GSCSNJ Blog Space

Girl Scouts Names Winner of K12 “I Want to Rock the Mall” YouTube Contest

2012-05-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

Dana Marie will perform for 200,000 at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall: 100th Anniversary Sing‐Along

WASHINGTON – Girl Scouts announced the winner of the K12 and Girl Scouts I Want to Rock the Mall
YouTube contest. Dana Marie Rogers a Girl Scout Ambassador from Old Bridge, NJ wowed the judges
with an original Girl Scout Cookie Rap that landed her a spot on stage, June 9th at Girl Scouts Rock

the Mall: 100th Anniversary Sing‐Along.

The YouTube contest was created to excite and motivate the tech‐savvy youth culture. Girl Scouts
across the United States jumped onboard and created original songs celebrating what it means to be
a Girl Scout. Some played guitars, were backed by their family band, or created cool videos for the
chance to perform live onstage in Washington, DC at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall before an anticipated
audience of 200,000 Girl Scouts, family, friends and alumnae from around the world. Girl Scouts Rock
the Mall will be the largest gathering of Girl Scouts to mark the 100th anniversary of the movement.
Dana Marie performing Girl Scout Cookie Rap.

Thia Megia, “American Idol” finalist and K12 student will introduce Dana Marie to hundreds of
thousands of Girl Scouts, family, friends and alumnae expected to converge on the National Mall to
enjoy female song leaders and girl groups perform in what might be the world’s largest sing‐along.
She is also scheduled to perform One Day and Always. Megia said, “I am so honored to be a part of
this special day and cannot wait to watch Girl Scouts Rock the Mall winner Dana Maria perform on
stage.”

Girl Scouts Rock the Mall teamed‐up with K12 Inc, America’s leader in online learning for students in
grades kindergarten through 12, to tap the tech‐savvy youth culture with the YouTube contest.
“Students using K12’s education programs have the flexibility and freedom they need to fulfill dreams
inside and outside of the traditional classroom, said Ron Packard, K12 founder and CEO. ” We are so
proud to be partnering with an organization that shares our vision by encouraging girls to showcase
their talents and follow their dreams.”

“As we prepare to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall, it is encouraging
to listen to girls express the importance of being part of an organization that encourages inclusion,
builds girls’ confidence and empowers girls to be leaders,” said Lidia Soto‐Harmon, CEO of the Girl
Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital. “We thank our sponsor, K12 for making this contest possible.
Every Girl Scouts’ song was a winner and every girl should continue to explore her passions.”
Girl Scouts have been writing, singing and playing songs that celebrate sisterhood and the
fundamental ideals of Girl Scouting for 100 years – the only difference now is that they’re able to
reach so many more as their voices are heard across the country and beyond. To view all entries
please visit the I Want to Rock the Mall YouTube Channel.

"GSCSNJ is very proud of Dana Marie and her achievement," states Mary E. Connell, CEO for the Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ. "As we move forward we hope to see more girls using today's technology as a resource for Girl Scouting."

About K12
K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) has reshaped the face of education to meet the needs of new generations as the
nation’s largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education for students in kindergarten
through high school. Using 21st century tools to prepare 21st century students, K12 provides a new
choice for children of all backgrounds to learn in a flexible and innovative way. K12 provides its
curriculum and academic services to school districts, public and private online schools, traditional
classrooms, blended school programs, and directly to families. K12 is revolutionizing schools by
integrating technology and rigorous curriculum into classrooms, and designing new blended school
models that offer students engaging online courses and personalized learning programs. K12 course
offerings include English, math, science, history, world languages, art, music, AP, and a variety of high
school electives. Accredited through AdvancedED, the world’s largest education community, K12 has
delivered more than 3 million courses to hundreds of thousands of students worldwide. For more
information on K12 and their forward‐thinking approach to improving the quality of education, visit:
www.K12.com.

EF Tours Photo Contest

2012-05-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Photo Contest Announcement

EF Tours for Girl Scouts is taking photo submissions! Girls, please submit a photo of your choice from an international or domestic trip along with a title, the region and country where the photo was taken AND an answer to one of the questions listed below to girl.scouts@ef.comby Thursday May, 31, 2012 at 4 PM EST. The winner will receive a backpack with a travel guide and digital camera!

What do you find adventurous about travel? (min 200 words)
What do you like most about travel? (min 200 words)
How have you used what you have learned from a recent travel experience in your daily life at home? (min 200 words)

Winner will be notified by email. Announcement will be made at the B.I.G Celebration on June 23rd and the prize will be sent to the winner by mail. You do not need to be present to win. Please submit all photos by email to: girl.scouts@ef.com

Terms and Conditions: http://landing.eftours.com/gs-nj-photo-contest

EF Tours for Girl Scouts offers international travel opportunities for Girl Scouts. Please visit us online to enter to win a free trip and learn more about international travel opportunities! EF Tours for Girls Scouts is part of EF Education, the world leader in international education.

Salem Middle School students take action to improve an eyesore they are faced with every day

2012-05-01T06:33:00.003-07:00

SALEM — Sixth-grade students in the Salem Middle School’s 21st Century afterschool program meet regularly in the school’s cafeteria, where just outside their window, an ugly abandoned building looms in plain sight.

It’s a beige, multi-level structure with knocked out windows and chipped paint, remembered by residents to have been a car dealership decades ago — certainly not something anyone would want to have to look at on a daily basis.

“It’s ugly. It needs a lot of work,” said sixth-grader Delorian Lewis.

Though demolition funds to knock down vacant buildings in the city are tough to come by, the students in 21st Century came up with one idea to at least make the structure less of an eyesore.

With some outside help from the Girl Scouts of Central &Southern NJ’s Take Action Program, the students are painting a mural to hang in the windows of the building.

“We were invited into the school to do a Take Action project, and we asked the students what they would like to do or fix-up in their community,” said Rona Whitehead, a leadership specialist with the Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ.

“We brainstormed with the students on a project appropriate for sixth graders, and we came up with the idea of creating a mural for the community.”

Staff photo by Britney LillyaThis eyesore building across from the Salem Middle School will be improved by murals painted by students.

Whitehead said in speaking with students, she found that they really didn’t like looking at the ugly abandoned building, which is located just across from the middle school on New Market Street.

Since the building is owned by the city, Whitehead worked in partnership with Salem Main Street to get permission for the mural. After a few weeks of research, followed by brainstorming and design sketches, permission was given to install the mural in its windows, where students could see it and take pride.

