GSMH logo
VC Header
the latest Girl Scout news for GSMH volunteers
issue 86
October 1, 2016
NEWS

Adult Recognition and Volunteer Awards
Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland values all adult members and recognizes the contribution they make in developing girl leaders. Girl Scout adult recognitions are awarded to adult members who provide exemplary service and go above and beyond the expectations of their position to make a difference in the organization.

Volunteers and staff across all departments and functions within Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland are encouraged to nominate adults for GSUSA and local service unit awards. The new Adult Recognition Guide is now available on our website with detailed descriptions of the awards and the nomination deadlines. If you have any questions about adult recognitions, please contact your regional leadership and learning specialist - volunteerism.
Attention VSCs:: No Annual Meeting Event Registration Fee for Delegates!
Thanks to a generous board member, this year GSMH delegates' registration fee is paid!

There are a few NEW exciting things about being a delegate this year!
First, delegates no longer need to complete a delegate form AND send in a separate annual meeting event registration form! We have created a new Annual Meeting Delegate Registration Form just for delegates. Please have your delegates complete the form and mail, fax, send it with their MMS, call Missy Cravens, or email it to mcravens@girlscoutsmoheartland.org. This signs them up as a delegate AND registers them for the event!
 
Secondly , we will have more activities at our annual meeting event this year! In addition to our corporate meeting and recognition event, delegates will be able to have early morning coffee with our council Board Chair Lindsey Godfrey and attend enrichment workshops in the afternoon. And, whoever introduces themselves to Lindsey or CEO Anne Soots will receive a GSMH Board Chair and/or a GSMH CEO patch! We'll have door prizes, goody bags, and bingo. And best of all -  this year, GSMH delegates' registration fee is paid!
 
All service units are entitled to two delegates initially, with additional delegates based on the number of girls in troops as of September 30, 2016. This means you can get a head start on assigning at least two delegates now! Look for your additional delegate numbers and the annual meeting timeline, coming soon to your email.
 
If you have any questions regarding delegates, please contact Missy Cravens, Executive Assistant at mcravens@girlscoutsmoheartland.org or 1-877-312-4764 x 1124.
Outdoor Adventure Programs On Request
We offer outdoor adventure programs on request! Adventure opportunities include, but are not limited to, horseback riding, swimming, challenge courses, archery, canoeing, and kayaking. We will even take care of hiring certified program facilitators for your program! If your troop or service unit is interested in any of these programs at a GSMH program center, please first complete a Program Center Reservation form, and then submit an Outdoor Adventure Program Request form.
 
The guidelines for outdoor adventure programs on request can be found here. If you have any questions, please email camp@girlscoutsmoheartland.org .
New Outdoor Skill-Building Videos Available
Funded by a grant from the  Elliott Wildlife Values Project, six outdoor skill-building videos are now available-created especially for volunteers newer to Girl Scouts and older girl members taking younger girls outside.
  • Step by Step: Developing Outdoor Skills in Girls
  • Taking the Journeys Outside
  • Planning Your Troop's First Campout
  • Introduction to Campsite Setup
  • Introduction to Cooking Outside 
  • How to Leave No Trace Outdoors
How the videos can help
  • Each video includes helpful tips that can be used when planning outdoor adventures. 
  • Adult- or volunteer-learning departments at councils can use these videos during troop camp certification, grade-level trainings, or with outdoor trainings.
  • Service units can use these videos when planning camporees and skill-building weekends.
  • Older girls (program aides, counselors-in-training, or volunteers-in-training) can learn new outdoor skills to use when working with younger girls.
Troop Tuesday
We love to share all the awesome things troops are doing! Send your photos and comments to gscouts@girlscoutsmoheartland.org to be featured in upcoming Troop Tuesday posts on our social media pages!
Leader's Weekend 2017 
All GSMH volunteers are invited to attend Leader's Weekend on April 28 - 30, 2017, at Finbrooke Program Center.

