Dear friends,
As we begin the new year, the sky is the limit for Girl Scouts.
This is exemplified by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, Girl Scout alum, who will be the first Black woman to complete a long-term mission aboard the International Space Station for the forthcoming SpaceX Crew-4 launch scheduled for April 2022.
Our purpose is to provide all girls an opportunity to succeed and meet new challenges—whether they want to fly into outer space, climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice.
We can fuel girls’ ambition and aspirations - together. No limits!
With your support, girls learn to listen to their hearts and raise their voices for what they believe. You can make a difference in a girl’s life by sponsoring her membership. For just $25, you can cover the cost of her experience for a whole year. Learn more here.
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Ringing in a New Year of change
The Girl Scouts of the USA has announced its new CEO, Sofia Chang, an accomplished business executive, advocate for women and diversity, and champion for girls and the mission of Girl Scouts. As the mother of a Girl Scout Junior, a parent volunteer, Lifetime Member, and member of the JGL Society, Sofia joins Girl Scouts after three decades of experience in the private sector, becoming the organization’s first Asian American and Pacific Islander CEO. Read more here.
What to do with those holiday gifts you don't want
The Girl Scouts of Black Diamond is hosting our 49th Annual Meeting at the Girl Scout Volunteer & Resource Center and the Holiday Inn & Suites in South Charleston, West Virginia on April 1-2, 2022. Each year we host a reception on Friday night for voting delegates, donors, alumnae and board members. Festivities will include a reception, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and live auction to benefit Girl Scouting in the 61-county area that we serve, including your local community. I am asking for your support by donating an item, gift certificate, or service that can be included in our auction. Donate via https://bit.ly/gsauctionform or contact Anna Campbell, Director of Philanthropy, at 304-356-0676. We won’t tell if you share an “unneeded” holiday gift to support girls.
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Giving Tuesday
Thank you for supporting our fundraiser for Giving Tuesday (Nov. 30, 2021). Because of you, we were able to raise an incredible $4,500 in just 24 hours! That exceeded our goal and will make it possible to secure an external water spigot at our Girl Zone Urban Camp located in Charleston, West Virginia, with additional funding for programming. Girls will enjoy the outdoors this summer in a whole new way! The passion and care of people like you keep us going, and we hope we make you proud with how we pay these funds forward to benefit our girls. A special thank you to The S’waffle Shack for their support and West Side business collaboration.
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S’more Exciting News
Cookie season begins Jan. 6, and with it brings new and exciting ways to teach girls about business and entrepreneurship. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-run entrepreneurship program in the world! This year we are encouraging girls to "Climb With Courage" with our new cookie mascot the koala, as they scale the cookie goal tree! For a “koala-ty” investment, power year-round adventures for girls!
Our new cookie, the Adventureful, is a brownie-inspired cookie with caramel flavored crème and a hint of sea salt. Be sure to snag your box (or two!) when the sale begins. If you need help finding a Girl Scout in your area to support, email us at [email protected] and we will connect you!
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Beth Casey, Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council
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GIRL SCOUT SPOTLIGHT: Becky Thomas
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My mother was a Girl Scout troop leader in the late 1940s. She lead the 5th grade troop when she was expecting me. After my birth, the girls in her troop were the first to hold me and welcome me into the world. Later they wove in and out of my life interested in my progress.
When my mother became my scout leader she taught our troop to knit.
My mother also had the troop take a hobo hike every year. We packed our red hankies with goodies and wore hobo clothes and hiked different country roads and ended or stopped somewhere to eat from our hobo bags.
I began my scout journey early and continued into my Senior year. A core group of scouts became my life long friends.
I have wonderful girl scout memories. I enjoyed camping at the Bonnie Belmont site which had cabins, TeePees, and a creek we swam in and enjoyed paddle boating. The older girls enjoyed their rite to passage and scared the younger ones with snipe hunts, scarecrows and raising cabins at night. We enjoyed our turn to create pranks as we became the senior scouts.
I enjoyed earning badges and cooking on the campfire. I was proud to earn my God & Community Award.
I enjoyed Girl Scout day camps in the summers at our local park. We made sit-upons and wove lariats. Learned copious amounts of songs which I used during my kindergarten teaching days.
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We have created three main ways for you keep in touch with the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond: |
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CAMPUS GIRL SCOUTS
Are you in college and interested in creating a Girl Scout group? We'd love to help you get started on your campus. Let us know where you are located and sign up here!
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EVEN MORE WAYS
We're looking into creating virtual troops, troops specific to alums and more. Interested?
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MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT GIRL SCOUTS |
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Become a Birthday Club member! It is easy – host a birthday fundraiser for Girl Scouts of Black Diamond on Facebook. If you let us know ahead of time, there will be a special surprise for you! All Birthday Club members who raise at least $100 will receive Girl Scout "thank you" gift. Click here to join or call (304) 345-7722 for more information.
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MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION |
Be a part of history by purchasing a personalized engraved Memory Brick to be placed in front of the Girl Scout and Volunteer Resource Center. Our extremely popular Memory Bricks are a perfect gift for birthdays, retirements, anniversaries or for yourself!
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THE TREFOIL TEAM
Do you have a special talent, skill or wealth of knowledge you'd like to share with Girl Scouts? Sign up to be part of the Trefoil Team! Whether you are happy to host a 20-minute etiquette class virtually or travel an hour to lecture about Appalachian history, we would love to know! This submission will be added to a list of resources available for troops to use when planning programming. Thank you for your consideration!
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SHOP FEATURE OF THE MONTH |
Show your Girl Scout pride with some new merchandise! The shop is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. On Friday, the shop is open 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. We're closed Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch. Shop online 24/7 on our website.
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