“I think the students can be proud of themselves when they look at it, and that they went through all the different steps and took action,” said Whitehead.

The mural is being painted on wood panels, which once assembled, depict people holding hands around the symbolic Salem Oak, a landmark in Salem City.

A message on the mural reads, “Salem Means Peace.”

“The students came up with all the ideas, and those ideas were incorporated into a design,” said mural artist Patty Lafferty, who helped outline the mural. “The students told me about the oak tree and that Salem means peace, so we took those ideas and designed the mural.”

Students are currently in the process of painting the mural, and the group expects to complete it sometime next week.

“I think this is nice, because we don’t get to do stuff like this around Salem,” said student Janiah Ryals, 12. “Kids have nothing to do, so we end up in the house or getting in trouble. I think this is something fun and good for our community.”

Once the mural is hung, Salem Main Street Executive Director Chris Davenport said he has received permission from the city to have the abandoned building re-painted if Main Street can come up with supplies and volunteers.

“I think the students did a great job thinking of this, and the Girl Scouts organization was great for helping them,” said Davenport. “My hope is that other groups in the community might be inspired to take on more projects like this.”

Salem Middle School Vice-Principal Mary Benatti oversees the 21st Century program, and said she is very proud of the students’ efforts.

“I think a project like this helps the students take pride in their community,” said Benatti. “It lets them see that they can make a difference and bring change. I think that’s a valuable lesson for anyone to learn.”

Contact Michael Williams at (856) 935-1500 or via email at michaelwilliams@southjerseymedia.com

Woodbury Heights Girl Scouts donates cookies to local food bank

2012-03-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Woodbury Heights Girl Scouts donates cookies to local food bank

By Jessica Bautista/Gloucester County Times

WOODBURY — The Girl Scout Cookie Program became more than just a lesson on money management and business ethics for one Woodbury Heights troop this week when they donated more than 50 boxes to the Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries Food Bank.

Woodbury Heights Girl Scout troop 61782 deliver 54 boxes of girl scout cookies and canned goods to the Greater Cooperative Ministries Food Bank in Woodbury. Staff Photo by Tim Hawk/Gloucester County Times

Woodbury Heights Girl Scout Troop 61782 filed into the food bank to donate cookies, and some other non-perishables, to who the girls specifically understood were “people who don’t have enough money to buy food,” second grader Courtney O’Hara said.

As the troop wrapped up their annual cookie sale campaign this week, some of the mothers of the girls decided it’d be a good opportunity to learn about paying generosity forward to the community, according to Troop Leader Lisa Daniels.

“When we were kids, it was people telling us, ‘there are kids starving in Africa,” Daniels remembers. “Now, it’s ‘kids are starving next door.’”

In keeping with one of their general themes of philanthropy, the girls quietly helped unload the boxes and bags of cookies and food and were given a lesson on what they do and who they help by the food bank’s director, Kathy Stackhouse-Cunningham.

“Most of the families that come here normally wouldn’t be able to afford cookies, this will be a real treat for them,” Stackhouse-Cunningham said. “People are going to be so excited about this,” she told the children.
The food bank serves approximately 350 needy families a month.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had cookies donated to us before,” Stackhouse-Cunningham said with a smile. “This is just great.”

According to Daniels, the inspiration to donate to the food bank came from a teacher of the some of the kindergarten girls.

“[Woodbury Heights Elementary School kindergarten teacher Nancy] Barton encourages her students to give back to the community,” Daniels said. “She keeps a jar in her classroom where the children can drop spare change. Then she donates the money to the food bank. We are just expanding on what she started.”
The girl scouts were able to collect boxes to donate while they were selling them door-to-door, at cookie booths outside of local businesses and with the help of their parents. People were able to buy boxes for the sole purpose of donating them to the food bank, as well.

Contact Jessica Bautista at (856) 686-3729 and jbautista@sjnewsco.com

GIRL SCOUTS SAMBA THEIR WAY TO A “STRONG AND COURAGEOUS” PETAL

2012-03-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

FIFTY WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP GIRL SCOUTS SAMBA THEIR WAY

TO A “COURAGEOUS AND STRONG” PETAL WITH A LOCAL ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR

Turnersville, NJ —Fifty Washington Township Kindergartens and First Graders ages five to seven earned a Girl Scout “Strong and Courageous” petal while learning Latin dance party moves with local Zumba Expert Desiree Bowen.

“Our troop leaders teach our children so many valuable life lessons, including how to care for your body through nutrition and exercise,” says Stacy Aguilar, Co-Leader for her troop in Washington Township. “The girls loved Zumba! Desiree did a really nice job teaching them fun dance moves appropriate for their little bodies.”

To keep the healthy theme moving, the Girl Scouts are currently celebrating their 100th year anniversary by challenging each scout to walk 100 miles over the course of a few months. Girls are given a pedometer to track their steps.

Zumba Instructor Desiree Bowen is a member of IDEA Health and Fitness Association. She teaches all levels of fitness through Zumba, Piloxing, and Toning in several locations throughout Washington Township. For more information, or to view her schedule, visit www.zumbadesi.com.

Submitted By: Stacy Aguilar

GIVING AND GETTING A LITTLE RESPECT

2012-03-06T05:40:00.001-08:00

Washington Township Police Officer Helps Girl Scout Daisies

Earn ‘Respect Authority’ Petal

Turnersville, NJ, March 3, 2012—Washington Township Police Officer Tobias Haley visited a local Daisy Girl Scout Troop at Birches Elementary School to help 11 first graders earn a petal for learning how to ‘Respect Authority.’

Using the Dr. Seuss Book Horton Hears a Who, Officer Haley taught lessons on kindness, bullying, and coming to the aid of others. He finished up the lesson with a more serious talk about “Stranger Danger” and how to sense and react in potentially dangerous situations.

With news of an attempted child luring in Washington Township last month, Girl Scout Troop moms appreciated the lesson. “Officer Haley’s message was entertaining, fun, and right on the mark,” says Troop Co-Leader Donna Sullivan of Whitman Square. “Parents enjoyed him as much as our children,” she added.

Dayton Girl Scout Becoming a Cookie Entrepreneur

2012-02-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

Dayton Girl Scout Becoming a Cookie Entrepreneur

South Brunswick Patch - By Davy James February 18, 2012

Vittoria, 13, has sold over 2,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the last two years through hard work and dedication.