Come and experience fun, friendship, and learning with other Girl Scout Volunteers! Stay for the whole weekend, or just a few workshops. Leadership workshops might include games, crafts, songs, relaxation, cooking, and more! Our Leader's Weekend committee is still accepting volunteers to help with the planning process. Please contact Kayla Medley if you are interested in helping.

Call for Workshop Presenters
If you have a skill, talent, or great resource to share with Girl Scout volunteers, we'd love to have you facilitate a workshop. Complete the Leader's Weekend Presenter Application and submit it by October 14, 2016 to Kayla Medley, Leadership Learning Specialist - Volunteerism, at kmedley@girlscoutsmoheartland.org. Questions? call Kayla at 877-312-4764 x1125.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Volunteer 411
The Volunteer 411, your comprehensive resource for council programs, trainings, and volunteer information, has been mailed and should be arriving in your mailbox soon! 

If you can't wait for your own copy, the Volunteer 411 is also available on our website.
2017 Girl Scout National Convention


We're looking for people who can make a valuable contribution as a Delegate to the National Council Session representing Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland. National Council Session will be held in Columbus, Ohio October 4-8, 2017.
 
Persons who serve as National Delegates must:
  1. accept the principles, beliefs, and purpose of the Girl Scouting Movement,
  2. understand cultural, social, and economic trends, and their effect on Girl Scouting and its activities,
  3. have the ability to weigh facts and issues for decision making,
  4. be available to attend orientation and preparation meetings,
  5. plan to attend all sessions at the National Council Session in Columbus, OH, and
  6. be a registered member of Girl Scouts and fourteen years of age or older. 
Interested in becoming a National Delegate? Complete this application and submit it by December 16, 2016. 

Questions? Contact Missy Cravens at mcravens@girlscoutsmoheartland.org.
Cinderella at Hammons Hall
Join your sister Girl Scouts for everyone's favorite fairy tale - Rodgers and Hamerstein's Cinderella. The performance takes place on Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts in Springfield. Tickets are $32 per person, include a theatre patch, and will be located in the Petite Balcony. Tickets must be ordered by November 1. Girls can use Cookie Credit but no financial assistance is available for this event. Register online or by using a event registration form. If you have questions, please contact Stefanie McCall at 877-312-4764 x1137 or at smccall@girlscoutsmoheartland.org.


Destinations Deadline
Girl Scout Destinations are travel opportunities open to girls age 11 and older. A variety of Destinations are available each year. Girls must apply to attend a Destination with and applications and references forms. Applications are due to on November 15 of every year to Stefanie McCall, Leadership and Learning Specialist - GSLE.  For more information contact Stefanie at 877-312-4764 x1137 or  smccall@girlscoutsmoheartland.org.  
 

Seeking Chaperones for Texas Road Trip
In the summer of 2017 GSMH will be taking Juniors and Cadettes on a Texas Road Trip to Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. The trip takes place July 9 - July 14. We are seeking adults who would like to chaperone the trip. If you are interested, fill out the Volunteer Travel Chaperone Application and return to Anne Hyde by January 17, 2017.
PRODUCT PROGRAM

Fall Product Program is just around the corner. What can you do to help your scouts get excited?
  • Make sure that your Troops Fall Product Program Coordinator attends the Service Unit training. 
  • Schedule your troop's parent meeting and Scout training. 
  • Your Troop coordinator will have some awesome ideas to boost excitement for the program, talk to her to see about incorporating some of them into your October meetings.
  • Begin working on the Financial literacy badges/leaves. These badges incorporate skills and ideas from both the Fall Product and the Cookie Programs.
Remember troops earn 20% of all sales up front (Junior and older level troops can Opt-Out of recognitions and earn an additional 2% in proceeds for a total of 22%). 

Fall Product Program is just the thing to help your girls "Shine Bright" and "Be Brilliant" while learning valuable life skills.



