Congratulations to the 2012 Shaver Scholarship winner, Cassie Hansen

Girl Scouts OSW is pleased to announce the winner of our 2012 Luella and George Shaver Scholarship winner: Cassie Hansen of Girl Scout Troop 250. Cassie is part of Service Unit 9 in Lake Oswego. She has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and currently attends Lake Oswego High School. 

In her application, Cassie wrote:

“Girl Scouts has made me the strong woman that I am today. I know that I’m going to do great things despite my odds and circumstances that I am a good person. I know that I am a beautiful person inside and out because I was taught that by all the wonderful women who are Girl Scouts, and my mentors. At the end of this year I will be getting my lifetime membership, and I hope that someday I’ll get to make an impact on girls’ lives through Girl Scouts.”

Only Gold Award recipients are eligible for the scholarship. For her Gold Award project, completed September 2011, Cassie planted a sensory garden at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp.

"Many campers have ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder," Cassie wrote. "This makes eating in the large, crowded and loud dining room a challenge. The sensory garden provided a quiet place just outisde the dining hall for campers with ASD to calm down. It also provided a quiet place to relax in the middle of the busy camp."

Congratulations, Cassie! Girl Scouts OSW wishes you best of luck in the future.

The Luella and George Shaver Family Scholarship is given to an outstanding Girl Scout who best demonstrates the same qualities that Luella Shaver, a longtime, dedicated volunteer showed in her life as a Girl Scout. The scholarship began in 1982 and is awarded each year to an exceptional graduating Girl Scout Ambassador who earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. It is awarded for educational pursuits, such as college, vocational training and/or apprenticeship programs at an accredited school. The scholarship recipient is determined by a special committee and panel of judges, including Luella’s daughters Mary and Zizi Shaver.

About Luella Shaver
Luella Shaver started with one Girl Scout troop but soon was leading three troops! Her deep dedication to Girl Scouting was apparent in the remembrance shared by her daughter, Mary, that quitting piano lessons could be tolerated but quitting Girl Scouts – never! Luella also served in several leadership roles and was well known and loved as she exemplified true Girl Scout values and vision. The family has established an endowment to ensure that the Luella and George Shaver Family Scholarship Fund will be available forever.

Vancouver Girl Scouts Travel to Olympia for State Proclamation

Thanks so much to Debi Woods, a troop leader from Vancouver, WA's Girl Scout Troop 43024, for this blog post.

Olympia, Washington. What a day. It was snowing in Vancouver when we left, but we didn’t cancel. One Brownie was up at 3 a.m. according to her mother - she was so excited to be part of making history. We were going to the capitol to watch the state legislature adopt a proclamation to declare 2012 the Year of the Girl. We had five girls - four Girl Scout Brownies and 1 Junior, and three leaders from two troops.

It was amazing. It was so inspiring to hear the legislators talk about when they were Girl Scouts and what it did for them in their life. I cried - it was so touching and inspiring the way we have been touching girl’s lives. Then they voted and not one person was against adopting the Proclamation of 2012 being the Year of the Girl.

We were invited, and escorted down the secret marble staircase that took us to the legislative floor below. There we got our picture taken by the official photographer which will be attached to the proclamation. We were then invited to the caucus room to meet many of the legislators. Each girl was asked to introduce herself , and say where she was from.


It was an honor and privilege to represent the Girl Scouts at this historic event. However, what I was most amazed at were two things: first, the way the girls at such an early age were so comfortable talking to law makers. The second almost makes me cry just thinking about it. As we toured the building, there were an amazing number of women that came up to us and said that they were Girl Scouts as a girl, I would always respond with, “Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout” and we would share a friendship smile.

What I realized was that in a place like this, with legislators and law makers at the state capitol, there was such a high concentration of women who had been touched by Girl Scouts. That what we do as Girl Scouts, as Girl Scout Leaders, and Girl Scout Alumnae - we are giving girls what they need to be successful women, we are teaching them leadership, and encouraging girls become women of courage, confidence and character.

Girl Scout Taylor Lenzen Testifies at Portland City Council

Girl Scout Ambassador Taylor Lenzen was on hand this morning at the Portland City Council meeting to testify that the Council should declare March 12, 2012 Girl Scout Day in honor of our 100th Anniversary. Watch Taylor's speech in this video and see the text version below.



Every year I help my mom plan West of the Willamette Girl Scout Day Camp.  In 2000, a family friend started this camp and about 20 people attended. Twelve years later, we now serve around 400 campers and adults from the Portland area. My mom took over the position of Director in 2008 and I knew that I wanted to help in some way. I had grown up at this camp and I felt that the best way to give back to the camp that helped mold who I am today was to step-up and get involved in the planning.

My position started out small, attending core staff meetings and occasionally giving input, but with confidence, would increase in the following years. I started entering the registrations in the database and would place the campers into their units that they would be in for the camp week.

This year, I have the official title of “Program Aide coordinator,” where I will be mentoring the 8th grade to 12th grade leaders throughout the week of camp.

I cannot say how much this camp and Girl Scouts has changed the person who I am. I used to be the shy girl who would never leave her mother’s side and now I am a senior at St. Mary’s Academy, getting ready to take on her next stage in life. Currently, I hold a high position on my school’s newspaper staff and am the editor of the school yearbook. All of these are feats that I never envisioned I would achieve and I do not believe that I would be here without the support of my camp and Girl Scouts.