It's a magical time of year for cookie lovers. A time of Thin Mints, Shortbreads, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots, and Shout-Outs. Girl Scout Cookie season.

But for one scout from South Brunswick, this time of year is pure business. Vittoria, of Dayton, knows just a bit about selling cookies. She should after having sold over 2,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies in the last two years alone.

"My secret is to use a lot of eye contact when I'm selling cookies and having lots of cookie booths," Vittoria said. "It helps to talk to everyone who walks by and not just certain people. And to be always be polite."
Girls Scouts have been selling cookies throughout the area from Jan. 19 through late February for $4 a box. The program is the largest girl-led business in the country, according to the Girl Scouts of America. The time spent organizing cookie booths and managing sales is designed to teach the scouts how to make decisions, manage money, develop people skills and to understand business ethics.

"Scouting has helped Vittoria develop as a leader, not just in scouting but in her own life," said Vittoria's mother Maria Flick. "Whether it be in school or other activities, she's active in our church and her leadership skills come out. You can see she's the type of child who's going to step forward and do anything that's asked of her. If she's not asked, she decides to go where help is needed, and that comes from being independent, which is a great aspect of Vittoria. She also has a kind heart and a lot of that comes from working with the Girl Scouts."

Vittoria is an independent Girl Scout, so she's not attached to any troop. With cookie sales through a troop, the proceeds go back to the troop where they decide as a group what to do with the funds, Maria said. As an independent scout, Vittoria still gets to do all of the activities other scouts do, but she gets to decide how proceeds from her sales are spent.

"As an independent scout, she can do everything a troop does, she just doesn't go to troop meetings, so it's a little bit of a different aspect that puts things more on her shoulders and makes her take on more of a leadership role," Maria said. "It's helped her build confidence and courage, that she can go out and do this on her own."

During last year's sales, Vittoria announced to her family that her goal was to sell 1,000 boxes to earn a destinations trip to Georgia to ride horses for two weeks. She ended up selling 1,200 boxes.

"We thought it would be nice if she could pay for the trip. We didn't pressure her to do it, but she was very gung ho about it and went out there and tried to hit that goal," Maria said. "At first we thought she was crazy, because she never sold more than 650 boxes before. When she figured out if she sold 1,125 boxes it would pay for the trip in full, we said sure, okay, we'll support you. We never thought she would hit that goal. We're so proud of her for picking that goal, carrying it out and surpassing it."

This year, Vittoria is looking to outdo her sales total from last year and is off to a roaring start. She's already sold over 800 boxes with two weeks left to sell.

"It's going very well, I have three more cookie booths to sell at and will try and sell the rest of the cookies at church or schools," Vittoria said.

Vittoria also collects boxes for the U.S. Armed Forces and brings them to the Blue Star Mothers, a support organization for mothers who have children serving or who have served. Last year, Vittoria brought 100 boxes that were donated by customers to the Blue Star Mothers for their care packages. Thus far in 2012, Vittoria has received 86 boxes and is hoping to bring another 100 boxes to the Blue Star Mothers at the end of the cookie sale, Maria said.

For Vittoria, the work that comes with selling cookies and scouting is both rewarding and fun, as it allows her to expand her horizons.

"I really like being able to travel all over the place and learning about different activities I can do when I get older," she said. "It's also just fun getting to interact with a lot of different people."

http://southbrunswick.patch.com/articles/dayton-girl-scout-becoming-a-cookie-entrepreneur

Girl Scouts to have their day in court with Rutgers-Camden law students

2012-02-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

Girl Scouts to have their day in court with Rutgers-Camden law students

Published: Monday, February 20, 2012, 1:14 PM Updated: Monday, February 20, 2012, 11:37 PM

By Jessica Beym/Gloucester County Times

CAMDEN — A group of 30 scouts from the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey will learn about the litigation system from Rutgers–Camden law students at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden tonight.

Law students from Rutgers–Camden’s Hunter Moot Court program will talk to the scouts about the appeals process and what happens after a trial concludes, and will demonstrate an appellate argument based on a simulated case they are using this year.

The scouts will get to don judges’ robes and take the stand as the law students argue their cases. The scouts will also have the opportunity to ask the students questions and tour the moot courtroom. The Rutgers–Camden Women’s Law Caucus will serve refreshments in the faculty lounge.

“The idea of this appellate program is to show the young women a slice of law school life while also letting them see the inside of a courtroom,” says Ruth Anne Robbins, a clinical professor of law and director of lawyering programs at Rutgers–Camden.

The event coincides with the Girl Scouts’ World Thinking Day on Feb. 22 in which the scouts participate in activities and projects with global themes.

http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2012/02/girl_scouts_to_have_their_day.html

Girl Scouts Meet Dr. Jane Goodall

2012-02-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Princeton area Girl Scouts had a special treat on Monday, January, 16, when they met the Dr. Jane Goodall of the Jane Goodall Institute after attending a Smart Talk event at the State Theatre. The Girl Scouts presented her with a commemorative 100th Anniversary Princeton Camporee bandanna, and several varieties of their signature Girl Scout cookies!

In 2011, over 100 Princeton area Girl Scouts were awarded badges for their completion of the Roots and Shoots program which was founded by Dr. Goodall. The program engages and inspires youth through
community service and making the world a better place for people and animals.

The Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands in Kingston, New Jersey partnered with the Girl Scouts for this program.

Meet the Green Machine

2012-01-30T06:12:00.000-08:00

The Green Machine Team is a team of Girl Scouts who are competing for the First® Lego® League Global Innovation Award (http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/) which grants funding to bring inventions to market. The prize is awarded based on review of the innovation and popular vote. If we can get our team into the top 10, which is won by popular vote, we will be guaranteed consideration from the FLL judges. We are proud to represent Girl Scouts in this competition. We would like all Girl Scouts and their families to vote. Everyone can vote once every 24 hours. Here's the direct voting link: http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/%E2%80%9Cwachastabb%E2%80%9D-wax-covered-hybrid-seed-tomato-turns-blue-when-infected-salmonella

Team Description:

Our team comes from 6 different Girl Scout troops, 5 different schools and grades! Our ages are 9-14years old. The team is called "Green Machine" and we are Girl Scouts from the West Windsor–Plainsboro Service unit. Even though we still sell cookies our motto is "We are not just about cookies anymore!" We compete in the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego® League Robotics games and this year we won the first place Champions Prize at our regional qualifier. This means that our team received high marks in each of 4 judging categories: Core values, Robot design, Research, and Robot games! Our robot is an autonomous (no remote control) machine, built to score points by performing mission tasks. We call her Miss Cookie Crusher. We are proud to be Girl Scouts and will represent Girl Scouts once again at the FLL Championship Games at the University of Pennsylvania on January 28.

