Happy National Volunteer Month to all of our dedicated volunteers! Whether you’re a caring Troop Leader, a diligent Troop Treasurer, or have volunteered in other ways, we see you and thank you for all of the hard work you do. If you would like to submit your volunteer story, please send us an email to communications@gscm.org, with a picture and summary of what it means to be a Girl Scout volunteer to you.

Membership Updates

Lifetime Membership

Did you know that if you’ve been a Girl Scout for 10 years or more you can receive your lifetime membership at the discounted rate of $200? Now, when you sign up as a lifetime member, $25 of your dues automatically fund a year of Girl Scouting for a girl in an underserved community in your area. To be learn more about lifetime memberships, click here.

Spring Renewal Incentives

The first deadline for Spring Renewal is upon us! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to
earn the first tier of incentives for renewing your girl’s membership today! Take a look
at the great incentives we are offering!

Incentives for Girls and Families
Register by date below to receive the incentive.

Complete by deadline:

• Renew 60% of the girl membership, with a minimum of 5 girls, in your troop based on
• the snapshot taken on April 1
• Renew the Troop Leader and one other Leadership position – Co-Leader, TCM,
• Treasurer
• Complete the T-3

Complete the End of Year report by June 30**

• If your troop qualifies for any tier incentives your troop must complete EOY by June 30 to receive incentives

In addition, anyone who registers by April 30, can register for the special May 6 event,
outlined below.

As we celebrate your strength, we want you to celebrate how far your girl has come this
year and how far she’ll continue to go. Check out our new Becoming Me program,
through which girls can explore their stories and who they can become, earn badges,
and even attend a special members-only virtual event on May 6 with Mrs. Obama! Kick
off a new year of Girl Scouting and save your spot by April 30.

Don’t miss out on all the excitement that the 2022 Girl Scout year will offer! If you have
questions, please direct them to Membercare@gscm.org and they will be happy to
assist.

Becoming Me Event
Don’t forget to register by April 30 for the Becoming Me event with former First Lady Michelle Obama. Registration for the event is not automatic when you join or renew your membership—so please click here to sign up for the event. It starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, with an encore presentation at 10:00 p.m. You don’t want to miss this!

Program Updates

Plan the Future with the Tree Promise

Want to help create a healthy climate for future generations? Girls of all ages are invited to join us on Earth Day—Thursday, April 22—from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. ET, for the Awesome Girls: Planting the Future with the Tree Promise live virtual event. From Girl Scout alum and science TV host Danni Washington, we’ll learn about the power of trees to keep our communities strong, take the Girl Scout Tree Promise, and commit to planting five million trees in the next five years!

Older girls are invited to stay after the event for an extended Q&A session with Danni about her career path as a science communicator and conservationist. This event is made possible by the Elliott Wildlife Values Project. To register, click here.

Patch of the Month

Earth Day is fast approaching on April 22nd. Complete the Planet Earth patch packet to celebrate this important day!

Muddy Pedals Mountain Biking Clinic at Camp Ilchester — April 25

Do you know a a Girl Scout who wants to try a new trail sport? If she is a Cadette – Ambassador Girl Scout then she can join our GSCM Trailblazers and program partner Muddy Pedals for an introductory Mountain Biking Clinic and fun ride. The first portion of this experience will be dedicated to teaching her about the sport of mountain biking. She will learn everything from balance to technical skills. Then she will have an opportunity to show what she’s learned as we hit the trails. This program is open to our Girl Scout Cadettes – Ambassadors. She does not need to be a GSCM Trailblazer to participate in this program, but if you think that she may be interested in joining this specialty troop, this is a great opportunity to meet the leaders and girls, while having some outdoor fun! Bike rentals are available! To register, click here.

Day Camp at Conowingo!

This year we are excited to be providing day camp at Camp Conowingo for the first time as a council! We know what you are thinking. Day camp at Camp Conowingo, but it is so far away? Have no fear, bus service is here! If you are a parent who normally takes advantage of before and after care for summer activities, our staff will be providing a safe and fun time on the bus to and from camp. If you noticed, we said “fun time on the bus.” That’s right, the girls will have a lot of fun on the bus singing songs, making crafts, playing games….it is like starting camp an hour before everyone else! Bus stops for day camp will be Camp Whippoorwill, Ilchester Elementary school, our main council office in Baltimore and the Mega Bus stop in Whitemarsh.

Not ready to attend Day Camp alone? That is okay too! If you and a buddy sign up together between April 15th and May 7th you’ll both get a $30 discount on your registration and a special buddy patch at the end of your week at camp.  Once you register for camp you can let us know by filling out this form (only one form needed per buddy pair). Questions about camp please email camp@gscm.org. We can’t wait to see you this summer!

