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Finish Chelsea's Run Girl Scout runners

Junior Troop 8766 celebrates at this year's Finish Chelsea's Run. 

April 2015

Girl Scouts running strong for Chelsea!

I was thrilled by all the energy of nearly 8,000 supporters who gathered in Balboa Park for Finish Chelsea’s Run in Partnership with Girl Scouts San Diego. The popular event celebrated the memory of Chelsea King, a Girl Scout who became a standout Poway High School student and athlete. Her parents, Brent and Kelly King, were overjoyed by the outpouring of support that morning. “It was like getting a hug from Chelsea,” said Brent, a member of Girl Scouts San Diego’s board of directors. (Photos, media features.)

Now in its fifth year, the run/walk is the primary fundraiser for Chelsea’s Light Foundation, which is dedicated to expanding Chelsea’s Law and providing college scholarships. The first recipient to graduate was Katie Hoskins, a former Girl Scout who recently earned a degree from the University of California Santa Barbara and now works in finance.
 
A portion of proceeds also supports local Girl Scouting. Thank you to all who took part!

Jo Dee C. Jacob

Jo Dee C. Jacob
Chief Executive Officer
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Doodlebug camp

  

Springing into camp!
Girl Scouts of all program levels got a jump start on the camp season during spring break. The girls spent a week learning about art, animals and creepy crawlers. They also created bug habitats, got the buzz on bees, explored the Groce Family Tree House, went on a scavenger hunt and spent a day at the zoo. More camp adventures begin in June.

Giselle (left) and Sophie help earthworms dig into their new ecosystems.
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ropes course

  

Summer camp countdown
Register your favorite Girl Scout and her pals for camp … or donate to our SHARE campaign to send girls from low-income families! Each session mixes traditional camp fun with themed adventures, from horses and canoeing to stargazing and moviemaking. Campers will explore nature and learn new things at day camps like Packs and Paddles or Living Coast, and Cooking Diva, Where the Wild Things Are and other resident camps. Find details here or contact our camp team at (619) 298-8391.

There’s something for every girl at camp! To get a fuller picture, see albums from June and July 2014 day camps.
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Cora Carmody

Technology Goddesses

  

Technology Goddess volunteer powers up EPC
Our Escondido Program Center (EPC) is all wired up and ready for high-tech Girl Scouting, thanks to Cora Carmody. The longtime Girl Scout volunteer designed and directs our Technology Goddesses program. To expand its scope, Cora donated $15,000 for new electrical upgrades, computer stations and portals, and carpeting in the EPC lodge. Our property staff recently completed those and other improvements, including replacing and painting the porch railing, and making bathroom repairs.

Cheers to Cora Carmody, honored during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony that included Property Director Eric Williams. Cora made her donation in the name of her daughter Katie, a Gold Awardee and Technology Goddesses alumna.

Upcoming sessions: During Technology Goddesses camps (Aug. 3-7), girls will drive robots with smartphones, take digital pictures and videos, and learn how to edit them. For information about fall workshops, see page 26 of Compass.

 
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Cool WOmen 2015

  

Join us for the Cool Women luncheon on April 14
Meet Girl Scouts’ Cool Women 2015 and Cool Girl Elena Crespo, during an elegant luncheon on Tuesday, April 14, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Del Mar Country Club. This annual program honors extraordinary San Diegans who make the world a better place. Proceeds help us keep Girl Scouting available and affordable for girls in all zip codes. Register now.

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badge

  

Brand-new badges get girls outside
On March 12 — our organization’s 103rd birthday — Girl Scouts of the USA announced the themes of the new Outdoor badge series. Girls voted on topics and designs to select the lineup: Outdoor Adventurer, Horseback Riding, Archery, Paddling and Ultimate Recreation Challenge. The new additions take their own place in history, alongside past badges. The 1913 badge book, for example, included Pathfinder and Naturalist. Girls in 1947 could earn Swimmer or Foot Traveler badges, while 1963 saw the introduction of Conservation and Family Camper.
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Storm the castle event

 

Lighten up

  

STEM girls in action
Taking DIY and engineering lessons by storm
More than 150 Girl Scouts of all program levels descended on the Balboa Campus for our recent Storm the Castle event. After constructing towers of empty cookie cases and boxes, the girls demolished their “castles” with catapults they built using power tools (under adult supervision, of course). They wrapped up the day by learning about women in medieval times. (Photos)

Calling all STEM volunteers
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to teach girls about science, technology, engineering and math! We’re providing new resources to help make STEM activities fun and fascinating. Leaders can use new program kits (available at our resource centers) that feature microscopes, robots and GoldieBlox gadgets. We also offer adult trainings, including two this month (April 15 for K-5 leaders; and April 22 for 6-12). For details, contact Iris Gerber, (619) 610-0741.