Team Research:

Every year the FLL games has a special theme and teams must do research to come up with a novel way to solve problems that are related to the theme. We use our creativity to design or modify an existing solution to a real world problem. This year the theme was ‘FOOD FACTOR’ and the challenge was to invent a novel way to keep food safe. Teams from all over the world came up with many ideas such as ultraviolet light lunch boxes and automatic sanitizing counter tops. Our idea is called ‘Wachasttab’ or wax covered hybrid seed tomato that turns blue when infected with Salmonella.

Brief Submission Description:

We started our research on our project by visiting and interviewing growers at the local farmers markets to learn about problems they faced with food safety. Everyone knew about the contamination of raw foods with Salmonella, but they agreed that it is very difficult to detect until someone gets sick. Besides potatoes, people eat tomatoes more than any other fruit or vegetable. In this country almost all tomatoes come from large farms that are supplied with seeds from 3 companies; Monsanto, Heinz and Dupont. We researched outbreaks of Salmonella and read papers about new discoveries for detecting Salmonella in tomatoes. We talked with experts at two universities and came up with our own solution. We examined data from some preliminary experiments and realized that it is possible to genetically modify vegetables so that they change color in the presence of Salmonella.

Wachasttab is a patent pending form of genetically modified plant to prevent the spread of disease from Salmonella. The process can be applied to any plant, but our project specifically targets tomatoes. Salmonella can colonize tomatoes at any stage of the food chain, from seed to marketplace. Wachasttab is a method to protect seeds with probiotics and genetically modify tomatoes so that they can be identified if contaminated with Salmonella. The contaminated tomatoes are not meant to be eaten-they are meant to be destroyed. Because the modified genes are not actually activated unless the plant is exposed to Salmonella, consumers who object to eating genetically modified produce should not be concerned. We hope that one of the large tomato seed companies (Monsanto, Heinz, or Dupont) will use our idea to help improve the safety of raw tomatoes.

The B.I.G. Celebration (Believe in Girls)

2012-01-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

The B.I.G. Celebration
(Believe in Girls)
Saturday, June 23, 2012

Start: 1:00 pm
End: Conclusion of evening fireworks
(approximately 10:30pm)

Cost: $89.50 per ticket (girl or adult) which includes the cost of entry, the evening concert, 100 activities, an event t-shirt, a commemorative B.I.G Celebration patch, off-site parking and shuttle service to the event site from the parking lot.

Join thousands of Girl Scouts from around the nation!

Register now for The “Believe In Girls” (B.I.G.) Celebration, a day-long event culminating in an evening concert and fireworks spectacular featuring Grammy nominated artist and celebrity judge on NBC’s “The Sing Off,” Sara Bareilles, and another soon to be announced A-list artist.

The event will also include daytime performances by a variety of talented artists to be announced later this month.

The day-long event will include 100 activities taking place at the scenic Liberty State Park, which features 1,122 acres of open space and panoramic views of The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York Harbor. The activities will include:

– Join the National Wildlife Federation in planting native flower beds to attract the endangered North American Songbirds to Liberty State Park

– Perform in the highly-anticipated B.I.G. Celebration Flash Mob Dance

– Learning to rock climb in our B.I.G. RockwallZone

– Take fun pictures with your friends in a B.I.G. photo booth

– Creating SWAPS and other crafts at the A.C. Moore CraftZone

– Check out the B.I.G. Cooking Pavilion, where you will learn about “Living Healthy and Leading Healthy,” see a variety of exciting cooking demos, roll up your sleeves at one of the hands-on workshops and much more.

– Tackle the B.I.G. Obstacle Course

– Experience Living Liberty, the amazing “living Statue of Liberty”

– Visit the Port Authority of NY & NJ’s booth and meet George Washington Bridge Senior Resident Engineer, Andrea Giorgi Bocker, and learn about how a bridge is built and what an engineer does(and she is a Girl Scout!)

– Bounce in one of more than a dozen bounce houses at the B.I.G. BounceZone

– Shop at a Girl Scout Councils of New Jersey 100th Anniversary Shop (where you can pick up your FREE 100th B.I.G. Celebration patch!)

– Play a game of hoops with the WNBA and meet legends of women’s basketball

– Experience the Girl Scouts: Past, Present, Future Exhibit, where they’ll see vintage uniforms and artifacts

– Take a hip-hop dancing class

– Learn about WAGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts)

– Experience Zumbatonic®, the popular aerobic-dance workout designed for kids

– Wear a FREE B.I.G. temporary tattoo

– Learn about the wonders of the Hudson River at the Hudson River Museum booth

– Join in the ALL-DAY dance party with our very own DJ

– Add some Hair Flair to your look at the B.I.G. Hair Studio (additional fees apply)

– View the magic of the stars with an evening astronomy experience

– Snap your pic with the Journey Book characters

– Learn a cheer from one of New Jersey’s premier squads

– Take a short cruises on New York Harbor from the nearby marina (additional fees apply)

– Enter the onsite B.I.G. Photo Contest for a chance to win a fun prize and have your photos displayed for all to see on the jumbotron during the event!

– Take a soccer clinic on the picturesque fields of Liberty State Park

– Take a photo in front of Juliette Low’s Savannah, Georgia home! How? The wonders of technology!

– And this is just the beginning…

Special Promotions:
Participants who purchase tickets before February 29, 2012, will receive an early access pass granting them entry to the event one hour early.

The first 15,000 people to purchase tickets will receive a free cinch sack bag.

About Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and pianist. She has sold over one million records in the United States and served as a celebrity judge for the third season of NBC's “The Sing-Off.” She has topped the Billboard music charts with hit singles including “Love Song” and “King of Anything.” For more on Sara and her music, please visit www.sarabmusic.com.

One Million Mile Challenge

2012-01-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

One Million is a pretty BIG number when you think about it. It has six zeros!! If someone challenged me to walk one millions miles…I would think…that’s insane! Now, one hundred…that’s a reasonable number. There are only two zeros. I can walk one hundred miles. That is doable…even challenging.

