Now Accepting Applications
Seeking High School Girl Scouts to Serve as Distinguished Women Shadow Girls
We invite all Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors to apply to be a Shadow Girl Scout as part of our annual Distinguished Women’s Award Celebration. Through the Distinguished Women Shadow Girl Scout program, we offer high school Girl Scouts the chance to explore career interests and learn more about the female leadership experience.
The 39th annual Distinguished Women’s Award Celebration will take place Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at The Center Club. Through this annual signature fundraiser, we honor five successful women from across central Maryland and provide five Girl Scouts the opportunity to shadow them for a day. This year, we also have an honorary Distinguished Woman, so six lucky girls will have the opportunity to participate! A Distinguished Women Shadow Girl Scout, will spend the day with one of the Honorees and experience first-hand a typical day in her professional role, and learn more about how she navigated her career. The Distinguished Women Honorees and Shadow Girl Scouts will share their experiences at the event on April 17.
Over the years many Distinguished Women Honorees and Shadow Girl Scouts have developed long-term mentor-mentee relationships, providing girls with a source of support as they navigate college and careers. Former Shadow Girl Scouts are now pursuing careers in medicine, law, and marketing, and value the experience they had through this program.
“While I am not thinking of going into law at this moment, I will always keep an open mind to any career path…You never know where life may take you.” – 2018 Shadow Girl Scout
The 2019 Honorees are:
- Regina Curry, Chief Diversity Officer, Legg Mason
- Tere Geckle, Community Philanthropist
- Marian Hwang, Principal, Miles & Stockbridge
- Carole Miller, Cancer Institute Director, St. Agnes Healthcare
- Alicia Wilson, Senior Vice President & Senior Legal Counsel, Sagamore Devlopment
- Honorary Distinguished Woman: Frances Hesselbein, Former CEO, GSUSA and, Chairman, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum
Click here for the 2019 Shadow Girl Application!
For more information, please contact Kristi S. Halford, Chief Development Officer, at khalford@gscm.org, or Emma Williams, Development Associate, at ewilliams@gscm.org.
Cookie Kickoff Spurs G.I.R.L Super Powers
The Cookie Kickoff was so much fun this year. Nearly 500 attendees enjoyed crafts, learned new skills, and took away great marketing and selling strategies. Every girl received a “superpower” cape to wear while selling cookies. Girls are encouraged to continue to sell cookies until December 15th to reach their goals and to support their troop and Girl Scout Council.
Click here to see photos from the event!
If you couldn’t make it to this event but want to show off your superpowers with this awesome cape, we have them available for purchase in both GSCM store locations!
Introducing Pearls for Girls
In order to launch the Girl Scout Movement, Juliette Gordon Low sold her valuable pearl necklace to support her idea of an organization for girls, led by girls. Because of her selfless gift, more than 50 million women are prepared for a lifetime of leadership.
Pearls for Girls is a community dedicated to carrying on Juliette Gordon Low’s legacy of building girls of courage, confidence, and character.
Pearls for Girls members invest in girls monthly to give every Girl Scout a place where she comes first – a place where she’ll lead her own adventure and gain important skills in STEM, the outdoors, entrepreneurship and other skills she’ll use throughout her life.
Joining Pearls for Girls is easy. Members pledge monthly gifts automatically deducted from a credit or debit card. Whatever the size of the gift, it accumulates to give more girls a place to shine.
Start your monthly investment today and receive one of the following thank you gifts:
$5 or more per month – Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout Patch
$10 or more per month – Girl Scout Alum Campfire Mug
$25 or more per month – Girl Scout Alum Shirt
$50 or more per month – Girl Scout Watercolor Infinity Scarf
As an added bonus, anyone who joins Pearls for Girls during the month of October will be entered to win four domestic one-way passes on Southwest Airlines.
Join Pearls for Girls to give her a place where she’ll explore her potential, where she can fail and try again, where she’ll learn how to change the world.
Click here to start your monthly investment today!
Southwest Airlines promotion winner will be drawn on Friday, November 2. Travel passes can be combined for roundtrip travel. Passes expire 4/9/2019.
Scholarship Opportunity
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) has announced its 2019 Making Life Easier (MLE) Scholarship Program that will award up to $1 million to college-bound students associated with select community partners. As a TFS community partner, GSCM is excited to extend this opportunity to our members! Recipients will be selected based on financial need and community service. Students can apply for scholarships of up to $20,000 that will be distributed over four years.
Applicants must:
- be between the ages of 16 and 26 as of the application deadline date and be members, alumni or staff of one of the listed non-profit partners* (volunteers are eligible only if they also meet organization requirements of being members, alumni or staff)
- be high school seniors, graduates, current postsecondary undergraduate, or graduate students
- have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent degree by September 2019
- plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, professional school or vocational-technical school in the United States for the entire 2019-20 academic year
- have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent)
- be in good standing in the community and at school (i.e. not on disciplinary or academic probation)
Your application must be submitted by Tuesday, November 13, 2018, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
For more details and to get the application please click here.