Lighten Up! workshop brightens minds
As part of San Diego Science and Engineering Festival, girls explored science of light through experiments that sparked their imaginations. During our Lighten Up! event at our Escondido Program Center, they bent laser beams, revealed secret messages with invisible light and experienced how astronomers gaze at the stars. Girls also created UV light graffiti on glow-in-the-dark walls, and used diffraction glasses to detect rainbows above colored LED bulbs (pictured).

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VCC volunteer

VCC

  

Honoring volunteers
Show your appreciation
During Volunteer Appreciation Week (Sunday, April 12-Saturday, April 18), join us in thanking the dedicated troop leaders, assistant leaders, troop cookie managers and the many other adults who make Girl Scouting possible. Show them you care with thank-you cards, treats, kind deeds, gifts from our stores, SHARE donations in their names … and the Adult Recognitions awards program.

Nominate Girl Scout champions … and save the date for VCC
Now through Thursday, April 30, use our online forms to nominate Girl Scout volunteers who go the extra mile. We will honor all the recipients during our Volunteer Conference and Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the San Diego Convention Center. Watch for details in future e-newsletter issues. For help with nominations, contact Christina Hernandez, (619) 610-0728.

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KSON personalities enjoy OTM

 

OTM_volunteer

  

Everyone's welcome at free OTM Sendoff Celebration
Climb aboard the USS Midway on May 2
Join KSON DJs John and Tammy on Saturday, May 2, 9-10 a.m. as they emcee our  Operation Thin Mint® Sendoff aboard the USS Midway Museum. Register now for this popular event — where the Girl Scout community, military personnel and general public will celebrate sending the 2.5 millionth box of cookies overseas to deployed U.S. forces. Enjoy live music by the Faultlines band, featuring The Voice contestant Ashley Morgan and cheer on top cookie sellers as they arrive by helicopter. Help us salute the military in true Girl Scout fashion!

Tammy and John (pictured) are big fans of Thin Mints and Operation Thin Mint® .

Wanted: OTM volunteers
Whether you’re a landlubber or a tried-and-true sea dog, we invite you to lend a hand at this year’s OTM Sendoff Celebration. Duties include greeting guests, distributing flags and assisting with crowd flow. We promise you won’t have to swab the deck! This is a great opportunity for families, company teams, college clubs and other groups. All volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. To sign up, submit a volunteer application. For questions, contact Christina Hernandez, (619) 610-0728.
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World Thinking Day

  

Brownies host World Thinking Day
Girl Scouts celebrating World Thinking Day throughout our region and around the globe included members of Brownie Troop 3082. They produced a memorable event for their Carmel Valley Service Unit (photos). Activities, costumes, displays and food centered around the theme of creating peace through international partnerships. Attendees also brought items to donate to needy children.

Thumbs up to trying new things: Isabel from Troop 3067 savors her first bite of sushi.
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Girl Scout cookie booth sale

  

Cookie program fuels Girl Scouting
If you’re a girl, family, volunteer or customer who participated in our 2015 Girl Scout Cookie Program, thank you! Our savvy cookie bosses — along with their dedicated adult supporters and loyal customers — can take pride in knowing they help fund Girl Scout camps and free or low-cost volunteer training and council-sponsored events like the Operation Thin Mint® Sendoff and Volunteer Conference. And, you help us keep Girl Scouting available and affordable for girls throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. This exciting year included two new cookies, Samoas’ 40th anniversary, an expanded Mystery House contest for the girls, and successfully implementing a price increase for the first time in 11 years. Check out the fun cookie facts in our 2015 infographic.
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OTM

  

Featured events
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computer girls   Get involved ... stay connected with Girl Scouts
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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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Please do not reply to this email; contact info@sdgirlscouts.org with questions about the newsletter.