The One Million Mile Challenge is a program that was developed as a signature event for our council to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting this year. Girls and adults are challenged to walk 100 miles for the 100th! They would do this using a pedometer to track their steps and convert the number of steps into miles. By registering for the program, participants receive a pedometer, commemorative patch, and tracking sheet. These are distributed to the Service Unit Managers who bring them to their local monthly Leader’s Meeting to give out.

The purpose of this program? To brings awareness to the girls, their troops, and their families about healthy living and staying active. Until you put on that pedometer and really track your steps, you do not know how active or inactive you really are in a day. Participants are encouraged to set goals for the number of steps they want to achieve in a day or week. If an entire troop is participating they can ask members to bring their logs to a meeting to look at how much the troop has accomplished together. The same is true for a family. They can talk about it over dinner and track their progress weekly. Maybe the troop/family can set a goal to walk to another state….New York City…or even Disney World! By adding up the miles troops can track this on a large map. The best part of the program is there really is NO ending date. That’s right. Participants can register at any time to start walking. I think once you start wearing the pedometer, it becomes so much FUN you don’t want to stop.

So where do you sign-up? Registration can be done online via our eBIZ system. You can log on to our website at www.gscsnj.org and look under programs/events to find the link to register. Registration will remain open until we reach 10,000 people or the end of the Girl Scout year, whichever comes first.

We are hoping to have 10,000 people participate in the program – each walking 100 miles – helping us achieve our goal of One Million Miles! There is even a virtual pedometer on our website where participants can track the progress for the entire council. Participants are encouraged to click on the pedometer and fill out the submission form to add their steps to our total.

With us each walking at least 100 miles, together we will reach our goal of One Million Miles!

Let us know about your steps! Share your stories, walking events and photos on our blog! Submit to socialmedia@gscsnj.org, subject line Million Mile Challenge.

Click here to register.

Click here to log your steps for our online pedometer!

Bridging Into the Next Century

2011-11-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

Over the week thousands of NJ Girl Scouts bridged across the George Washington Bridge as part of a kick off celebration of the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary. Below is a sample of the media coverage about this historic event.

The Record

http://www.northjersey.com/news/North_Jersey_Girl_Scouts_help_mark_groups_anniversary_with_march.html

The Star-Ledger

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/2500_nj_girl_scouts_storm_geor.html

CBSLocal.com

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/11/13/girl-scouts-celebrate-100-years-with-gwb-bridging-event/

The Courier Post

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/11/13/girl-scouts-celebrate-100-years-with-gwb-bridging-event/

New York 1 (video included)

http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/150700/gw-bridge-walk-kicks-off-centenary-celebration-for-girl-scouts

Teaneck Patch

http://teaneck.patch.com/articles/mary-pat-christie-to-speak-in-fort-lee-after-girl-scouts-gwb-crossing

Event Consolidation to GW Bridge

2011-10-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Event Consolidation to GW Bridge

You Spoke, We Listened!

The Girl Scout Councils of New Jersey have exciting news about the November 13, 2011, Centennial Bridging Event. Due to the overwhelming response from our members to cross the iconic George Washington Bridge we’ll be merging all of our bridging activities to this single site. This will allow us to not only meet the demands of members but also enable us to better utilize our resources and make it an even bigger event and celebration.

We understand that moving the event to only the George Washington Bridge has the potential to inconvenience some of our members and we are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. Any members that registered to participate in the Ben Franklin Bridging event on or before 5 p.m. on October 24, 2011, will be offered free transportation to and from the George Washington Bridge on the day of the event from the following sites:

· Girl Scouts’ Cherry Hill Service Center

40 Brace Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

· Girl Scouts’ East Brunswick Service Center
108 Church Lane
East Brunswick, NJ 08816

· Monmouth Service Area – Garden State Parkway

Milepost: 100, Center median between exits 98 and 100, Monmouth County

We hope you join in our excitement as we get closer to this once-in-a lifetime experience of bridging into the next century of Girl Scouting at the historic George Washington Bridge. There is still time to register. To learn more visit www.girlscouts100nj.org. If you are eligible for transportation to the George Washington Bridge and have any questions or concerns please call 201-232-6001.

We thank you for your continued support and look forward to sharing this special day with you and thousands of sister Girl Scouts across the state.

Questions or concerns? Please email info@girlscouts100nj.org.

Sponsored By:

Princeton Girl Scouts Help Try to Break World Record

2011-10-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Local Girl Scouts did one minute of jumping jacks in Princeton on Tuesday, part of an effort to get 20,000 nationwide to do the same.

By Greta Cuyler - Princeton Packet
http://princeton.patch.com/articles/princeton-girl-scouts-help-try-to-break-world-record
October 12, 2011

It’s about getting fit and having fun.

And 35 Princeton Girl Scouts did just that on Tuesday afternoon in the courtyard of the Princeton Shopping Center, joining a nationwide effort to break the Guinness World Record title for the most people performing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period.

The Girl Scouts did one minute of uninterrupted jumping jacks.

The goal is to have 20,000 people participate between Tuesday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m., east coast time.

“I thought it would be fun for the girls to be involved with trying to break at Guinness World Record and to show the community some of the fun things Girl Scouts get to do,” Karen Freundlich, the volunteer service unit manager for the Princeton Girl Scouts, an umbrella organization for 25 different scout troops in town.

A timekeeper armed with a stopwatch timed the girls’ participation and the results will be gathered nationally to determine if the record was broken, although it will probably take a few weeks for the national results to be announced.

The “Let’s Jump!” effort is spearheaded by National Geographic Kids magazine.

To break the record, more than 20,000 people must complete one minute of jumping jacks in events occurring between 3 p.m. on Tuesday and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, east coast time.

First Lady Michelle Obama kicked things off in Washington D.C. on Tuesday with one minute of jumping jacks, supporting her "Let’s Move!" campaign, which encourages kids and families to get healthy and active.

First Lady Mary Pat Christie Named Honorary Chair for the 100th Anniversary Announced

2011-07-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Trenton, NJ - First Lady Mary Pat Christie has been named the Honorary Chair of the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary year-long celebration in New Jersey. Founded by Juliette Gordon-Low, who coordinated the first Girl Scout Troop in Savannah, Georgia, the organization will mark its 100-year milestone on March 12, 2012
.

“For 100 years, the Girl Scouts have empowered, challenged and inspired young girls in New Jersey, across the nation and around the globe,” said Mrs. Christie. “As a former member and current Girl Scout mom, I recognize the important role the organization provides in helping each scout find and develop her individual potential and learn important life skills through leadership and service activities. Girl Scouts instill a sense of personal pride and achievement for participants and I am honored to be part of this centennial commemoration.”

