Check out some photos of our 100th anniversary events! We had nearly 1,500 attendees at our Believe in Girls Expo, which was preceded by the inaugural Believe in Girls 5K race in the morning and followed by two fun parties for our Girl Scout members in the evening. Did you attend one of these events? Leave us a comment to tell us your favorite part!
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The White House announced today that President Obama is posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, recognizes individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors”. “Juliette Gordon Low was a visionary, whose legacy lives on in the 59 million American women who have been part of Girl Scouting at some point in their lives,” said Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. “She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and spiritually, and in founding the Girl Scouts in 1912, she made an indelible and enduring contribution to the lives of girls and to our nation. It is so fitting that on our 100th anniversary, she should be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” From the beginning, the Girl Scouts has insisted on being a voice for all girls. Juliette Gordon Low’s first 18 Girl Scouts included girls from influential Savannah families, as well as girls from the Female Orphan Asylum and Congregation Mickve Israel. As early as 1917 the first African-American troops were established, as well as troops for disabled girls. One of the earliest Latina troops was formed in 1922; Girl Scout troops supported Japanese-American girls in internment camps in the 1940s, and by the 1950s, Girl Scouts was leading the charge to fully integrate all of its troops. In 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called Girl Scouts “a force for desegregation.” Low’s exemplary life, work, and legacy have received many forms of recognition in the past. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill authorizing a stamp in honor of Low. On October 28, 1979, Low was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and on December 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill naming a new federal building in Savannah in honor of her. It was the second federal building in history to be named after a woman. A bust of Low is displayed in the State Capitol of Georgia. In receiving The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Low joins the ranks of Frances Hesselbein, who in 1998 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with the Girl Scouts of the USA. Hesselbein served as the CEO for the Girl Scouts of the USA, and is credited with increasing minority membership and establishing the Daisy Scout program for the youngest girls accepted into Girl Scouts.
The show, which was taped on March 21, begins with a conversation about Girl Scouting between GSUSA CEO Anna Maria Chávez and Martha Stewart, who was a Girl Scout while growing up in New Jersey. The program also features Girl Scouts engaging with Martha Stewart in various cooking and craft segments, and there’s even a segment on Girl Scout uniforms through the decades. The show will air again on May 7 at 2 p.m. and on May 8 at 1 p.m., and you’ll be able to watch clips from the show at www.marthastewart.com beginning on May 8. We hope you’ll tune in for a wonderful celebration of Girl Scouting. CEOJob Location: MO – Springfield Job SummaryGirl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland is the product of the joining of resources and ambitions of five The new CEO, in partnership with the board, will be charged with expanding opportunities for girls in Reporting to the council’s board of directors, the CEO will bring leadership, strategic direction, and The CEO will have significant functional responsibility for fundraising and development initiatives, Job QualificationsThe CEO will possess solid C-level business skills as well as demonstrated dedication and support for Personal attributes of the CEO will include a girl-centered attitude, dedication to the mission of Girl Special InstructionsWe encourage expressions of interest as early as possible to accommodate the council’s urgent need How to ApplyFor consideration, please email your cover letter and resume (preferably MS Word attachments) along Bob Perodeau, Principal Fax #: 800-451-1451 The council Property Committee has been working very hard for several months to develop a long-range property plan for Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland. The recommendations from that plan will be shared with the Board of Directors at their June meeting. In July, we will hold 11 volunteer feedback sessions across the council to give our membership the opportunity to provide feedback on the recommendations. The final recommendations will go to the Board of Directors for approval at their September meeting. Dates and locations of the feedback sessions are listed below. Council Property Committee members, Board members and staff members will be at the sessions to listen to comments and answer questions. All sessions are from 6:30 – 8:30pm. Exact locations will be shared as soon as they are confirmed. We will post those locations in May. We want to share the dates and towns now so that people can put them on their calendars.
For previous property info news and announcements, see our properties info page. We had six incredible participants to the 2012 “Believe in Girls” Expo Cake-Off presenting simply fantastic works celebrating the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. Unfortunately, only one could be chosen as the winner — and what an unbelievable work of art it was! Winning the Cake-Off with the beautiful (and tasty!) work pictured here: Sugar Loft Cake Shoppe of Osage Beach, MO!  (Click to enlarge; you'll want to see this in full size!) Thanks so much to the other participants who worked so hard on their entries, and provided the Expo with a delicious afternoon. And thanks to all the attendees! You all helped make this event an amazing success!
