New lodge to debut at Balboa Campus
Please join us on Girl Scouts’ 104th anniversary, Saturday, March 12, 2 p.m., when we unveil the lodge replacing the cabin on the third level of our Balboa Campus. This gathering will also serve as my farewell party! I’m looking forward to celebrating my retirement with all of you and thanking the community of girls, volunteers and friends who have made my nearly 15 years as CEO so meaningful. All Girl Scout families, as well as the public, are invited. Please RSVP.
In other news, tens of thousands of “cookie bosses” are taking their sales savvy door-to-door this month. During Girl Scout Cookie Season (lasting through Sunday, March 6), many Girl Scouts in grades 6-12 act as Cookie Captains, mentoring younger girls and teaching them marketing tips taken from their own experiences. Keep an eye out for Girl Scouts walking about in your neighborhood and, starting Friday, Feb. 5, selling in front of grocery stores.
Hope to see you March 12!
Jo Dee C. Jacob
Chief Executive Officer
Good news for grownups: Cookies on Tap returns
Mark your calendars! Cookies on Tap is back this National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 26-28, with added locations and new cookie and craft beer pairings. This year, Stone Brewing Company joins Mike Hess Brewing as our partners for this just-for-adults event. Girl Scouts San Diego will receive a portion of the proceeds from every cookie pairing flight, priced at $15 for five 5.5 oz. beers and corresponding cookies.
We’re offering something extra for alumnae, too. Adults who are or were Girl Scout members or volunteers can learn about the revamped Girl Scouts San Diego Alumnae Association on Friday, Feb. 26 at Mike Hess Brewing’s North Park location. During the gathering, they’ll enjoy exclusive giveaways and the opportunity to enter a grand prize drawing for a year’s supply of Girl Scout Cookies. Alumnae Association info and grand prize entries will also be available at all Cookies on Tap locations, all weekend.
Spring, summer camps announced
Fresh adventures are on the horizon: Registration is now open for our summer day and resident (sleepaway) camps, held around San Diego County and at our mountain properties in Julian. From June to August, girls entering grades K-12 will connect with new friends, play outdoors and away from electronics, and learn about themselves and the world at three- to 12-day themed sessions. Avid campers can start the fun early with our Spring Safari day camp, Monday-Friday, March 28-April 1. And artistically inclined Girl Scouts can enter a contest to design our 2016 summer camp T-shirts. All girls are welcome at Girl Scout camp; non-members just add $15 to regular camp fees to cover the annual cost of membership.
Finish Chelsea's Run in partnership with
Girl Scouts San Diego
On Saturday, March 5, we’ll meet in Balboa Park for the sixth annual Finish Chelsea’s Run 5K and “short and sweet” one-mile event. Proceeds fuel scholarships as well as the expansion of Chelsea’s Law. You can help by becoming a team captain and recruiting members (learn more). Form a team, and encourage your friends, family and coworkers to join you, Girl Scouts and the Chelsea’s Light Foundation in promoting healthy living and inspiring positive change in our community. Girl Scout service unit teams with 50 or more participants will be entered to win an encampment fee discount.
Our new lodge needs you
You can still contribute to the larger, modern facility replacing Cabin 3 on the lower level of our Balboa Campus. The new lodge will provide a base for thousands of day campers, troops and encampment-goers to explore the Groce Family Tree House and build friendships on the Adventure Zone. Girl Scout members and the general public will expand their horizons there during workshops and conferences.
Funding opportunities include adding your name to a brick in the walkway or a pillar on the veranda, sponsoring technology upgrades and matching a gift to assist with fire suppression. We’ll thank our generous donors at our lodge’s Saturday, March 12 debut; see you there!
Pictured, right: Julie (in Santa hat) with her host mom, Nina Luz; left: Salvadorian dancers at the Christmas celebration
Girl Scout alumna making the world a better place
In high school, Julie Brown was a pioneer of the Girl Scouts San Diego backpacking program’s first advanced trips to Half Dome and Mount Whitney. Since then, she’s kept exploring … and caring. She majored in business at UC Berkeley, where she managed the campus’s $100,000 recycling program, created an award-winning mentorship program for at-risk girls in Oakland, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Next, Julie joined the Peace Corps and traveled to El Salvador to volunteer with community leaders on a solar-powered clean water project for 1,500 people living by the Laguna de Metapán. While there, she took the initiative to crowdfund a Christmas celebration for the families she worked with. The project grew, and in addition to providing 85 families with 40+ pound food baskets for the holiday, she funded housing repairs, latrines, town hall upgrades and a community festival. Julie says Girl Scouts gave her the confidence; we’re sure the drive and determination were all hers!
Featured events:
Cool Women luncheon — Tuesday, March 1
Finish Chelsea’s Run in partnership with Girl Scouts San Diego — Saturday, March 5
Lodge unveiling/Jo Dee Jacob farewell — Saturday, March 12
Operation Thin Mint® Sendoff and Sleepover — Friday evening, May 6
San Diego Symphony; Girl Scout String Quartet pre-show — Saturday, Feb. 20
The Allowance Manager web and mobile app, recommended for Juniors and above, offers Girl Scouts experience managing money. Receive a free one-year subscription with promo code GSSD. |