Gold Award Girl Scouts Prepared to Lead
During a recent visit to San Diego, Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Sylvia Acevedo was thrilled to learn that 58 local Girl Scouts will receive the prestigious Gold Award this year. Now that's something to celebrate! Please join us for our Gold Award ceremony
on Saturday, June 16, at 2 p.m.
The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, recognizing girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable Take Action projects that have sustainable impact in their communities and beyond. In addition to making the world a better place, Gold Award Girl Scouts brighten their own futures. University research indicates that adding "Gold Award" to a college application is critical in the admissions-decision process. The Gold Award is impressive to employers—including the military, which advances Gold Award Girl Scouts a full rank.
With guidance from volunteers, a girl develops, plans and implements a project that is sustainable with long-lasting community benefits. Components of 2018 Gold Award projects included:
solar-powered lamps and literacy promotion in East Africa
hydration kits in Honduras
orphanage support in Mexico
a high school club for students to build public speaking skills
programs for high school students to de-stress from school pressure
smartphone apps for getting out the vote...or coaching tennis for youth who could not afford an instructor
a financial literacy film series
a tree-planting program in low-income neighborhoods
the first-ever field hockey club for East County middle school girls; and
a campaign to prevent the extinction of Monarch butterflies.
Other projects focused on STEM, anti-bullying, inclusion, wildfire prevention, healthy living, art, theater, senior gardening, self-defense, and environmental stewardship. You name it, our Gold Award Girl Scouts have it covered!
With everything these young women are accomplishing today, we can only imagine their impact as the next generation of leaders. Congratulations to the Class of 2018 Gold Award Girl Scouts!
Yours in Girl Scouting, Carol M. Dedrich, MBA, CFRE Chief Executive Officer
Mountain Adventure Weekend Hosted by Girl Scout Outreach
Nearly 100 girls built courage, confidence, and character through a multitude of "firsts" at our recent Mountain Adventure Weekend (photos), hosted by our Girl Scout Outreach
and Outdoor teams. Thank you to our sponsors Sharp Health Plan, Wells Fargo Bank, and One San Diego for making opportunities like this possible for deserving girls living in underserved communities.
The annual getaway gives girls who have never been away from home the opportunity to step outside their doorways and experience the outdoors in a fun and active way. Participants are often from families that are new to Girl Scouting.
This year's adventurers kicked off their weekend loading up on buses funded by San Diego Club 33. Up in Julian, they hiked under the stars, met exotic animals through Wild Wonders, challenged themselves on the ropes course, and practiced newly acquired archery skills, among other adventures. The girls closed off their final night with a campfire, performing skits alongside new Girl Scout sisters. Once home, the girls excitedly shared stories with their families—and geared up for more Girl Scout fun by signing up for
summer camp and other leadership opportunities.
Wanted: Camp Exec Mentors and Sponsors
We are seeking senior-level women professionals to inspire and prepare teen girls to lead! Our Camp Exec weekend brings together Girl Scouts in grades 10-12 with highly accomplished executives.
Statistics show that girls benefit significantly from having female role models who help them realize their potential, set realistic goals, and create tools and strategies for their futures.
As a premier leadership experience, Camp Exec addresses that need. Girls will be grouped into mentor-mentee "squads" tailored to participants' strengths and interests. In addition to the group time, girls will learn to practice social and business etiquette, project a positive image, develop a personal brand, and network. Attendees will also enjoy camp adventures like challenge course team-building activities, archery, and hiking.
Interested female executives and girls are encouraged to visit our Camp Exec webpage to apply. We are proud to have the support of Wells Fargo to present Camp Exec again this year! Companies and individuals interested in further underwriting mentorship programming like this are invited to contact Sarafina Scapicchio, 619-610-0801.
Register Now For VCC Discounts Available Through July 15
Adults: Girl Scouts is the world's best leadership organization because of you! We'll applaud your collective contributions and provide fresh resources and support during our Volunteer Conference and Celebration (VCC) on Saturday, Aug. 25.
Sponsored by Mission Federal Credit Union, the annual event will equip you to lead and get the most out of Girl Scouting.
The keynote speaker for this year's evening program is volunteer and alumna Rachel Rice, a Gold Award Girl Scout (see story below).
Dive into an inspiring day of networking and learning, followed by an awards dinner honoring remarkable Girl Scout volunteers. Conference sessions
range from Girl Scout Travel to Laughing Yoga, with everything in between. Workshops—led by talented volunteers, community partners, and staff—include: Go for the Gold Award, STEAM Makers, Interrupting Gender Stereotypes, Growing Global Girl Scouts, Co-op Troop Tips, Multicultural Girl Scouting, and Play It Safe! Self Defense. Instructors include talented volunteers, community partners, and staff. Register for VCC
by Sunday, July 15 to take advantage of early bird discounts.
