We are thrilled to announce that Dominique Dawes, 3-Time Olympian and Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast, will be visiting the Buckeye Trails Urban Campus on October 16, 2007. We have arranged a special event from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. for girls ages 8 - 17 to meet Ms. Dawes and hear her speak. Don't miss out on this opportunity to meet an Olympic Gold Medallist! Find out more.....

This would be a great Add A Girl opportunity for girls who want to bring a friend! Find out more…

Fall Product Sale Begins October 5

It's that time of year – the time when Girl Scouts go NUTS! This yearly fund raising opportunity helps troops get started working as a team and raise the money needed to get their troops underway. Girl Scout products make great holiday gifts! The 2007 Fall Product Sale kicks off on Friday, October 5. Girls will be taking your orders for delicious nut and candy products. Remember that these products make great holiday gifts for your friends, family and co-workers. Check out all the details on our web site.

Register Now for the Special Council Meeting

On October 23, 2007, a very special council meeting will be held. This will be an historic meeting as the voting delegates of Buckeye Trails Council cast the final endorsement vote that will make us Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Delegate information is available on the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio web site. REGISTER ONLINE NOW.

Celebrating a Successful Pampered Camper

Please join us in celebrating another successful Pampered Camper weekend. More than 300 women enjoyed a weekend of pampering, skill-building and outdoor activities at beautiful Camp Whip Poor Will, and helped raise $40,000 to benefit Girl Scouts of Buckeye Trails! Watch our website in the upcoming weeks for pictures and a full report of the event! In the meantime, thanks to everyone who helped make Pampered Camper 2007 the best year yet!

A special thanks to our financial sponsors: National City Bank, Sebaly, Shillito & Dyer, Vectren Energy, Cynthia Fields, McGohan Brabender, Merrill Lynch, Miller Valentine Group, Wal-Mart, Dayton Progress Corp., Ernst Enterprises, Inc., Gates/Parizo Insurance Agency, Heidelberg Distributors, R.B. Jergens Contractors, Inc., Sam's Warehouse Club #8136, Voss Auto Network, and YWCA Dayton. We couldn't have done it without you!

Mark your calendars now for the next Pampered Camper on September 20-21, 2008!

Call for Nominations for Buckeye Trails Hall of Fame

Initiated in 2002, the Buckeye Trails Hall of Fame honors Girl Scouts who, as adults, have made a significant impact on Girl Scouting within Buckeye Trails Council or who credit Girl Scouts for contributing to their success and accomplishments. Please consider nominating a deserving individual for this honor. If you have previously nominated someone for this award and would like them to be considered for 2008, please feel free to submit a new nomination form. Nominations are due by November 1, 2007. Honorees selected will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at our Annual WINGS Luncheon on March 7, 2008.

Council Emergency Phone Number

PLEASE NOTE:  The after hours emergency contact number for the council was changed this year. The number is listed on the wallet-sized Emergency Plan Card that is issued in troop packets each year. The card for this year is printed in brown ink on white cardstock and lists a revised date of July 2007. Please be sure to discard any older versions of this card! The new number is 937-279-6544. It is also listed on the council web site on the Contact Us page. The pager and previous number are no longer in use.

This number is for serious accidents and emergencies that require immediate council response. Be sure to follow the instructions on the emergency plan card.

National College Expo

Join a representative from National College to discuss your future.  Learn all about National College and what you would need to do to attend.
When:  Monday, October 22 from 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Where:  Urban Campus
Who:  Grades 9-12
Register online now - deadline to register is October 8

Check out What's Happening on the council web site for a list of opportunities for Girl Scouts.

Dayton Ballet – Student Group Discounts Rates

Student Groups of 10 or more may now receive a 50% discount to ANY Dayton Ballet performance! Contact Jill at 937-449-5060 or jmobarry@daytonballet.org

Regular Ticket Prices - $59, $53, $37, $27
Group Ticket Prices - $30, $27, $19, $14
A 50% deposit is required at the time of reservation and full payment is required if less than two weeks prior to the performance date.  Dayton Ballet accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, checks and cash

Reserve your tickets today for these upcoming performances for best seating!

The Three Musketeers- All for One, One for All!
October 25 – 28, 2007 at the Victoria Theater
A dramatic and romantic ballet - the brotherhood of the famous musketeers spectacular duels & action packed sword fights as they battle to save their homeland and king!

Catch a Classic! - The Nutcracker
December 14 - 23 at the Schuster Center
This seasonal classic is a favorite for all ages.

