Several girls recently stopped by the Clairemont Albertsons to invite the public to join the Stuff the Bus food drive. More than 550 Girl Scouts plan to participate.

December 2014

Girl Scouts a driving force in annual food drive

We’re ready to make San Diego a better place! Your friendly neighborhood Girl Scouts are challenging the community to Stuff the Bus and Drive Hunger Away this month. Once again, we’re partnering with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, Metropolitan Transportation System, North County Transit District and Albertsons for our second annual councilwide service project.

Rise to the occasion and join us on Saturday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at area Albertsons stores. Like the girls, you can collect infant formula, nuts, canned soup, tuna and other items ahead of time to drop off. Girls also earn a special patch for volunteering at Albertsons that day. More importantly, they help feed families in need while learning about hunger and nutrition. What a great way to ring in the holidays!

Jo Dee C. Jacob
Chief Executive Officer

Cox Communications + Girl Scouts = STEM²
We’re teaming up with Cox Communications to exponentially boost Girl Scout STEM opportunities. A four-year initiative will help us connect more girls in grades K-12 to careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Cox Communications is generously providing a $100,000 grant and $50,000 of in-kind donations to support technology-related activities for girls. These will include a series of learning experiences hosted by Cox Communications to empower girls to imagine their futures in fields ranging from digital broadcasting to bioengineering. Stay tuned for details!

Girls and families learned how to stay safe online (watch video) during Girl Scouts San Diego’s Conversation of Consequence: Cyber Safety and Etiquette. Cox Communications sponsored the free community event.

Girls develop camps for kids with special needs and their dads
For their Silver Award project, Andrea, Carly and Rachel of Troop 8250 called on their camping proficiency and leadership skills to change lives. After learning how outdoor experiences can have a positive developmental impact on children living with autism, the girls took action. They worked with the National Foundation for Autism Research to host a fun He & Me camp custom-designed for kids with autism and their dads, grandfather and uncles. Their first camp, held at Green Oaks Ranch in Vista, was so successful that they’ve continued it every year since, with help from Troops 8428 and 8178. Their fourth camp was in October (see photos); another is set for fall 2015. The girls are training Cadette Troop 8144 to host future sessions, with the goal of keeping their project going for years to come.

At this year’s western-themed He & Me camp, Kyle and Devri hiked, took a hay ride and visited a petting zoo with animals like llamas, emus and bobcats.

Happy 30th anniversary, Daisies!
This year marked the third decade of pint-sized Girl Scouting. The Daisy program debuted in 1984, opening our sisterhood to five-year-olds. Today, more than 61,000 Daisies are part of the nation’s best leadership experience for girls, representing nearly three percent of Girl Scouts. Were you or someone you know among the first Daisies — or their leaders? Share pictures and anecdotes with us on Facebook. You can also celebrate the occasion with a commemorative patch and other Daisy merchandise from our stores.

Everything’s turning up Daisies! Troop 6013, showed off their petal power at the recent Chula Vista Parade & Community Festival.

Julia Brown and Liza Goerner Crisafi join Girl Scout board
We heartily welcome science industry leader Julia Brown and finance veteran Liza Goerner Crisafi to three-year terms on our board of directors. Julia, who has four decades of experience in the life sciences, also serves on the boards of CONNECT, the UC San Diego Foundation, CleanTECH San Diego, the San Diego Symphony and three drug development companies. Liza, chief investment officer of the San Diego City Employee’s Retirement System, has volunteered on our investment committee for many years.

Honoring our heroes
More than 100 Girl Scouts, leaders and family members marched with World War II military personnel in the San Diego Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 (see photos). The girls carried posters honoring the servicemen present and others who served our country. Girl Scouts will again pay tribute to U.S. veterans this winter, during Wreaths Across America at Fort Rosecrans and Miramar cemeteries on Saturday, Dec. 13. To learn more about participating in this wreath-laying ceremony and memorial, contact volunteer Teri Simas.

Fashionistas explore road to the runway
Style-savvy girls in grades 6-12 are discovering how to turn their creative flair into a college degree and career, thanks to a partnership with San Diego’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). During four You Can Be … a Fashion Designer workshops, girls study industry reports and make “trend boards,” create design illustrations, learn to drape fabric (see photos), and brainstorm about product development and marketing. In addition, they’ve toured the FIDM campus and studied student portfolios and projects.

Older girls speak up 
Girls in grades 8-12 recently gathered at Camp Winacka for Teen Summit: Find, Activate and Amplify Your Voice. Spoken word artist Azure Antoinette and actress Monique Coleman (of High School Musical fame) led workshops during the weekend event. (View photo album.) The girls bonded with their peers as they talked about being true to themselves, wrote about honesty and self-expression, and shared their reflections around the campfire. Plus, they investigated the pros and cons of social media, from its effectiveness as a communication tool to the potential for bullying and causing stress.

Now is a great time to SHARE!
Girl Scouting is a gift that keeps on giving! Our member families’ tax-deductible contributions to our Share Her Annual Real Expense (SHARE) campaign helps keep Girl Scouting available and affordable to girls of all income levels. For example, it could train a girl for outdoor adventures … send her to a Broadway musical … introduce her to taekwondo, sustainable foods or the science of crime solving. Help us change the lives of girls by making your year-end donation today. No gift is too small! The cost of a few gingerbread lattes could cover the expense of a sash, Journey book or Girl Scout membership. For questions, contact Dawn Bruckel, (619) 619-0705.

• Cookie Rally (Disney on Ice) — Friday, Jan. 23
• Girl Scout Cookie Program starts — Sunday, Jan. 25
• Finish Chelsea’s Run in Partnership with Girl Scouts San Diego — Saturday, March 7
  

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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.

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