June brings one of my favorite times of the year. It's a time to look back on all that was achieved during the school year. It's a great time to pause, reflect, and celebrate all of the amazing things that have happened across our council.

This spring, as our Girl Scouts concluded their school year, we acknowledged the impressive girls who have achieved their highest awards while celebrating their dedication and commitment to making the world a better place. In 2023, 37 Girl Scouts earned the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting! Achieving a Gold Award is more than simply completing a project - we know that Gold Award Girl Scouts:

• leverage the Gold Award to support educational and professional advancements,
• are three times more likely to earn a graduate degree compared to non-alums,
• take on leadership roles in their everyday lives, and
• achieve a higher level of satisfaction in life.

While we are immensely proud of all that our Gold Award Girl Scouts are achieving, new this year we celebrated our over 500 Silver and Bronze Award Girl Scouts! With projects addressing issues from literacy and protecting animals in nature to supporting children in foster care, these projects demonstrated thoughtfulness, planning, and collaboration. Well done, Girl Scouts!

As we recognize the accomplishments of these highest-award Girl Scouts, we also take time each year to celebrate the impactful work of our volunteers. Volunteer appreciation events were held across the council, giving our staff a chance to acknowledge the over 10,000 volunteers who make the magic of Girl Scouting come to life. We can't say it enough - but thank you!

And to you - our supporter, cheerleader, and advocate - we cannot reach girls with leadership opportunities and help them achieve these projects that impact our communities in positive ways - and more - without you! Thank you for all you do to support growing girls of courage, confidence, and character, who are making the world a better place.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Aimée Sproles

Chief Executive Officer

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio

Celebrating Gold Award Girl Scouts

On Sunday, March 5^th, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio held a council-wide celebration of thirty-seven Girl Scouts who achieved their Gold Award - the highest honor in Girl Scouting. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges.

Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. 

Gold Award Girls Scouts begin by tackling issues most important to them. The award process includes a seven-step approach to develop a lasting solution to their selected challenge. 

The skills demonstrated throughout the process provide these awardees a competitive edge in the college admissions process and as they take on leadership roles in their everyday lives.

We congratulate this remarkable group of young leaders who are driving meaningful and lasting change in their communities and beyond!

 You can learn more about the Gold Award and the Girl Scouts who earned this award by clicking here.

Bronze and Silver Awardees Shine!

Last month, more than 500 Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts were honored for earning their Bronze and Silver awards. What a great time we had celebrating these impressive girls!

To earn the Bronze Award, 4^th and 5^th grade Girl Scouts work together to identify an issue they care about. The girls then decide on a project to address the issue, develop a plan, and then put their plan into action.  These Junior Girl Scouts are on a mission!  

Our Silver Award earners are in grades 6^th thru 8^th. These girls are looking for ways to make their communities a better place. Together, or as individual Girl Scouts, these girls build a team, develop their project to address an issue, figure out how to make the change long-lasting, then reflect on their project.   

These young leaders are remarkable. For their Bronze Award, the Girl Scouts in Troop 12301 wanted other children to learn about Eastern Screech Owls. After attending a night hike at a local park, the girls then wrote a book describing the owls for the park and even used troop funds to donate 6 copies of the book to their local library. In the end, these budding naturalists built 7 nesting boxes for these owls in their county parks. Way to go girls! 

View more pictures from the ceremonies honoring these girls here!

Appreciating the Time, Talent, and Treasure of our Volunteers

In the past year, more than 10,000 volunteers:

• Planned and implemented troop meetings, series, workshops, and programs for 25,000 Girl Scouts in grades K – 12
• Trained other volunteers in outdoor skills such as backpacking, fire building, and cooking over a fire
• Delivered meaningful leadership programs from entrepreneurship to the outdoors and STEM to life-skills
• Provided administrative support in service units
• Helped girls earn their Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards

And so much more!

During the month of April, volunteers at Girl Scouts of Western Ohio were celebrated and thanked in special ceremonies to show appreciation. Enjoy some of the pictures from the ceremonies!

Do you know someone who would be a great fit for our Board of Directors?

We are now accepting referrals to form a highly qualified, diverse pool of candidates for a limited number of positions on our Board of Directors and Board Development Committee. Complete the referral form before September 30. 2023!