bling Queens

 

GSHPA is excited to announce that 50219 and 70027 are officially declared the blingiest booths by our Facebook Fans. Troop 50219 is taking home the title for the Happy 40th Birthday Samoa booth and Troop 70027 will proudly wear the title for their Rah Rah Raisin booth.

 

While these troops take the titles this year, we want to celebrate all of our troops and all of our volunteers for a successful Girl Scout Cookie year! We sold 1,657,830 packages of cookies thanks to all of our Cookie Bosses. A big round of applause to all of our Girl Scouts and volunteers who made this happen!

 

Get Brownie Points with your Community by Giving Back

 

Hey Brownies-don't forget about Brownie Give Back Day. It is the perfect way to say 'thank you' to your community to supporting you during the Girl Scout Cookie season. We've already heard word from some troops about what they've been doing to say thanks!

Troop 21612 from York (York County) Avery K., Madelyn N., Avery H., Cecilia K., Brynn W., Ava D., Olivia S., Isabella W. and Olivia W.

 

Troop 30497 from Danville (Montour County) held a drive to collect books to put into Journey Bags for the Bloomsburg Women's Center -an organization that helps displaced children. This Brownie troop has been working on the "Tell Your Story" Journey and was inspired to share their love of reading with those in need.

 

Troop 21612 from York (York County) helped Bell Socialization Services, Inc. by creating care bags filled with hygiene items, stuffed animals, crayons, coloring books and more. "As some of the girls' classmates have experienced homelessness it was close to home for the girls," said Troop Leader Krista Kahley.

 

Neveah B. from Troop 50821 in Effort (Monroe County) serves up service at West End Missions Soup Kitchen as part of GSHPA's Brownie Give Back Day.

Troop 50821 in Effort (Monroe County) cooked up a service project that served guests at the West End Missions Soup Kitchen. These Brownies helped set up, clean up, and passed out hot meals to those in need.

 

Are there Brownies out there that want to give back? There's still time! The deadline to register for Brownie Give Back Day is April 11th. Click here to sign up today.

 

Join us for our Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition Luncheon

   

We are excited that the eighth Annual Meeting of Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania is coming up! We have many things to celebrate, including the election of new Board officers and Board members, discussion of our strategic direction, and the many accomplishments of our girls in the past year.

 

GSHPA delegates are expected to attend the annual meeting or to send an official Alternate Delegate. But ALL adult members are cordially invited to attend-either live at WITF in Harrisburg or at one of four satellite locations. Click here to access the meeting resource materials.   

Click a location below to register. If you are interested in attending this year's Annual Meeting, you are welcome to join us at in person at:

Or via live streaming webcast hosted at:

There is no fee to attend, but you must register by April 19.

 

Following the meeting, GSHPA's annual Volunteer Recognitions Luncheon will take place at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel. We'll be honoring 40 outstanding volunteer who were nominated for their heroics-from teaching girls the high ropes in treetops to leading them across the globe on amazing trips. We invite you to come to take inspiration and cheer these volunteers on. The luncheon is pre-pay $17 per-person.  Click here to find out more about the luncheon and to register.  Registration deadline is Wednesday, April 15th.

Family Partnership Kicks Off 

 

There are many girls who want to be Girl Scouts, but there are girls in our region who can't afford Girl Scouting - not without your support during our 2015 Family Partnership.    

 

From now until May 31, 2015 families have the opportunity to help a Girl Scout in need by participating in events like giving online specifically to Family Partnership, your Girl Scout Communities coin collections or special fundraising events like pancake breakfasts and car washes.   

 

Share this video, tell your Girl Scout parents about your Family Partnership event and help us spread the word about how to make a difference.  

   

Facts about Family Partnership

  • Every dollar is vital to our mission delivery.
  • It takes an investment of $374 annually to serve each girl in GSHPA-currently we have 20,000 girls.
  • 100% of the monies raised stays in GSHPA's council for financial assistance.
  • Participating communities have the opportunity to receive a portion to support their local community events.

For more information call the GSHPA Council Office at 800.692.7816 or visit www.gshpa.org/programs/familypartnershippgm.html

 

Reminder: Gold Award Deadline Approaching

 

Any Girl Scout is who looking to be recognized during the 2015 Gold Award Recognition Luncheon (June 20, 2015 in Harrisburg) should submit her final report to GSHPA by April 15, 2015 to mygoldaward@gshpa.org.

 

Gold Award Final Reports received between April 16-September 30, 2015 will be recognized during the 2016 Gold Award Luncheon (date and location have not yet been determined for 2016). Questions? Email mygoldaward@gshpa.org.   

 

Updated Store Hours: Spring and Summer

 

The GSHPA store in Harrisburg will have Saturday hours (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.) from April 11-June 6 with exceptions to the dates below:

  • Store will be closed Saturday, April 25 as we will be at the Annual Meeting (WITF at 4801 Lindle Rd in Harrisburg, PA 17111). The store will be available at WITF from 9am to 10am and 11:30 to noon.
  • Store will be closed on Saturday, May 23 in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday.

Our Harrisburg store will be closed on Saturdays during the summer (after June 6th), but our online store is available 24/7. Please visit our store at www.girlscoutshop.com/HEART-OF-PENNSYLVANIA-COUNCIL.


In This Issue




Like us on Facebook

View our videos on YouTube

Save the Date!

 

April 1 - May 31 - Family Partnership  

 

April 10-12 - Spring Volunteer Work Days at Camp Archbald

 

April 10-12 - Spring Volunteer Work Days at Camp Furnace Hills

 

April 15 - June 30 - Early Bird Registration

 

April 17-19 - Spring Volunteer Work Days at Camp Echo Trail  

 

April 17-19 - Spring Volunteer Work Days at Camp Louise

 

April 18 -Brownie Girl Scouts Give Back Day

 

April 18 - Camp Archabld Open House at 1-4 p.m.

 

April 25 - Annual Meeting  

 

April 25 - Volunteer Recognition Awards Luncheon   

 

May 2- 3 - aMAZE Weekend at Camp Small Valley

 

May 3 - Camp Small Valley Open House at 1-4 p.m.

 

June 20 - Girl Scout Gold Award Event at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel    

 

October 4 - Thin Mint Sprint 5K at Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, PA  

Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania | 350 Hale Avenue | Harrisburg, PA 17104
www.gshpa.org | general@gshpa.org | 1.800.692.7816