Register for the Annual Meeting and Adult Recognition Ceremony    

It's time to recap the year and celebrate the much appreciated dedication of volunteers. The 2013 Annual Meeting and Adult Recognition Ceremony will take place in Cape Girardeau, MO at the Drury Lodge. A few highlights of the morning include delegate voting on the new GSMH Board Members, a state of the council address by Board Chair Tina Stillwell, Treasurer's Report by Board Treasurer Mike Wolfe, and the fabulous annual silent basket auction. After a buffet lunch, volunteers who have been nominated by their peers and approved by a board recognition committee will be recognized for their dedication and service to GSMH.

An invitation with registration form was mailed today to all Girl Scout members ages 14 and older. You can also register online. We hope you will join us in person at Cape, but if you can't make it to Cape, you can join us for the Annual Meeting portion (only) at one of the conference call locations which include the Joplin Satellite Office, Springfield Service Center and the Jefferson City Service Center. (New this year, a few baskets will be positioned at the conference call locations for your silent auction bidding.) The Cape location cost is $18 and the conference call location cost is $5. There is also a kids program for 13 and under at the Cape location for an additional cost.    

We hope to see you there!

By now, initial orders have been placed and troops are waiting on deliveries ... but that doesn't mean that the selling has to stop! During the time between placing the initial order and the direct selling period, girls can continue to take pre-orders (using their mini order cards) for customers they may have missed. Did you know that most customers who are approached will buy Girl Scout cookies? And those who don't buy say they were not approached? 

These additional pre-orders can be filled by extra cookies the troop has or by a visit to a local cookie cupboard. As always with cookies, there are multiple deadlines to keep in mind over the next few weeks:

Week of February 11

Cookie Delivery! Your service unit product program manager will notify you regarding the date, time, and place of your pick-up. At pick-up, you'll also receive deposit slips for council accounts, as well as any early recognition eco-totes that your girls may have earned for selling 155+ boxes during the initial selling period. Remember, when your girls pick up cookies from you, parents must sign a receipt to confirm that they received those cookies! Documentation is critical with the Cookie Program!

February 8

National Girl Scout Cookie Day! Keep your eyes open and ears perked because Girl Scouts will be in the media talking about cookies all day. And there will be all kinds of fun contests on Facebook and Twitter.

February 9

Booth and direct sales start! Service Center Cookie Cupboards are also open (they open February 8). If you're planning a booth on this first weekend, be sure to call ahead to a service center and have your cookies waiting for you to pick up in advance! 

February 15

Next deadline to order cookie merchandise

What can you do now?

• Place a cookie merchandise order!
• Reserve a cookie booth kit with a tablecloth and costumes at your local service center. 
• Enter your booth information in the Online Booth Locator tool in SNAP so that customers can find you!If your troop hasn't already scheduled a booth location and date with a local business, there is still time! Check with your service unit coordinator for more information. Your troop can also start brainstorming other direct selling activities. If you need ideas, check out your troop CD for a list.
• Keep taking pre-orders!!
• Strategize with your troop about how to reach their Cookie Program goal.

Insurance Requests:  

Certificates of Insurance and Non-Member Insurance      

Sign Up for Service Days at GSMH Program Centers       

Come out to camp for a day of fun with other Girl Scouts and their families to help ready our program properties for summer camping! There will projects for the whole family such as painting, cleaning, raking, carpentry and more.

There are four options:

1. Saturday, April 27 from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Mintahama in Joplin, Missouri
2. Saturday, May 4 from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Finbrooke in Rogersville, Missouri
3. Saturday, May 11 from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Cherokee Ridge in Patterson, Missouri
4. Saturday, May 18 from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Latonka in Wappapello, Missouri

A light breakfast and lunch will be provided along with childcare services for children ages 5 and under.

Registration is required. We want to have enough food for everyone!
To participate, complete a GSMH Event Registration form and return it to any GSMH service center by April 19, 2013.

Contact Property and Risk Manager Sandy Vaughn at 877-312-4764 x1514 or svaughn@girlscoutsmoheartland.org with questions.

Are You a Delegate? Want To Be? 

Are you interested in having a voice concerning governance issues facing GSMH? Be a delegate! There's still time - contact your membership marketing specialist or service unit manager today or go to girlscoutsmoheartland.org/pages/repsdelegates for information about delegates.

If you are already a delegate, please take the test online at girlscoutsmoheartland.org/pages/deltrain1. If you have any questions, please contact Executive Assistant Missy Cravens via mcravens@girlscoutsmoheartland.org or 877-312-4764 x1124.  

All GSMH volunteers are invited to Leader's Weekend April 12-14 at Finbrooke Program Center. Complete program information and registration packet is available at www.girlscoutsmoheartland.org/leadersweekend. Registration closes March 4, 2013. 

Spring is almost here and the program centers will soon be opening and ready for troops to enjoy all they have to offer. Day outings with hot dog roasts and s'mores made with Thanks-a-Lot cookies are always fun! Check out one of our activity boxes that includes planned activities and work sheets for all levels in fitness, fun, and ecology. Overnight outings are another exciting activity whether you're in a lodge, cabin, or tent!      

To reserve a program property, complete a Property Reservation Form found at girlscoutsmoheartland.org/forms.

If you have questions, contact Property and Risk Manager Sandy Vaughn at 877-312-4764 x1514 or svaughn@girlscoutsmoheartland.org.

All winterized program centers will be open by April 12, 2013.

Troop Pathway:

Just what is all the buzz about the Girl Scout Gold Award? Why should your girl "Go for the Gold?" The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Open only to girls in high school, this prestigious award challenges her to change the world-or at least her corner of it, and be eligible for college scholarships, too. By the time she puts the final touches on her seven-step project, she will have solved a community problem-not only in the short term, but for years into the future.

We want to remind girls and advisers that the Girl Scout Gold Award is done by individual girls. This is different than the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards. Each girl will have a team of people she works with to accomplish her goals, but each girl is in charge of her own project. Take a look at these other Frequently Asked Questions  to help you on the quest for the Gold!

Travel Pathway:

National Girl Scout Convention Trip 

Hopefully your Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes received a travel postcard from GSMH recently. The year for the National Girl Scout Convention trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, was incorrectly printed. as 2013. The trip is October 15-19, 2014. If you have any questions about your girls attending this trip, please contact Leadership and Learning Specialist-GSLE Stefanie McCall at 1-877-312-4764 x1137 or smccall@girlscoutsmoheartland.org.