Approximately 145,000 girls and adults are current members of the Girl Scouts in New Jersey. Alumnae of the program total in the hundreds of thousands in the Garden State and total over 50 million in the United States.

"We are delighted that Mrs. Christie will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts with us. As First Lady, as a Girl Scout parent, and as a successful businesswoman, Mrs. Christie sets a tremendously positive example for more than 100,000 active Girl Scouts who proudly call New Jersey home,” said Helen Wronski, CEO, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey.

The 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting provides an opportunity to celebrate with current members, reconnect with former members, and recruit new members while reaching out to past, present, and future donors and volunteers and the community at large.

New Jersey’s four Girl Scout councils, which consist of Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, Girl Scouts of Central & Southern New Jersey, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey and Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, have joined forces to plan three signature events for the occasion: a bridging ceremony over the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, a bridging ceremony over the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden, both on November 13, 2011, and a Girl Scout Jamboree/Camporee called The B.I.G. (Believe in Girls) Celebration:100 Years from June 22 – 24, 2012 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

As part of the year-long festivities, the Girl Scout Councils of New Jersey have launched their 100th anniversary website at www.girlscouts100nj.org to provide new networking opportunities for Girl Scouts past and present and also will serve as an important tool in recruiting new members to join the Girl Scout community.

Girl Scouts is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls that affords an accepting and nurturing environment to help girls build character and skills for success in the real world.

Girl Scouts of NJ 100th Anniversary Site

2011-07-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

The four NJ Councils have launched a special 100th Anniversary Website detailing all the fun and exciting plans for the 100th Year of Girl Scouting! From bridge crossings to a camporee, all the details you need can be found at http://www.girlscouts100nj.org/. Bookmark this site and check back on a regular basis for new and updates.

Date Selected for the 100th Anniversary Sing-Along

2011-06-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

Girl Scouts Rock the Mall:

100th Anniversary Sing-Along on the National Mall in Washington, DC

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Join the Girl Scouts as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall: 100th Anniversary Sing-Along on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Saturday, June 9, 2012.

Bring your troop, your daughters and friends and join your Girl Scout sisters from around the world on the National Mall in our nation's capital. While in Washington, DC, you'll also have the chance to visit some of the historic sites and museums. Girl Scouts has 3.2 million members around the world and over 50 million alumnae.

As the largest organization focused solely on the development of girls, we will mark this momentous occasion by hosting the largest gathering of Girl Scouts, friends, family and alumnae from across the world. We hope to see you in 2012!

Visit the official Sing-Along Website or become a fan on Facebook!

Online registration, which includes a commemorative T-shirt and patch, will begin in January 2012. Visit this page often for updates.

100th Anniversary Statewide Events

2011-06-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

October 2, 2011
NJ Girl Scout Statewide Volunteer Conference -
Power of Popular
As a successor to the statewide event for high-school aged girls last year “Through the Looking Glass,” the four councils in New Jersey are planning a one-day statewide volunteer conference on Sunday, October 2 (9:00am - 4:00pm) at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Visit www.powerofpopular.com.

November 13, 2011
100th Anniversary Bridging Ceremony
To commemorate our journey to Girl Scouts’ second century, the four Girl Scout councils in New Jersey will hold a historic bridging events with girls walking across the George Washington. The event will take place on Sunday, November 13 in the mid-morning. There will be a lottery process prior to registrations becoming available for the actual bridging ceremonies. Visit www.girlscouts100nj.org. .

Sponsored By:

June 23-24, 2012
100th Anniversary New Jersey State Event, Liberty State Park
Celebrate our movement’s impact on the next century with 25,000 sister Girl Scouts and volunteers at an outdoor, all-day event. The weekend will include dozens of exciting activities, an eco service project, musical performances by a variety of talented young artists (including a very special guest) and a riverside firework spectacular just for us! A New Jersey statewide committee of girls has been formed and are meeting regularly to name the event and shape its offerings. Big things will start here. More information to follow.

100th Anniversary Merchandise
See our collection of once-in-a-lifetime 100th Anniversary merchandise available in our shops. Special commemorative tee shirts, caps, jewelry, collectibles, mugs and patches are all available. Visit Juliette's Closet online or one of our council shop locations for more 100th Anniversary merchandise.

16,000+ Households STOP Vampire Currents

2011-06-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

On March 12, 2011 over 16,000 households pledged to PULL THE PLUG on vampire currents for 100 minutes thanks to 2,776 Girl Scouts who secured a minimum of 5 pledges each. Girls secured pledges from within the state of New Jersey as well as accross the United States. Reports from troops indicate pledges were secured from California, Texas, Florida, and Iowa. Thanks to technology, one troop even secured pledges from accross the Atlantic Ocean in England! Troop 30916 from Timbercreek shared, "The girls are all 5 year olds and this was the 1st time they ever did anything like this and they LOVED every minute of it!" Troop 72027 from LETS shared, "I thought this was a great project to raise awareness of how much energy each person/household can save." Many troops incorporated the program into the Journey they were working on like Troop 54120 from Wihe'Tonga who were learning about energy through Get Moving.

Just a reminder to troops who participated, your Troop Evaluation/Summary needs to be submitted in order for your troop to receive their patches. Contact Kimberly Reed with any questions, kreed@gscsnj.org.

S.B. Girl Scouts hold event as part of Bronze Award project

2011-06-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Keeping cancer away through ‘Sun Safety’

BY SAM SLAUGHTER, Staff Writer
Sentinel North Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Even if their new medals are as bright and shiny as the sun, the 15 girls in Girl Scout Junior Troop 80385 of South Brunswick are going to be ready in the presence of the actual sun.

The girls held a “Skin Cancer and Sun Safety” event May 13 at the South Brunswick Community Center as the capstone activity needed to earn their Bronze Award, which is the highest award possible for Juniors and the third-highest award in all of Girl Scouting.

“The project must be something that does the greater good, that benefits people outside of the troop,” troop leader Colleen Albright explained.

This project in particular, Albright said, was first begun nearly a year ago, when the girls hashed out different project ideas.

From there, they undertook research and the other necessary steps for planning the event. They chose a skin cancer theme because May is skin cancer awareness month.

On the night of the event, the 15 girls were divided into four groups, each taking a different skin cancer-related topic, including types of skin cancer, the use and meaning of sun block, other ways to prevent overexposure, and skin cancer and kids.

