Troop 50419 Travels the Pacific Northwest

Eve Hendrick, a Troop Leader for Troop 50419 of Klamath Falls, sent a detailed recap and many photos of what her troop has been up to in the past year. Looks like it was a big year for these Girl Scouts!

We have been leaders of Girl ScoutTroop 50419 for 3 years now and have had many adventures as Girl Scouts. We have traveled to Washington for camping and water slides. We have been to the redwood forest for camping and gondola rides above the forest. We even stepped on Paul Bunyan's feet! 

A couple of us went to San Francisco for the bridging ceremony across the Golden Gate Bridge. We enjoy taking our girls on trips and expanding their horizons! We look forward to continuing with this journey and watching the girls grow.

What can a cookie do? Troop Leader Angie Lanter tells us.

Today's post comes to us from Angie Lanter, a Girl Scout Troop Leader from Forest Grove Troop 41283.

Angie's story: I was so happy to present my Girl Scout troop with possibly the most memorable gift they could receive. Last year during Girl Scout Cookie sales, our troop collected boxes of cookies to be sent overseas to military troops. 

The girls collected 16 cases worth of cookies, and they were sent to the Marines, Navy, Army and Air Force Troops stationed in various places around the world. Some of the cookies were received by the 101st Airborne Regiment, stationed in Afghanistan. They were so appreciative of the kindness and hard work by the girls to put forth the time and effort to collect boxes of cookies and send them, along with letters and hand drawn photos, giving them a little bit of home. 

In October I presented my girls with a U.S. Flag, which was flown on a combat mission in Afghanistan. The flag flew in a Chinook CH-47 Helicopter. To see the girls holding the flag - running their small hands over the stitching, admiring it, soaking in what it all meant and listening as I read the letter praising them for their generosity, and support, and praising them as true patriots - brought tears to my eyes. 

I am so very proud of the girls, and all their hard work to collect as many boxes of cookies as they did. I know a lot of people think that the girls sell the cookies just to get the prizes, or to earn money for camp or field trips. But this group of girls did this for the right reason. They worked so hard at booth sales, and we now will have a flag, certificate and letter to put on display at our booth sales this year so that customers can see that yes, the cookies did go to the troops, and they can see just how much this really means to our military service personnel. 

As I type this and look at the flag, re-read the letter and the certificate that came with it........makes me not only proud to be an american, but proud to be part of a great organization such as Girl Scouts.

The Five Most Inspiring Moments of 2011 - From GSOSW CEO Karen Hill

It’s a new year! And a very important one for Girl Scouts. We’re celebrating our 100th anniversary, and looking forward to all that 2012 holds for us. One of the best ways to build for the future is to look at what you’ve learned in the past, and that’s why today I’m highlighting the top five inspiring moments from 2011.

1) Our first annual statewide Gold Award ceremony
Taking a cue from our Girl Scouts in Washington and recognized the Girl Scouts in Oregon and Southwest Washington who achieved their Gold Awards with a ceremony in Salem, featuring former governor Barbara Roberts as the keynote speaker. Put on by a team of volunteers, the event was held in the State Capitol building and honored our 47 Gold Award recipients for 2011.

2) The 100th Anniversary Convention in Houston, Texas
Talk about inspiring! Girls, employees and volunteers from across the country came together to talk about how we can make 2012 our best year yet! We also came away with information about how to make our own annual meetings better.

3) The building remodel at the Portland Service Center
If you haven’t seen the Portland Service Center in a few months, you are in for a surprise! We’ve remodeled the entire building to be more volunteer- and girl-friendly. We’ve repainted the walls the bright colors that represent the different levels of Girl Scouting, moved the staff into remodeled space on the third floor and opened up the entire second floor for event and troop space. We’re looking forward to hosting many activities in the coming years.

4) Visiting the girls at Resident Camp and Day Camp
This summer I had the pleasure of going out to several of our camps and getting to hear from our Girl Scouts directly! What a treat to enjoy our beautiful states with them and hear their perspective.

5) Our Council-wide Property Assessment
During the course of this very thorough assessment, I learned an incredible amount about what we own, how it is used and what the girls and volunteers want for the future of these properties. We continue to develop our Long-Range Property Plan and the opportunities for input and participation can be seen on our web site here.

Volunteers, Girl Scouts, and community, I hope that you have a wonderful new year. We’re excited for what 2012 holds, and ready to make it our best year ever.

- Karen Hill
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington