Family Partnership Campaign Ends Today!

The Family Partnership Campaign ends today, June 15. There is still time to qualify for our campaign incentives! Give before the end of the day at www.gscm.org/give.

Service Unit 654 is in the lead for the Camp Conowingo Dining Hall naming opportunity.

Troop 1362 is in the lead for the Camp Conowingo Heritage Area naming opportunity.

Every donor is entered to win a week of summer camp for 2019.

Every donor who gives $100 or more will be invited to a reception with GSCM CEO, Violet M. Apple.

A donation to Family Partnership provides your Girl Scout and girls across our region with experiences to last a lifetime. Whether they are completing a ropes course, building a fire, designing a cookie booth or working as a team to earn their Bronze or Silver Award with a take action project, Girl Scouts provides opportunities to develop leadership, conflict resolution, financial literacy, STEM and outdoors skills that will impact the rest of lives.

Click here to make your gift today!

To learn more about Family Partnership, click here.

Congratulations to GSCM’s New Chief Operating Officer

Deborah Burgess has been named Chief Operating Officer for Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. As Chief Operating Officer, she will oversee teams responsible for membership recruitment and retention, girl programming, member services and retail sales. Deborah joined the staff of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital seven years ago and in 2014 joined the staff of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland as the Director of Recruitment and Retention.  She has a combined total of 21 years of Girl Scout experience including her own girl membership in Baltimore City and as a parent to a lifetime member.

“Debbie’s expertise is a critical addition to our executive leadership team,” noted Violet M. Apple, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland.  She added, “Her diverse corporate experience combined with her passion for Girl Scouts will be instrumental in our efforts to increase membership, engage new volunteers and expand our programming.”

Be a G.I.R.L. Champion

As volunteers and Girl Scout parents, you know that in Girl Scouts, girls learn to take charge by taking action. They don’t just stand by, they step up. They learn by doing and see failures as opportunities to try again.

For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts has been preparing girls to empower themselves by developing skills relevant to real-life situations.

These qualities make up our DNA. What we do runs so much deeper than our cookies, badges, sashes, and songs.

By now you all are probably familiar with this acronym: G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)

What you might not know is that G.I.R.L is more than a logo, tagline or a campaign. It’s our brand essence. In other words, it is the heart and soul of who we are and how we are different from other girl and youth organizations.

Now more than ever, Girl Scout volunteers, parents, girl members, staff, and all who share our DNA need to come together to harness our Girl Scout attitude and energy to lead our movement forward.

For tips and talking points to help you convey the G.I.R.L. spirit when you talk about Girl Scouts, click here to download G.I.R.L. 101.

For a more comprehensive look at our brand essence and what you can do to change current misperceptions about Girl Scouts join us at the Service Unit Kickoff in August!

Questions? Email Maura Winebrenner, Online Communications Associate & G.I.R.L. Champion at mwinebrenner@gscm.org.

2017-2018 Top Cookie Sellers

Each year we celebrate the five top-selling troops and the one top-selling girl from each of the Council’s six geographic regions. We also Crown our single highest individual girl seller.

GSCM’s Entrepreneur of the Year – Jenna Diehl

Top Selling Troops

Top Selling Girls

Calling all Service Unit level Cookie Managers and Booth Sale Coordinators

Cookie sale training for Service Unit level volunteers will happen earlier this year! Please be sure to register ASAP for the 2019 membership year and select the appropriate Service Unit level role. Trainings will be held at GSCM 4806 Seton Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215.

• Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinators: July 11^th or July 17^th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm
• Service Unit Cookie Managers (more than 2 yrs. in position): August 11^th from 9-11am
• Service Unit Cookie Managers (less than 2 yrs. in position): August 18^th from 9am-12pm
• Service Unit Booth Sale Coordinators: August 18^th from 1-3pm

Twilight and Mini-Camps

Do you know someone interested in becoming a Girl Scout but they want to try it out first? Tell them about out Twilight and Mini-Camps! These opportunities are EXCLUSIVELY for non-registered girls interested in becoming Girl Scouts. At these camps she will unleash her inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ while taking on new challenges, making new friends and learning what it takes to lead like a Girl Scout. Twilight Camps are two-day camps that take place in the evening. Mini-Camps are day camps that take place over 2-5 days. Camp Experiences Include:

• Exploration of the outdoors
• Introduction to Girl Scout traditions
• Hands-on experiments
• Learning to be financially fit
• Creating lasting friendships

Twilight Camps are currently offered in the following areas:

Anne Arundel County | Baltimore City | Baltimore County
Carroll County | Howard County

Mini-Camps are currently offered in the following areas:

Anne Arundel County | Baltimore County | Howard County

2018-2019 Cookie Kickoff

Join us on September 16, 2018, at the Carriage Room of the Laurel Race Track to get ready for our best Girl Scout Cookie Program yet!