The Scouts also devised a number of skin cancer-related games in order to help educate the younger attendees, including trivia games based on the displays, sun safety Twister, and sun safety relays, where kids had to don extra clothing as well as hold sunscreen before tagging a partner.

Dr. Janice Mehnert, an oncologist from the Cancer Institute of New Jersey who specializes in melanoma, gave the keynote address to the 50 other Scouts, parents and troop leaders who attended.

“She was outstanding; she really geared her talk to the level of the girls we had,” Albright said.

The girls ranged in age from7 to 12. Troop 80385 is composed mostly of 10- and 11-yearolds, Albright said.

In addition to the sun safety event, the girls also needed to complete other projects and 15 hours of community service to be eligible for the award.

In October 2010, the troop organized and held a campfire in Woodlot Park, which saw around 300 attendees show up.

The troop also helped sponsor the annual Friendship Fair this year. Working in conjunction with another troop, the girls worked to organize the event as well as help run it.

“The girls really had to hone their social skills and how to present information, and also their organizational skills. It was something they really needed to work on, because at 10, it isn’t something that’s really ingrained yet,” Albright said.

On June 17 there will be a presentation of the awards to the girls.

Girl Scout Birthday in a Box

2011-05-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

MILLVILLE -- Girl Scout Gabriella has a birthday wish, but not for herself.

Gabriella , a member of Troop 54748 in Millville, is more than a month into an effort to collect enough birthday party supplies to brighten that special day for more than 40 area children.

"Birthday-In-A-Box" is the 14-year-old's community project and, if successful, proof that she deserves scouting's Silver Award.

The "box" in the project is a package of party necessities -- from cake mix to a gift.

Gabriella , a Vineland resident, came up with the idea during a visit here to the Holly City Family Success Center.

"My mom has an outreach Girl Scout troop here, where she has meetings with younger girls," Gabriella said. "A lot of times, I'll help her with that. So, I was there and I was talking to one of the girls. I think we were actually leaving and she said, 'It's my birthday.'"

Gabriella said the girl told her she would not be having a party or even a special meal. "That totally wrenched my heart out," she said.

"It also must be a terrible feeling as a parent to know you can't provide that for a child because you don't have the means to make their birthday special," she said.

The encounter gave her an idea for her scouting project, however. In mid-March, she began organizing the drive and recruiting help from other troops and at her school, Bishop Schad Regional School in Vineland.

"I've broken it up where I'll ask different age groups of girls for different things," she said. "Like, I'll ask the Daisies to bring in cake mix. I might ask the Juniors to bring in frosting. And I did the same thing with my school, Bishop Schad. And they've really helped a lot."

Gabriella said she has a $5 limit for the gifts to avoid great disparities in gifts.

The final day for collection is being pushed into June. So far, the collection has brought in enough material to pack about 20 boxes. "Honestly, with the amount of support I'm getting, I'd like to make that much bigger," she said.

The Family Success Center, an operation of Gateway Community Action Partnership, is helping Fusco and acting as a drop-off location for donations. The boxes are coming from a UPS store in Linwood.

Jennifer D'Alessandro, the center's director, said the completed Birthday-In-A-Boxes will be distributed to families that come to the center, as well as at a Gateway center in Bridgeton.

In addition, the boxes will go to a South Jersey Healthcare System center in Vineland.

D'Alessandro said the centers keep useful data on families, including birth dates.

"We send them a birthday card," she said.

Kim Vinnick is a Girl Scout advisor to Gabriella, and her husband owns the UPS store that donated the boxes.

"It's very doable," Vinnick said. "The objects are not very expensive."

Gabriella said the project also should last beyond this year. Her school and its Samaritan Club have agreed to take it on as a continuing effort, she said.

Friendly’s Girl Scouts Thin Mints™ Cookie Ice Cream Cake

2011-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Friendly’s Girl Scouts Thin Mints™ Cookie Ice Cream Cake Brings Together Two American Favorites

Wilbraham, Mass., April 20, 2011 -- Friendly’s introduces the Friendly’s Girl Scouts Thin Mints™ Cookies Ice Cream Cake. Under a new license agreement with Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), the ice cream experts at Friendly’s have created a frozen confection that incorporates the top-selling Girl Scout Cookie variety—Thin Mints.

Friendly’s premium chocolate ice cream with chunks of Girl Scout Thin Mints™ brand cookies and a crunchy Girl Scout Thin Mints™ cookie center is covered with rich chocolate truffle. The entire cake is then topped with more Girl Scout Thin Mints™ cookie chunks and a crisscross drizzle of fudge.

“We are very excited to introduce this delicious dessert that combines two of America’s best loved treats – Girl Scout Thin Mints and Friendly’s ice cream,” said Tim Hopkins, Friendly’s Executive Vice President, Retail and Manufacturing.

“Girl Scouts is pleased to be working with Friendly’s to expand awareness of our organization to grocery store shoppers, and Girl Scout Cookie aficionados will now have a new way to enjoy their favorite treat,” said Barry Horowitz, GSUSA’s Vice President and General Manager, Girl Scout Merchandise.

Friendly’s Girl Scouts Thin Mints Cookie Cake will be available at all Friendly’s restaurants and select retail locations beginning in April.

About Friendly Ice Cream Corporation
Friendly Ice Cream Corporation is a vertically integrated restaurant company serving signature sandwiches, entrees and ice cream desserts in a friendly, family environment with system-wide sales of $700 million and distribution through more than 4,000 retail locations. With a 75-year operating history, Friendly's enjoys strong brand recognition and is currently revitalizing its restaurants and introducing new products to grow its customer base. For additional information please visit www.friendlys.com.

About Girl Scouts
Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with more than three million girl and adult members. Girl Scouting is the leading authority on girls' healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girls Scouts of the USA also serves American girls and their classmates attending American or international schools overseas in 90 countries. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate to Girl Scouts, call (800) GSUSA 4 U (800-478-7248) or visit www.girlscouts.org.

Elk Township Girl Scouts take a stand on bullying

2011-05-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Gloucester County Times
Saturday, May 21, 2011
By Carly Q. Romalino
cromalino@sjnewsco.com

ELK TWP. Ð After a first-hand brush with bullies, an Aura School-based Girl Scout troop won't stand for bullying anymore.

The group of 10 second- and third-grade girls took a stand against bullies Friday with a school-wide presentation on the damage hurtful comments can do, and how to deal with a classmate who takes teasing too far.