Kala the Koala, our Fall Product Program mascot was seen recently at the 93.9 The River radio station in Cape Girardeau. Keep an eye out to see what other adventures Kala has as she prepares for the Fall Product Program and a new year of Girl Scout fun!


How do you S'more?
The 2017 Cookie Program is going to include a new Girl Scout S'more cookie!  The Girl Scout S'mores™ cookie celebrates the very essence of Girl Scouting - in fact, the first recorded S'mores recipe appears in "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts," published in 1927! This year, we've updated this traditional fireside snack to reflect the modern sensibility of today's Girl Scouts: Crispy graham cookie double dipped in yummy crème icing and finished with a scrumptious chocolatey coating. 
 
It's never too early to get your parents registered and background checked so they can help you at cookie booths. Remember there must be at least two approved volunteers present at a booth! Avoid the rush and get those background checks done early!
TRAINING

Trainings are an important and helpful component of our Girl Scout volunteer experience. Listed below are some upcoming training courses offered to GSMH volunteers. A complete listing of all trainings and descriptions can be found in the  Volunteer 411. All GSMH training registration deadlines are two weeks prior to the training unless otherwise listed.

*An important note for leaders: Please make sure you are using the most up to date forms by checking the Forms & Resources Libraryon our website.*

  
Outdoor Level 1  - Free
This home-study course certifies you to take your girls on a day outing and/or backyard camping! Contact your regional LLS-Volunteerism to receive this home-study training.


Outdoor Level 2  - $10
This training is required for cabin camping at any of our program centers. This course will teach you about cooking over a fire, songs, games, programming ideas, and more!

Saturday, November 5
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cherokee Ridge Program Center


Outdoor Level 3 - $25
This training is required for tent camping at a GSMH Program Center or camping at an established campsite beyond a GSMH Program Center. This course covers tent use and care, campsite selection, etc. This is an overnight training and participants will be sleeping in tents.

Saturday, November 5  | 9:00 a.m. t hrough
Sunday, November 6  | 11:00 a.m.
Mintahama Program Center


First Aid & CPR - $40
First Aid & CPR is strongly recommended for at least one adult volunteer in every troop and is required by the Safety Activity Checkpoints for certain Girl Scout activities. Successful completion results in a 2-year certification in Adult and Child First Aid & CPR.

Saturday, October 29
Cape Girardeau Service Center
9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 19
Springfield Service Center
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
SHOP WITH US!  
Go to www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org and click on the shop to check out all the great new merchandise in our fall virtual catalog. Products are available in stores and online.

Back to Troop Savings!
Spend $75 or more NOW to October 15, and receive a $10 coupon to spend on a $25 of more purchase from November 1 to November 18. 

To earn the $10 coupon, just spend $75 or more on a single transaction between now and October 15. The $10 coupon will be valid on any in-store purchase of $25 of more from November 1-18, but the original receipt must be attached to the coupon to redeem. Earned awards and gift certificates are excluded from eligibility.
DISCOVER, CONNECT, TAKE ACTION


 
  
Donate Pop Tops to the Ronald McDonald House
Girl Scouts from Cole County have been gathering pop tops to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. They were able to fill up two huge bins to the brim! Way to go, girls!
In This Issue
Quick Notes
TO DO THIS MONTH 
  • Celebrate the new Girl Scout year!
  • Get ready for Fall Product Program!
  • Register as a delegate for your service unit!
WEB RESOURCES
Do you need a form? A flyer? The tax exempt certificate?

If you don't have a copy handy, many resources are also available in the Forms and Resources Library on the GSMH website. Most items aren't password protected, but keep using the following for those that are:

Password CadettesCarry3Cards



Service Centers 
and Retail Shops
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closed from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. (except Springfield) 
 
GSMH Social Media 

facebook twitter blog youtube 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest changes and information, read our blog for news and stories from around the council, and see great Girl Scout-related videos on YouTube.

 

United Way