Scout Night with the Bombers

Girl Scouts and Families are invited to the Dayton Bombers annual "Scout Night" presented by Kettering Sports Medicine Center.
Where:  Nutter Center
When:  Saturday, November 3 - 7 p.m.
Cost:  $10 per ticket for youth and adults **FREE PARKING**

All attendees receive discounted reserved seating. Scouts also receive free "part 1 of 2" commemorative patch and a Cricket Communications chuck-a-puck for the intermission activity! The patch will be a two-part item, one collected at Scout Night I on November 3 and part 2 collected at Scout Night II in the spring (date TBA). For more information contact Daniel Murphy in the Bombers office at (937) 397-2821

Newport Aquarium Girl Scout Programs

The Newport Aquarium is hosting their 3rd Scout's Honor Weekend November 10 & 11, 2007. This is a fantastic way for every person with a Scout Group to receive admission for only $6.95! For more info...

Sixteen Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts spent a Sunday afternoon at Camp Greene and nearby parks learning about the game of GeoCaching and GPS technology.  Several caches were hidden and the girls found them using hand held GPS.  They had the opportunity of exchanging SWAPS through the GeoCaches.

Cadette Troop 246 from Buckeye Trails and members of Junior Troop 8403 from Great Rivers joined together at the Air Force Marathon on September 15 at WPAFB. The troops helped at the Air Force Marathon at Hydration Station #18, handing out water and Gatorade and cheering on the participants.  It was a great experience for all the girls.

Girl Scouts from 3 troops participated in the St. Paris Memorial Day parade/ceremony. They raised the American Flag, walked in the parade and laid flowers on veteran's graves at Evergreen Cemetery in St. Paris. They are pictured here with St. Paris Mayor, Joe Braden and Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan. Congressman Jordan grew up in St. Paris area and was the honorary speaker at the ceremony.

Troop 643 from Fairborn spent three days on the road this summer.  Stops included a Girl Scout camp in Michigan, South Bend Indiana baseball game, and an Amtrak ride to Chicago.  The girls earned the trip by selling over 5, 500 boxes of cookies.

By joining together, the Shaw Elementary Girl Scout troops were able to execute a professional landscape design by Knollwood Garden Center. The school was in desperate need of some landscape attention. The project turned out beautifully with support from our GS families, the Shaw principal and staff, and a few local businesses.

The troops donated $220 along with $200 allocated to the Girl Scouts from the PTO. Nick Verhoff, the principal, donated $200 from his principal's fund and the Shaw staff contributed an additional $134. Lowe's in Beavercreek offered a generous discount on 23 huge shrubs. Knollwood provided the landscape plan as well as a 20% discount on perennials. Our Girl Scout families looked to their own gardens and donated perennials to complete the project. Finally, Bill Caldwell of Caldwell Lawn & Landscaping personally helped with most of the heavy labor like edging the gardens, leveling the soil, removing stone pavers, and delivering mulch.

10 Ways to Help Instill Self-Confidence in Girls

By Randell M. Bynum and Judy Schoenberg

As girls grow, they are faced with self-esteem issues that affect behavior. Recognizing this and working to instill self-esteem through activities is a win-win for everybody. Here are 10 tips to launch girls on the right path.

1. Girls want opportunities for leadership. They also want to share in planning and decision-making. As a Girl Scout adult, you can empower girls by giving them a chance to choose activities and share increased responsibility.
2. Girls want their voices to be heard now, not just when they are older. They want adults to listen and take them seriously. Actively listen to girls' voices, opinions, and ideas. Remember to recognize accomplishments.
3. Provide girls with a safe place where they can discuss real issues. Girls desire a trusting, confidential environment to feel emotionally safe.
4. Girls want to choose from a full range of activities. Create opportunities for girls to explore new things, sample diversity, and give back to their communities.
5. Girls are experiencing teen pressures at younger and younger ages. However, they may have trouble dealing with these issues because their emotional development may not be in sync with their social, cognitive, and sexual development. Let Girl Scouting be a safe, fun environment where girls can just be girls.
6. Girls' self-images are determined not only by their self-perceptions but also the perceptions of others. It is imperative that adults be positive, honest, and supportive. Girls also need to strengthen cultural beliefs and practices that enhance self-esteem; this includes a competent approach to dealing with body image and nutrition.
7. Girls are interested in expressing themselves through a variety of waysfashion, art, community action, the outdoors, and decorating, for example. Take time to find out what girls' interests are and help them tap into their creativity.
8. Girls want to connect with young women they admire, such as young professionals and college students. They also want to work with "experts" who can share their talents. Offer girls opportunities to connect with a myriad of adult role models.
9. Girls ages 8–12 are more worried about being teased and made fun of than they are about being attacked with a weapon or being kidnapped. That is how seriously they regard negative attention. Show, by example, how important it is to respect girls' experiences.
10. In the company of other females, girls can express themselves without fear of being judged by boys. Provide opportunities for girls to build on their strengths and try new things in a supportive all-girl environment.

For more about girls and self-esteem, see these reports from the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI): http://www.girlscouts.org/research/