Thursday, May 31, 2012

Emma Helmig's Bronze Award Project: Making Burp Clothes for the New Moms of Molalla


Thanks to Emma Helmig and Troop Co-Leader Jill Groves of Troop 40435 for contributing this entry!

My name is Emma Helmig and I am a Girl Scout Junior with Troop 40435.  I just finished my Bronze Award project.  While I was working on my It's Your World: Change It! Journey, I began to think about what community project I might want to do for my Bronze Award.  My mom is expecting a baby and I thought I'd like to do some thing that would help other expecting mothers in Molalla.  I love to sew and figured I could use that skill to make baby burp clothes. I figured out that if I made each burp cloth 12" X 14", I could get nine burp clothes per each yard of flannel.  My initial plan was to get five yards donated so I could make 45 burp clothes for the Pregnancy Center.  I took my plan to my troop's Service Unit and presented it to the troop leaders.  Luckily, two of the leaders donated enough fabric for me to make the 45 burp clothes double sided.  From the moment I began planning to when I turned over the completed clothes, my project took about two months.

Attention Girl Scouts! Submit your or your troop's activity to be featured on our blog! It can be a trip, a Highest Award project - just about anything! Email rhubbard@girlscoutsosw.org or submit your story at http://girlscoutsosw.org/share

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Girls Get IT: A Gold Award Project that Focuses on STEM


Thanks to Gold Award recipient Savannah Loberger for this video and description of her Gold Award project.


For my Gold Award I wanted to run a day camp for girls in the community to show them that girls can do engineering and technology. The camp was five days for 7th-12th grade girls who didn’t know what engineering was. Our focus is on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). I want to give girls in the community a hands on experience encompassing all aspects of STEM so they can learn with their peers in a fun and creative environment; something that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do. I want them to realize STEM is for girls too. I coordinated volunteers to teach classes, created curriculum, and sought out donations, and designed a one stop website for girls all over the world about what we did and how they can do it in their community. I want girls to feel confident in an overwhelmingly male environment. I hope that I can show girls that they can do whatever they want to even if it means breaking down the barriers of stereotypes.

With the overwhelming success of the camp, I am continuing the project providing two first year camps and a camp for returning girls.

I want the girls to realize all the opportunities that are out there for them and help them open doors. In my mind the most important thing is for the girls to have fun! We are currently accepting applications at www.GirlsGetInTech.org

Camp Information
Thanks to Savannah for sending in this additional information about camp!


Girls Get IT! (Innovative Technology) Camp

Camp 1
 July 9-13 (Session 1)
 July 16-20 (Session 2)

Camp 2
 July 23-27

Time? 9:00am - 12:30pm

 Cost? $20 (includes yummy snacks!)

 Where?
  Hillsboro High School

Visit the website for applications and more info or to check out the video from last year’s camp:
www.GirlsGetInTech.org

First come, first served so hurry and get the application filled out!
     
If you have any additional questions email GirlsGetInTech@gmail.com
Thank you for helping to encourage more girls in the fields of technology and engineering!

 

Friday, May 18, 2012

Dispatches from the GSOSW Annual Meeting




Girl Scouts OSW CEO Karen Hill provided the following recap from our Annual Meeting, held April 21, 2012 at Portland State University.

A highlight of our 2012 Annual Meeting was our Conversation of Consequence, featuring women leaders from the Oregon and SW Washington communities. Lisa Sedlar. President and Chief Executive Officer of New Seasons Market; Jeanne Enders, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Business at Portland State University; Leann Johnson,  Diversity Development Manager for the Oregon Health Authority and Cari Bacon Flick, Second Vice President, Talent Management at The Standard answered questions in a panel discussion about the roles and challenges of women in leadership positions.

Girl Scouts OSW would also like to congratulate the following Adult Award recipients. Thank you for your dedication to Girl Scouting!

Thanks Badge II
                Mark Allen 

Thanks Badge
                Jinny Haines
                Renee Martin

Honor Pin
                Patricia Joslin
                Sharon McCarthy
                Michelle Payne

Appreciation Pin
                April Browder
                Yvonne Byrne
                Jeanie Campbell
                Jennifer Day
                Karen Duggan
                Vicky Genge
                Cheryl Glenn
                Eve Hendrick
                Lori Jensen
                Amy Jo Krommes
                Betsy Neuman
                Andrea Orrell
                Lori Pugh
                Kathi Stotts
                Tracy Wilson-Scott