When: Saturday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m. Where: Hammons Field, Springfield Who: Girl Scouts, their friends and family Tickets are only $8 per person. All seats have chair backs and are in the Field Boxes. To get your tickets fill out a Program/Event registration form and send with payment to your local service center by May 7th. Girls can use program credit and cookie credit to pay for their tickets. Tickets will be mailed out prior to the game. If you have questions contact Stefanie McCall at 1-877-312-4764 x1137 or smccall@girlscoutsmoheartland.org
The CEO Search/Selection Task Group met March 16 to review the CEO Selection Criteria Survey results and establish a timeline for the search process. The council is using Girl Scouts of the USA’s Executive Search Services to conduct the national search for a CEO. After the job announcement is posted for 60 days, Evergreen Executive Source, LLC, which partners with Girl Scouts of the USA on executive searches, will screen the applicant pool, conduct preliminary interviews, and recommend finalists for the Search/Selection Task Group to interview in July or August. The task group anticipates hiring a CEO by September. Members of the Search/Selection Task Group are Vicki Myers, Board member and task group chair, Jefferson City; Parker McKenna, Springfield Public Schools; Brigitte Marrs, Board member, Springfield; Dr. Julie Middleton, Board member, Columbia; Valerie Richardson, Board Development Committee chair, Springfield; Ginger Schneider, operational volunteer, Rolla; Terri Tomlin, Board member, Jackson; Kristen Westerman, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce; and Mike Wolfe, Board treasurer, Springfield. The task group appreciates your feedback regarding the competencies our next CEO should demonstrate in order to be successful. Thank you for all you do every day to provide and support leadership experiences that prepare our girls for a lifetime of limitless opportunities. Tina Stillwell
Approximately one in every two adult women (49%) in the U.S. has at some point been a member of Girl Scouts; the average length of time a girl spends in Girl Scouting is four years. There are currently an estimated 59 million Girl Scout alumnae living in the U.S. The study, which was not identified to participants as a Girl Scout project, surveyed a sample of 3,550 women aged 18 and older, roughly half of whom were Girl Scout alumnae and half drawn from the general population. The sample was chosen to be representative of the US population in terms of race/ethnicity, household income, education, marital status, and type of residence. Compared to non-alumnae, Girl Scout alumnae display significantly more positive life outcomes on several indicators of success. These success indicators include:
In addition to collecting quantitative data, the researchers conducted a series of live interviews with Girl Scout alumnae. Overall, alumnae say Girl Scouting was positive and rewarding for them. Former Girl Scouts:
The positive effects of Girl Scouting seem particularly pronounced for women who were Girl Scouts longer, as well as for African American and Hispanic women. “As Girl Scouts turns 100 years old, and we couldn’t ask for a better birthday present than this,” says Anne Soots, interim chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland. “We declared 2012 as the Year of the Girl to help bring attention to girls and the value of encouraging and supporting them. To strengthen that support beyond the boundaries of Girl Scouting, we’ve launched ToGetHerThere, with the goal of reaching gender-balanced leadership in one generation. One kind of support we know girls need is role models—successful older women they can learn from and emulate. There is no group of women better suited to do that than our Girl Scout alumnae. So Girl Scout, phone home. We need you.” To learn more about Girl Scouting Works: The Alumnae Impact study, or to obtain a copy, visit http://www.girlscouts.org/research. To join the Girl Scout Alumnae Association (where you may also obtain a copy of Girl Scouting Works), visit http://alumnae.girlscouts.org. To learn more about ToGetHerThere—and to take the pledge to support girls and girls’ leadership—visit http://togetherthere.org. |
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The Martha Stewart Show is featuring Girl Scouts in an episode that will air at 10 a.m. on May 7 on the Hallmark Channel. The entire show is devoted to Girl Scouting and a celebration of our 100 years.
This annual event is fun for the entire family! Join hundreds of your sister Girl Scouts as you take part in a special pre-game parade around the baseball diamond and watch one lucky Girl Scout throw out the ceremonial first pitch! Come show your Girl Scout spirit and cheer on the Springfield Cardinals as they take on the Tulsa Drillers.
