During the week of October 22, 2007 a Special Girl Scout Council meeting was held at Girl Scouts of Appleseed Ridge (Lima, OH), Girl Scouts of Buckeye Trails (Dayton, OH), Girl Scouts - Great Rivers (Cincinnati, OH), and Girl Scouts of Maumee Valley (Toledo, OH) to vote on the merger agreement creating Girl Scouts of Western Ohio effective January 1, 2008. Delegates from each region gathered with members from their current Girl Scout council and each council unanimously voted to approve the merger agreement. In partnership with 16,000 adult volunteers, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio will serve over 60,000 girl members in 32 counties throughout Ohio and Indiana. Visit Girl Scouts of Western Ohio for all the latest news.

Go Nuts with Girl Scouts!

It's that time of year – the time when Girl Scouts go NUTS! This yearly fund raising opportunity helps troops work as a team and raise the money needed to get their troops underway. Girl Scout products make great holiday gifts! Check out all the details on our web site.

Soroptimist Award Available for Girl Scouts

The local chapter of Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc. is offering a special opportunity for Girl Scouts of Buckeye Trails Council to apply for a Violet Richardson Award. This award is for the girl from 14 years to 17 years old who volunteers. The winner will personally receive a cash award of $250.00 and a matching award of $250.00 for a charitable organization.

If you are interested, please read the information,  complete the form as required, and mail it directly to Debra Davis, President, Soroptimist International of Dayton, Ohio, P.O. Box 261, Tipp City, Ohio 45371. The completed applications must be received by Debra Davis no later than December 1, 2007 to be considered.

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.

Emergency Closings 

Remember...if you're headed for the Urban Campus this winter and the weather looks bad, listen to or watch these stations for emergency cancellation information.

Radio:
WMMX 107.7 FM WGTZ 92.9 FM
WHKO 99.1 FM
WHIO 1290 AM WDHT 102.9 FM WING 1410 AM

Television:
Channels 7, 2, 22 and 45

If your troop or service unit has an activity or meeting scheduled please contact your troop leader to see if the event has been postponed. Troops and service units are not to call the radio or television stations.

Don't miss the annual winter holiday bazaar

Saturday, December 1 at the Urban Campus
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit tables of gifts, hand-made crafts, make-it, take-it activities and goodies! Many unique items for your holiday shopping pleasure.

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

Dayton Ballet – Student Group Discounts Rates

Miami Valley Dance Company Performs The Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker Ballet is the story of a young girl, named Clara, who on Christmas Eve, receives the gift of a beautiful nutcracker. Upon falling asleep, Clara's nutcracker becomes a prince and takes Clara on a journey to the Land of Snow, the Land of Sweets and a celebration of dances from around the world. Order form. Student Groups of 10 or more may now receive a 50% discount to ANY Dayton Ballet performance! Contact Jill at 937-449-5060 or http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/1b41027814b98dfb/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org

Do you love dolls?

If so, visit the Mid-Ohio Historical Museum in Canal Winchester, OH (just south of Columbus).  They have self-guided tours or you can arrange a group tour and earn badges and try-its.  Plan to spend a couple of hours – Barbie dolls, toy circus, train display, Alice in Wonderland display and Shirley Temple dolls plus many more items on display.   For more information:  http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/b176c6c873888c4d/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org or http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/4f8c6b84df5df8fd/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org or by calling 614-837-5573.

Chicago Toy & Game Fair Invites Girl Scouts!

The Chicago Toy & Game Fair invites all Girl Scouts and Brownies in uniform to attend this exciting event free of charge! We believe in building community through play and we greatly support community Scouting organizations. In addition to free admission for Scouts in uniform, there are opportunities to obtain badges. For the Girl Scout Inventor Badge and the Junior Girl Scout Toymaker Badge, in conjunction with our Young Inventor Challenge sponsored by Inventor's Digest (visit  http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/5a8369ca9065afc0/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org for more information on our educational programs), we have special guest Mike Hirtle, Global Head of Inventor Relations and Product Acquisition talking to the Scouts and Young Inventors on Stage on Saturday, November 17. 
 
There will be exhibitors and inventors from all over the world with new and cool products you can play, preview and purchase as well as opportunities to do crafts, Star Wars Character Breakfast, Mascots and Power Ranger Characters, WorldBee Geography Challenge ($1,500 travel voucher prize), contests, prizes, Radio Disney Party Patrol, dance troops and much more.
 
November 17th and 18th at The Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. For more info and directions, see http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/e9045c701419e542/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org Hope to see you there! Maureen Reed http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/c298d57ae5762e6b/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org

Attention Students in Grades 8-12!

The National Museum of the United States Air Force is seeking students, grades 8-12 to participate in the 2008 Team America Rocketry Challenge.  

The National Museum of the United States Air Force is putting together a team of students to participate in the 2008 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). The museum is looking for students with experience in building and launching model rockets. The team would meet at the museum several times per month on weekends from November through April. Those interested should request an application from Cindy Henry in the museum's Education Division (http://www.icebase.com/go2.shtml?ah2nSU8jJ5mm2Zm8/919d16c572b39a70/bc688f0c6fa8aa52/mary_dietz@btgirlscouts.org or 255-4646)

More information about TARC:  The Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry are
co-sponsoring the Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world's largest model rocket contest. The main goal of the contest is to spark enthusiasm for careers in aerospace among high school students who are making college and career choices. NASA, the Defense Department, the American Association of Physics Teachers, as well as 38 AIA member companies, are partners in this year's event.

The objective of this year's contest is to design and build a model rocket that will fly to exactly 750 feet and stay aloft for exactly 45 seconds. In addition, the rocket is required to carry two eggs that must return unbroken. Scores shall be based on how close the  portion of the rocket containing the egg comes to the designated target duration of 45 seconds and the designated target altitude of 750 feet, as determined by the sum of the altitude and duration scores above; the lowest combined score wins. If the score is one of the 100 best, the team will be invited to compete for a share of the $60,000 prize package in a national fly-off on May 17, 2008.

Alessandra with her winning entry for the 2008 Girl Scout Recycle Calendar.  Although Alessandra won her award as a Girl Scout in Albuquerque, NM, she started as a Girl Scout in Troop 2578 in Huber Heights, OH and remained so until her father's transfer by the Air Force to Albuquerque, NM resulted in their relocation there at the beginning of 2006.