2014 Gold Awardees

July 2014

Futures bright as gold

Board Chair Debbie Rider and I proudly presented 44 young women with the Girl Scout Gold Award, our organization’s highest honor, during a June 8 ceremony at Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall. The recipients earned their awards by planning and implementing far-reaching Take Action projects to improve the lives of others. Through those efforts, the girls learned they really can make a difference, now and into adulthood.

To help the honorees imagine their potential, keynote speaker Patricia McArdle, one of our 10 Cool Women of 2014, offered a glimpse of her own journey. When Patricia built a solar cooking stove at Girl Scout camp, little did she know that — years later — the experience would ignite a career as an author and renowned sustainable energy activist. Patricia encouraged the girls to turn their own Girl Scouting experiences into world-changing actions.

Our Gold Awardees join the exclusive five percent of Girl Scouts nationwide who achieve this recognition. Their hard work will serve as a springboard to a lifetime of great leadership.

Jo Dee C. Jacob
CEO, Girl Scouts San Diego

Whoo-hoo — it's camp time!
Girl Scout campers are soaking up the summer fun! Pictured here: Aquatic Adventures day camp, one of our early sessions. (Photo taken by Girl Scout Senior Kaela.) This will be the first Girl Scouting experience for many of the 3,000-plus girls attending our 198 day and resident camps. Register now for upcoming camps (like Super Science, Living Coast, Brownie Jamboree and Adventure Seekers). Visit our website for details — or send a girl to camp by making a donation.

Snapshots from camp
Meet The Squidacorns (“What you get when you cross a squid and a unicorn”), a group of giddy first-week-of-camp adventurers! During a session at our Balboa Campus, future entrepreneur Eden (second from left) and her partners developed marketing plans, logos and brands for their pretend companies. Campers also sculpted with local artists at Balboa Park’s Spanish Village, painted unique masterpieces, designed custom jewelry and stitched tote bags on sewing machines. See our photo gallery for highlights of several other June day and resident camps.  

Urban Campout discount tickets now available
Friends of Girl Scouts San Diego, this is your night! Play flamingo croquet under the stars … grin with the Cheshire Cat … dine and dance among topiaries during Urban Campout 2014. Join us for a whimsical evening of fun in beautiful Balboa Park on Friday, Sept. 12 to help support Girl Scouting. Getting “curiouser and curiouser” about this year’s Urban Campout: Adventures in Wonderland? Find details here — and buy tickets by Thursday, July 31 to qualify for group or individual discounts. For information, contact Annie Revel at (619) 610-0807.

Urban Campout: Adventures in Wonderland décor and games co-chairs are Tange and Tom Gavin and Marlene Williams. Here, Marlene and Tom paint flamingos.

"Super" keynote for VCC 2014
During our Volunteer Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 16, Cindy Marten will share stories about how Girl Scouting built the leadership skills she needs as San Diego Unified School District superintendent. The daylong conference and evening celebration are wonderful opportunities for volunteers to mingle and network, access resources, learn new things and honor their Girl Scout sisters and brothers. Registration closes Sunday, Aug. 10.

Past Gold Awardee and 2013 Cool Woman Cindy Marten with Gold Award recipient Lilly Grossman.

Girl Scouts love a clean San Diego
Community partner I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) recently presented us with a Clean San Diego Ally Award. The honor recognizes Girl Scouts San Diego’s ongoing collaboration with ILACSD, saluting the thousands of Girl Scouts who participated in the Creek to Bay Cleanup, Adopt a Beach and Coastal Cleanup Day over five decades. Have a photo or memory of an ILACSD event? Please share it with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Get the scoop on Girl Scout fun
Look to GS Bi-Weekly for news on events and activities. Upcoming girl offerings include the PolarTREC workshop with Arctic climate change researcher Peggy McNeal (Saturday, July 12); You Can Be … a Producer, hosted by Cox Channel 4 for older girls dreaming of TV production careers (Wednesday, Aug. 13 and 27); and Design Time, where girls become toy developers, mechanical engineers and marketing specialists (Saturday, Sept. 27).

GS Bi-Weekly also features adult training resources like lifeguard classes and STEM workshops, as well as discounts or patches for community activities like the Natural History Museum’s pirate exhibit and Broadway Theatre Arts Academy’s Willy Wonka Jr. performances. Adult members receive the e-newsletter automatically; friends of Girl Scouts are welcome to subscribe.

Salt Lake City, here we come!
Explore Utah’s capital city while building your knowledge and connections at Girl Scouts of the USA’s 53rd national convention, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16-19. The triennial event will reunite alumnae and invigorate a global movement of girls, women and men around the theme “Discover, Connect, Take Action: Girls Change the World.” From Girl Scout University and the Hall of Experiences to themed dinners and conversations about issues of importance to girls and society … countless enriching activities await. Any Girl Scout member is welcome to join our official 12 local girl and adult delegates at this empowering event.

Got camp gear?
Make your favorite camper’s day by sending her a surprise! Our camp kits include many useful goodies, including a Girl Scouts San Diego water bottle and backpack, special camp patch, lip balm, glitter lanyard and bandana. Plus, resident campers receive hand sanitizer and a sparkle flashlight. Order a day or resident camp kit online for your girl today, and we’ll deliver it to any of our camp properties (not available for offsite day camps). If you purchase one in our shops, you may take the kit home instead. Contact store staff for details.

Girl Scout Stacia shows off her new accessories.

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About Girl Scouts
Founded in 1912, Girl Scouting provides the nation’s best leadership experience for girls. Through Girl Scouts, girls discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place.

Girl Scouts San Diego provides activities for 43,000 local girl and adult members, trains volunteers, and maintains two camps and four program and service facilities.