"They decided to end bullying at Aura School for every child, forever," said Kay Bessette, leader of Troop 62499.

The anti-bullying presentation coined a new phrase Ð "Stop, talk and walk" Ð that Aura School's kindergarten-through-grade-six children chanted during the assembly.

The Girl Scouts planned and paid for the rally that taught their classmates to stop whatever they're doing when a bully starts to pick on them. Then walk away, and talk to an adult right away.

The same set of rules goes for the bully, the girls said.

Stop making hurtful remarks, walk away from the person they're picking on, and talk to an adult about why they needed to make fun of a classmate.

The Girl Scout troop-initiated bullying event was the brain child of the 10 girls who attend the school. They were picked on for wearing their uniforms to school on days the group met after school.

"They bullied us whenever we got dismissed for Girl Scouts," said third-grader Emma Romagnolia, 7. "They said, ÔYou should be broccoli scouts because cookies make you fat.'"

The girls reported the incidents to Troop Leader Bessette, and decided not to retaliate against the bullies. Instead, they would try to make a difference in the way their classmates treat each other.

The presentation cost the troop more than $500 to put on. The girls raised the funds through Girl Scout Cookie sales, according to Bessette.

"They had a choice. They could have chosen to go horseback riding, or do ceramics," Bessette said. "But they chose this. That's what's so inspiring."

The girls wrote skits that showed how bullies treat other people, and how to handle being bullied. The students in the audience were quizzed at the end of each skit to make sure they understood the "stop, walk and talk" concept. The cookie funds bought prizes Ð "Stop. Talk. Walk." T-shirts Ð and treated the classmates to ice cream.

The troop also invited Elk Township Police Officer Cpl. Ed Gonnelli to speak about consequences of bullying as an adult.

Adults can face jail time and fines if convicted of harassment, simple assault or aggravated assault, he said.

"That's how serious this is today, guys," Gonnelli said.

Girl Scouts Gia Unfreed, 9, and Olivia Marchei, 8, hoped their program really hit home with their classmates and friends.

Gia, an Aura third-grader, hopes the students learned "not to bully, or say ÔI bully, and it's wrong,'" she said.

"And to know not to bully any more," third-grader Olivia added. "They (classmates) probably learned their lesson, too."

Girl Scout Kayla Vandvelt, 8, got to see first-hand how the troop's presentation started to make a difference. She witnessed a boy getting bullied during recess after the anti-bullying sessions, she said.

"It made me feel sad, and I told him he just got bullied," said Kayla, in second grade. "He went inside, walked and talked."

EAST BRUNSWICK GIRL SCOUT HELPS SCHOOL DURING ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES

2011-04-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

SENIOR GIRL SCOUT MENTORS ELEMENTRY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN RESPONSE TO TEACHER ‘S AID SHORTAGE AND ENSURES CHILDREN RECEIVE THE HELP THEY NEED

East Brunswick, NJ, April 1, 2011 – Amanda S., 16, of East Brunswick is tutoring several Bowne-Munro Elementary School children for over 80 hours, teaching them basic language and math skills to complete her Gold Award, the highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.
Amanda wanted to address the shortage of teachers and teacher’s aids in her community and ensure that elementary school children get the extra help and mentorship they may not currently be receiving due to budget cuts. Amanda was inspired to take on this project because when she was younger she was tutored and mentored by a caring teacher who dedicated her time to Sanders after school.

Amanda contacted Bowne-Munro’s principal and shared with her that she was interested in completing her Girl Scout Gold Award by mentoring students. She soon got to work with children in the after school program. Sanders assisted children with their homework and made sure that they continued to work on their basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills. Amanda came up with creative incentives to push the children she was working with further. She made encouraging bookmarks, played games and built their self esteem through positive words.
Through her commitment to youth and education Amanda proves that you can make an impact one child at a time. “I don’t think people are aware that you don’t have to be a teacher to help out in the schools,” said Amanda. “It is important for the community to know that right now there is a shortage of people to assist children who need extra help and they should know that by volunteering they can make sure that all children can receive the help they need. I have seen a change in the children I have been able to help over such a short amount of time. I believe that time is never wasted helping a child.”

By picking an issue that she feels passionately about Sanders has illustrated the values of Girl Scouting. She has shown that she has the courage to make a change, the confidence to try something new and character to see her Girl Scout Gold Award through despite her challenging academic schedule and church youth group activities.

GSCSNJ Blog Space

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Salem Middle School students take action to improve an eyesore they are faced with every day

Woodbury Heights Girl Scouts donates cookies to local food bank

GIRL SCOUTS SAMBA THEIR WAY TO A “STRONG AND COURAGEOUS” PETAL

GIVING AND GETTING A LITTLE RESPECT

Dayton Girl Scout Becoming a Cookie Entrepreneur

Dayton Girl Scout Becoming a Cookie Entrepreneur

Girl Scouts to have their day in court with Rutgers-Camden law students

Girl Scouts Meet Dr. Jane Goodall

Meet the Green Machine

The B.I.G. Celebration (Believe in Girls)

The B.I.G. Celebration(Believe in Girls)Saturday, June 23, 2012Start: 1:00 pmEnd: Conclusion of evening fireworks(approximately 10:30pm)

Cost: $89.50 per ticket (girl or adult) which includes the cost of entry, the evening concert, 100 activities, an event t-shirt, a commemorative B.I.G Celebration patch, off-site parking and shuttle service to the event site from the parking lot.

One Million Mile Challenge

Bridging Into the Next Century

Event Consolidation to GW Bridge

Princeton Girl Scouts Help Try to Break World Record

First Lady Mary Pat Christie Named Honorary Chair for the 100th Anniversary Announced

Girl Scouts of NJ 100th Anniversary Site

Date Selected for the 100th Anniversary Sing-Along

100th Anniversary Statewide Events

16,000+ Households STOP Vampire Currents

S.B. Girl Scouts hold event as part of Bronze Award project

Girl Scout Birthday in a Box

Friendly’s Girl Scouts Thin Mints™ Cookie Ice Cream Cake

Elk Township Girl Scouts take a stand on bullying

EAST BRUNSWICK GIRL SCOUT HELPS SCHOOL DURING ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES

The B.I.G. Celebration
(Believe in Girls)
Saturday, June 23, 2012

Start: 1:00 pm
End: Conclusion of evening fireworks
(approximately 10:30pm)