Dear Girl Scout Family and Friends,

 

Many people across our City and in the surrounding states of New Jersey and Connecticut have been deeply impacted by Hurricane Sandy, and we are all trying to restore our lives. We at the Council have each of you in our thoughts and prayers, and we are hoping for the best for everyone. I want to update you on a few Council matters:

  • The Council's office has been without power since Monday and we have not been able to return to the office. Consequently, we have no access to email. So if you are wondering why you are not receiving responses to your emails, it is because we are unable to respond. We apologize and will respond as soon as we are back in operation.
  • The Women of Distinction Breakfast, originally scheduled for Thursday, November 1st, has been postponed and we will select a new date for this event. Please check the West for updates (www.girlscoutsnyc.org).
  • Corporate Cookie Connection, originally schedule for next Tuesday, November 6th, has been postponed as many of our corporate partners are located in lower Manhattan. We are attempting to reschedule the cookie sale so please check the website for updates.
  • Our Staten Island office has sustained a lot of damage, and possibly, it's a total loss. We are assessing the situation and will send out an update, once we've determined how we will proceed.
  • Camp Kaufmann's pool pavilion sustained significant damage and will have to be replaced. Also, many trees fell during the storm causing loss of power. We've canceled camping for this weekend and our camp staff members are working very hard to restore camp operations.
  • I have asked our Association Chairs to reach out to their associations to check on all of our Girl Scout families.

Yes, it feels like we are experiencing a lot of loss right now from Hurricane Sandy. We are, but so are millions of people. I write this short note to you from a shelter where there's power and I can access Internet. There are many people here, but there is a real sense of connectedness amongst us as we are all having this shared experience. Even in this time of great challenge, I see hearts opening; I see generosity; I see community. I am reminded of the words of our Girl Scout Promise...to help people at all times.  Indeed this is a time for us to help one another. I am deeply happy today that my mom took me to that first Girl Scout meeting so many years ago.

 

Yours in Girl Scouting,

 

 Barbara Murphy-Warrington Signature

Barbara

 

Barbara Murphy-Warrington, CEO

Girl Scouts of Greater New York