During the event, learn about the 5 Skills girls gain from participation and how financial literacy, a skill that will surely help them now and in the future, is reinforced throughout the cookie program.

At the Cookie Kickoff, girls will discover the fun of dreaming big while setting realistic and attainable cookie-selling goals. Girls can practice hands-on activities to help market and promote their cookie business. Tips and techniques will be shared to help connect girls to more customers while learning how to communicate their goals and gain customer support.

Want to attend the Cookie Kickoff for FREE? We are seeking troops, groups or individuals who are Cadettes or older to help run girl activity tables. All event volunteers (adults and girls) can attend free of charge when they work the day of the event. Are you interested in volunteering? Contact Pat, dpheinr@gmail.com or call (301) 775-2982. Girls that meet with Pat and plan the activities and work the event may be eligible to earn the Service to Girl Scouting bar.

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Goal Setting: Activity on troop goal/individual goal/cookie share goal
• Cookie knowledge games
• Learn about your cookies: Box information, serving sizes, ingredients etc.
• Developing a business plan
• Developing a budget
• Mock Booth sales/ Mock Door- to – Door sales/ Mock Phone sales
• Girl Recognitions Booth
• Living the promise and law during Girl Scout Cookie Sales (Business ethics)
• Marketing skills
• Thank You cards craft
• Button making
• Selfie Booth
• Craft tables
• Or other activities (to be determined)

Upcoming Events

GSCM Store Yard Sale | June 23 at Juliette’s Closet
We are very excited to host our first ever GSCM Store Yard Sale at Juliette’s Closet! Join us from 1-5 for tons of clearance items, refreshments, and music!

Girl Scout Summer Swap Meet | July 15 at the GSCM Program Center
This swap meet is all about Girl Scouts!  Connect with volunteers and other Girl Scouts to buy, sell, trade or give away any Girl Scout related items.  This is an outdoor event so participants can display items from the trunk of their cars or from tables they bring with them. During the swap meet, get inspired by author, writer, blogger Jackie Mae and her granddaughter Alison, a Cadette from Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital! Jackie Mae and Alison co-wrote and published a children’s chapter book series, the Taylor and Alan Adventures, in which a sister/brother duo help good wizards of the land. Register here

Service Unit Team Kickoff  | August 25 at the GSCM Program Center
Please mark your calendars the Service Unit Team Kickoff. The Kickoff will take place on August 25, 2018, starting at 9 am. This is a great opportunity for Service Unit Team members to attend in addition to the Service Unit Manager. More information to come later in the spring.

Adult Training Opportunities

Brownie Grade Level Training
Discover the fun of the Brownie Program, using the Journeys, Girls Guide to Girl Scouting, and other resources. Gain an understanding of what makes a Brownie tick and how to form an effective Girl-Adult Partnership. Bring the following: the adult & girl Journey you will be using with your troop, the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting for Brownies, and pen/pencil and paper.

6/19/18 7-10pm at Camp Ilchester | Register Now
7/09/18 6:30-9:30pm at St. Joan of Arc Church | Register Now

Daisy Grade Level Training
Come and learn the Daisy program and gather tools and tips for working with our youngest Girl Scouts. Learn to work with the program materials, plan meetings, and utilize resources. Become familiar with troop government so that Daisies can learn to make choices and develop team spirit. Find out how to involve other adults in the Daisy program. Bring the adult guide and girl books for the Journey you will be working on in your troop, the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting for Daisies, and pen/ pencil and paper.

7/9/18 6:30-9:30pm at St. Joan of Arc Church| Register Now

Teen Grade Level Training

Teen Girl Scout Advisor training is for adults who are new to Cadettes, Seniors, or Ambassadors. The course is designed to explore the transition from leader to advisor and the program resources available to girls in these grade levels. Bring the appropriate Journey Facilitators Guide and girl handbook and the appropriate Girls Guide to Girl Scouting.

This course will not provide detailed information on the Girl Scout Gold or Silver Awards. Girls wishing to work on those awards are advised to attend those specific workshops found in the program section of online registration.

7/15/18 9am-12pm Location TBA | Register Now