Outstanding Community Partner
                Bend Elks Lodge No. 1371

Volunteer of Excellence
                Jenny Allen
                Elaine Autry
                Kristina Bradley
                Jean Carter
                Sue Christensen
                Susan Coxon
                Kathy Horres
                Leslie Houston
                Alma Jean King
                Karri Mealy
                Stephanie Prentiss
                Jill Rankin
                Niki Swearingin
                Christine Vanderhoof
                Karen Zeller

Years of Service
                60 Years               Pattie Luse
                50 Years               Margaret Thomas
                30 Years               Alma Jean King, Laurie Lloyd
                25 Years               Valerie Kemper
                20 Years               Jenny Allen, Colleen McComb, Jackie Sanderson, Jill Sibbald

Years of Membership
                80 Years               Winnie Maynard
                50 Years               Debra Hansen, Stephanie Smetana, Margaret Thomas, Marie Vallareal-Thomas
                45 Years               Laurie Lloyd
                40 Years               Misty Cassidy, Betty Hart, Mike Hart, Alma Jean King
                25 Years               Yvonne Byrne, Kimberly Cox, Valerie Kemper, Bonnie Maddux
                20 Years               Adriane Graepel, Jill Rankin

Progressive Volunteer Award
Hendy Appleton – Development Pin
Linda Brown – Development Pin, White Key, Black Key, Gold Key, Silver Key and Copper Key
Evelyn Brush – Development Pin
Lisa Cadungug – Development Pin
Mary Carey – Development Pin
Amanda Cottam – Development Pin
Jennifer Fillis – Development Pin
Bethany Fussell – Development Pin
Chrystal Goff – Development Pin
Jill Groves – Development Pin
Debby Haring – Development Pin
Becky Hatch – Development Pin
Vicki Helmig – Development Pin
Shirley Holden – Development Pin
Tammy Kay – Development Pin
Helen Kelley – Development Pin
Alma Jean King – Development Pin, White Key, Gold Key, Silver Key
Sarah Lennox – Development Pin
Elizabeth Love – Development Pin
Rachel Merritt – Development Pin
Marlene Meyer – Development Pin
Tabatha McCord – Development Pin, White Key
Hillery Paris – White Key
Donna Plekan – Development Pin, White Key
Jill Rankin – Development Pin, White Key, Gold Key
Mary Sabatka – Development Pin
Bobbie Schrag – Development Pin
Colette Smith – Development Pin
Jamie Smith – Development Pin
Eileen Steva – Development Pin
Leah Sundquist – Development Pin
Kathleen Vasconcellos – Development Pin
Susan Wilkinson – Development Pin

Special Thanks
Kristine Emberline
Carolyn Eubanks
Kathy Farmer
Betty Freeman
Karen Gozart
Debbie Hollingsworth


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Gold Award Recipient Nellie Johnson makes a difference working for those diagnosed with breast cancer


Thanks to Girl Scout Gold Award recipient Nellie Johnson for this blog post about her Gold Award project. 

For my Gold Award project I chose to make pillows for recovering breast cancer patients. These pillows are for after they get out of surgery, and have to drive and protect their chest from the seat belt, or for when they cough.   

This project was an easy decision for me because several woman I know have had breast cancer. One in particular had really touched my heart, as she was a mother in my Girl Scout troop. I witnessed in full the toll it took on her. She is one of the strongest woman I know, and the cancer had made her incredibly weak. It made me realize how hard it has to be for every woman who has ever been affected by breast cancer. 

When deciding on my project, I wanted to make sure I chose something that would impact numerous amounts of people that have been affected by cancer. The pillows that I had made the patients made a huge difference to them. 

With my project, I had so many amazing opportunities. I was able to have a booth at the Susan G. Komen Health Fair, which is where I met ladies that have been thought chemo at least 3 times, and woman that are just experiencing the long and uncomfortable process. Being at the fair, I don't think I met one person who didn't have faith and hope for a speedy and healthy recovery. All of them told me this was a key factor in going through cancer. These woman were and are so incredibly strong. It made me realize that the project I had chosen was a well-deserved one, and was impacting the community. 

I got an amazing opportunity while working on the project to work with a organization called Breast Friends. It's a group in the community that have all been affected by breast cancer and know what it feels like and how hard it is to go through. They set up events and fundraisers to get their name out there. They also set up little gift bags for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients up at Providence  and St.Vincent's. I donated over 400 pillows alone to breast friends to put in the bags.

It's organizations like Breast Friends that made my project completely worth it. I was able to not only learn more about cancer, but I was also able to donate pillows to them for the patients.