GSCM Annual Camp Summit–April 30 – May 2

Calling all adventurers! Registration for the medieval themed annual Camp Summit is now open. Are you ready to slay a dragon at the top of the rockwall, or become an expert in birds of prey and alchemy?  Maybe you’ll be the first to hit a bull’s eye during the archery tournament! No matter what interests you there’s sure to be activities for everyone who attends.  You can sign up to stay in a unit or bring your own tent. Covid-19 protocols will be in place. Masks must be worn at all times, except when eating, drinking, sleeping or participating in a water activity.  Physical distancing will be maintained whenever possible. Hand washing and hand sanitizing will be built into the schedule, and available at all program areas. All high touch surface areas will be routinely sanitized throughout the day. 

Cost includes four meals, snacks, program supplies, water bottle and program patch.  NOTE: Camp trained adults and first aiders are both provided by the event committee. All adults attending the event must be registered and background checked.  

NEW Gold Award Changes

All Gold Award Girl Scouts have accomplished something incredible and powered sustainable change on the local, national, and global levels—and GSUSA is working hard to recognize more of these amazing Girl Scouts. 

Accordingly, this year they have elected to transform the National Gold Award Girl Scout celebration into a Movement-wide celebration of all approximately 4,000 Gold Award Girl Scouts who have each made their mark. This shift makes it possible for Girl Scouts to celebrate the entire Gold Award Girl Scout class during a special virtual event over Girl Scouts Change the World Weekend (October 9–10) and will make more Girl Scouts eligible to earn national scholarships, participate in public speaking and media training, and receive national recognition. 

There are several reasons GSUSA is making this shift, and chief among them is their desire to make recognition of Gold Award Girl Scouts more equitable across our organization. All Gold Award Girl Scouts make their mark through unique projects with lasting impact. Whether they solve a challenge in their community or create a device to save lives, the thousands of Girl Scouts who earn the Gold Award all deserve to be celebrated. We’re excited to do this through our Movement-wide virtual event over Girl Scouts Change the World event weekend, October 9–10. 

GSUSA believes that this shift will clear up public misperceptions about the Gold Award and confusion that there are ten Gold Award Girl Scouts rather than thousands each year. It will improve people’s understanding about and brand recognition of the Gold Award, which will enhance its prestige, elevating it in academic circles and its value on a Girl Scout’s resume and beyond. In addition, this move will help us improve member retention through increased participation in our Highest Awards program, because more girls will be able to “see themselves” there. 

This shift is effective immediately for 2021. We and GSUSA realize this is short notice and that many Girl Scouts may already be planning their National Gold Award Girl Scout nomination application. We completely understand the short notice could be frustrating and disappointing for nominees as well as for those who have supported them on their path to earning their Gold Award—and in an already challenging year. Please know that GSUSA is making this shift to make Gold Award recognition more equitable and inclusive, especially after a year in which many Girl Scouts lost opportunities. This should ultimately create more opportunities for you/your Girl Scout and for Girl Scouts across our organization. While we are sorry if the timing is frustrating and disappointing, this is ultimately a positive change for the Gold Award program and the Girl Scouts who earn it. GSUSA is working diligently to modify their scholarship process, so that they can recognize more Girl Scouts and uplift more projects both locally and nationally. We’re expecting next steps soon from GSUSA regarding scholarship applications and other aspects of the updated program and will reach out once we have that information to share. We anticipate that Girl Scouts who earned their Gold Award between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 will be recognized during the virtual Gold Award Girl Scout celebration and will also be eligible to be selected by their council for national Gold Award scholarships. It is also anticipated that the updated scholarship process will be released to the Movement in June. 

Store Updates

We Are Open!

GSCM stores are now open! We will be enforcing social distancing, mask wearing, temperature measurement and also number of visitors in the store at one time. Below are the hours for each store. Curbside pickup, virtual appointment will still be available.

Seton

• Mon: 10am-3pm 
• Thur: 10am-3pm 
  

Ilchester

• Mon: 10am-3pm 
• Tue: 10am-3pm 
• Wed: 2pm-6pm
• Fri: 10am-3pm 
• Sat: 10am-1pm 

Mobile Shop

• Camp Woodlands: April 25th, 2pm – 5pm
• Camp Conowingo at the GSCM Annual Camp Summit: May 1st, 12pm – 2pm, to sign up for the Camp Summit, click here.

If you pre-order your merchandise with gscmstore@gscm.org, we can bring your items onsite for pick up.  

New Merchandise Alert

Camp will be here before you know it. Order her a camp care kit so that she can get the full GSCM camp experience. Click here, to order one today and have it delivered to her during camp. To view the camp packages in more detail, click here.

Good Morning Girl Scouts

Join the GSCM store on April 27th at 8:15am to learn more about Spring Renewal and all the incentives that come along with it.