OTM Sendoff 3 Million Cookie Boxes and Counting!
Nearly 3,000 revelers joined emcee CBS News 8's Marcella Lee aboard the USS Midway Museum for our 17th annual Operation Thin MintSM Sendoff (TV spots,
photos). Through our unique, local Operation Thin MintSM (OTM) program, enterprising Girl Scouts and generous cookie customers join forces to ship "a taste of home with a note to show we care" to deployed military troops and veterans.
This year, we celebrated a huge milestone: 3 million boxes of OTM cookies donated since OTM's inception in 2002. Ooh-rah!
During the sendoff celebration, top Girl Scout Cookie entrepreneurs arrived and departed by helicopter, while crowds enjoyed a lively pep rally and community partner-hosted activities—including creating OTM cards of appreciation for our service members. We are very grateful to everyone who made OTM a resounding success! Special thanks to sendoff sponsor Wells Fargo for underwriting the event, and dispatching volunteers to run the "Notes from Home" booth.
Olivia Kriegsman Earns President's Volunteer Service Award
When Girl Scout Olivia Kriegsman saw a need to educate underserved youngsters about health and nutrition, she became determined to take action—in the form of a Silver Award project.
In recognition of her leadership, she recently received the President's Volunteer Service Award.
The accolade lauds "Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country."
As reported by the Poway News Chieftain, Olivia's project included a six-week, twice-weekly healthy eating and lifestyle workshop for elementary and middle school children living in a low-income housing community in Poway. Her lessons covered the importance of eating different colored fruits and vegetables, healthy breakfasts, and after-sports snacks. Her focus was on inexpensive, but tasty, healthy foods.
Celebrity Girl Scout-Powered PSA
Famous alumnae Katie Couric, Queen Latifah, Melinda Gates, Dolores Huerta, Karlie Kloss, and other successful women around the world remind the world that Girl Scouts grows female leaders who drive powerful change. Get the scoop in Girl Scouts of the USA's new PSA, "Girl Scouts prepares girls for a lifetime of leadership!"
As research clearly demonstrates, girls thrive and grow as leaders in the safe, all-girl space that only Girl Scouts provides. Through Girl Scouts, girls develop valuable life skills and become confident, determined, collaborative, and resilient leaders of strong character. These experiences are made possible by the thousands of caring, dedicated volunteers, community partners, donors, and other friends that empower girls to step up to lead. Thank you to everyone who supports our local G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM!
Rachel and her daughter Annella prepare for a backpacking trip by taking a training hike.
Volunteer Spotlight: Rachel Rice
Introducing lifetime Girl Scout extraordinaire Rachel Rice! As the keynote speaker for our Volunteer Celebration, Rachel will share her Girl Scout insights and stories. The Gold Award Girl Scout's past experiences have included attending Camp Pamalu in O'ahu, Hawaii, Camp Winacka here in San Diego, and a high adventure Destination (formally called a Wider Opportunity) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Today, a proud Girl Scout mom and dedicated volunteer (photos), Rachel serves in multiple capacities.
Her roles have included Girl Scouts San Diego delegate (as an adult and girl) and manager of Magnolia Trails Service Unit in Santee. In this latter capacity, Rachel's inclusion- and recruitment-focused leadership led to the service unit receiving the President's Award during our 2016 Volunteer Celebration. She is currently Magnolia Trails' S.H.A.R.E.
coordinator and a member of our adult learning trainer team. In addition, she collaborates with her husband Michael to deliver the Girl Scout Leadership Experience as parents of two Girl Scout daughters—Izze (10) and Annella (14)—and as leaders (Michael leads a Junior troop and Rachel, a Senior troop). Annella and other members of the Senior troop have been following in Rachel's footsteps: They earned their Silver Award last year as Cadettes, and are now preparing to pursue the Gold Award.
Rachel holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and is an adjunct professor for the University of San Diego and an educator for San Diego Unified School District. Her hobbies include knitting and running half-marathons throughout the state.
Why Girl Scouts Matters
Girl Scouting works! Girl Scouts' 59 million alums include the famous, successful women described above, and:
50% of female business leaders,
80% of female tech leaders,
76% of female senators, and
100% of all female secretaries of state.
Read more about the power of Girl Scouting in our Girl Scouts: Myths vs. Facts, which addresses questions that have arisen in the wake of recent news about changes at Boy Scouts