Computer Science Journey Impact Study
We’ve teamed up with Girl Scouts of the USA and Raytheon to assess the impact of the 6-12 Computer Science Journey. We need troops (Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, and multi-level troops) to complete the 6-12 Computer Science Journey as well as the leader and girl post-surveys.
Why participate? Your girls will…
- Complete a new STEM Journey.
- Receive, at no cost, the Computer Science Journey and Take Action patches.
- Earn a $25 Amazon gift card for their troop to support troop-related program expenses.
What’s Involved:
Each troop will be required to complete the 6-12 Computer Science Journey (3 computer science activity meetings and a Take Action project) between October 1, 2018 and May 1, 2019 and complete the required leader and girl post-surveys.
Troop Participation Requirements:
Program Activities
- Obtain materials from the VTK
- Review program materials, gather any needed supplies and prepare to do activities
- Complete the Journey (3 computer science activity meetings & Take Action project)
Research Activities
- Have each girl complete a post-program feedback survey
- Complete a leader post-program feedback survey
Interested in Participating?
Fill out this brief form to apply.
Adults Only Leadership Series with the CEO:
How to talk to girls about…
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland CEO, Violet M. Apple invites all Girl Scout parents, guardians and volunteers to join her at this first-ever adults-only installment of her Leadership Series with the CEO.
This is a FREE event but please click here to register!
GSUSA’s Chief Girl and Family Engagement Officer, Andrea Bastiani Archibald, will be among the featured speakers who will be talking with parents and volunteers about Raising Awesome Girls. She and other panelists will give tips on how to have conversations with their girls about some of the difficult issues—depression, suicide, child abuse, and drug use/addiction—that they, their friends or classmates may be dealing with. Many times adults aren’t sure how to talk with their children about what to do or say when a friend or family member is impacted by the opioid crisis, a violent crime or loss of a loved one. The panelists will share insights that will help adults talk about these topics with their children.
Click here to invite your fellow Girl Scout volunteers and guardians on Facebook!
Updates from GSUSA regarding Hurricanes Florance and Michael
While a lot of us are deep into back-to-school and recruitment activities, we recognize that many Girl Scouts have had to put such activities on pause, due to being in parts of the country that are dealing with the effects of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. Please know that the affected councils have been touched by the outpouring of support and that GSUSA has been working with them to coordinate what each needs.
Florence
The GSUSA Board has lifted fundraising restrictions so that girls can raise money to support membership scholarships for girls at Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines and Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina. Membership scholarships typically cover dues as well as uniforms, credentials (e.g., insignia worn on uniforms), and other Girl Scout materials that, for many girls at affected councils, have been damaged or destroyed.
Note that anyone can provide this support, not just girls—visit www.girlscouts.org/FlorenceRelief or text “FlorenceRelief” to 41444 to give to a specific council or choose “other” to designate how you’d like to direct your donation.
Additionally, the impacted councils have shared other ways you can help:
- Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, the hardest-hit council (close to 70 percent of its footprint has been declared a federal disaster area) has listed several things you can do to support Girl Scouts in the area.
- Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont, which sustained flooding at Keyauwee Program Center, its camp property in Randolph County, is looking for volunteer contractors to help rebuild bridges and repair a dock and roads.
Michael
Given the magnitude of this storm, we’re sharing that GSUSA has been monitoring its progress and has already been in close contact with several of our councils in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Although we all hope that the storm’s impact will be minimal, we also know that preliminary reports say the Panhandle area was hit quite hard.
Please know that your sister Girl Scouts in the storm’s path appreciate your kind thoughts and offers of support. We ask that you give them time to assess how their staff, members, and facilities have fared and how they can best use our help. Know that GSUSA is at the ready to support the councils that need it.
We will send updates on specific ways to help as we have them.
And as a reminder, these resources are also available:
Thank you for continuing to support our sister Girl Scouts. Please contact Dale Scolnick with any questions.
Meet the Author: Meridith Rojas
Thursday, October 25, 7pm at GSCM’s Program Center to meet Meridith Rojas, author of Selfie Made and CEO of DigiTour Media, the largest producer of live events featuring social media talent. The event includes: A conversation about using the internet safely, creatively, and entrepreneurially to create an online brand, Q&A, and book signing and photos with the author.
Manic Monday
Get your smiles and Girl Scout pride ready for Manic Monday. Don’t miss your chance to promote your cookie business on live WJZ with Ron Matz!
What: Manic Monday with WJZ-TV & Ron Matz
When: Meet at 5:45 am on November 5th
Where: In front of Jimmy’s Restaurant located at 801 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231
Who: Girl Scouts of all ages, Volunteers, and Guardians!
This is a great way to show how much you enjoy being a Girl Scout! Email Danita Terry, dterry@gscm.org for more information and to say, you and your girls will be there!
Categories: VINE
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland 