Greetings,
 
During the month of April it is our tradition to honor and say thank you to our many wonderful volunteers. More than 4000 women and men give generously of their time, talent and resources to make sure "our girls" have the very best Girl Scouting experience that is possible. Our volunteers serve as camp nurses, challenge course facilitators, cookie Moms and Dads, troop leaders, Service Unit Manager, drivers and any other job that is asked of them. Without all this support, there would be no Girl Scouting! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and want you to know that the girls appreciate and love you for your commitment to them.

Because you said Yes …a young girl will feel the pride of being someone special as she carefully puts on her uniform for the first time…she can move to a new town and have "instant friendship" with girls she might never meet…her parents will experience the special pride when they see her receive the Bronze, Silver or Gold award…eyes will get bright when the fire takes off and she can make her S'more…nervous giggles will emit from the tents as she tries to fall asleep on her first camp out…the community and the world will be richer because she learned the importance of caring for the environment and the warm feeling that comes from giving service to someone less fortunate…a young women will contact the Girl Scout office someday and say "I had so much fun when I was a Girl Scout, I would like to volunteer" and the Circle will Continue…Because you said Yes.

Please join us as we salute many special volunteers during our annual meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held on April 19, 2007 at the Urban Campus. We are planning a Hors d'oeuvers and dessert reception at 6:30 p.m, a delegate information session related to the merger at 7:00 p.m. followed by the annual awards ceremony. Cost will be $5.  Register online. Contact Lori Hoggatt-Campbell at: Lori_Campbell@btgirlscouts.org or 937-279-6523 for more information.

Warm regards, Ann

Early Bird Program

Want to save $1 on your 2008 membership registration? Would you like to be entered into a drawing for a fabulous prize? Be an early bird and receive a $1 discount and the patch pictured here when you re-register as a Girl Scout member by May 25, 2007. Print out the early bird postcards to find out how.

Operations Temporarily Suspended at Rolling Hills

Operations at Camp Rolling Hills have been temporarily suspended due to health concerns related to inconsistent testing of the water source. We regret any inconvenience and we are working with groups that are scheduled to use the camp to place them at other sites. Necessary testing and repairs will take several months. Notice of the reopening of the camp will be posted in the eNewsletter and on the web site. Triathlon registrants will be notified of a change in location.

Thank You to All for a Successful Cookie Sale

Congratulations to ALL girls, parents and volunteers. We have surpassed our goal with a total of 1,187,263 packages of cookies sold!  It is an amazing feat and everyone should be proud of helping Girl Scouts of Buckeye Trails Council! The Cookie Club Day for girls that sold over 750+ packages is still in the works and the product sales department will be mailing details to the girls as soon as it is planned!

Save the Date for Our Future Fund Raising Events

Watch for more information coming soon about our special adult fund raisers. Your support helps us provide financial assistance to girls who might not otherwise be able to participate in Girl Scouts.

Cookie Classic – June 18, 2007

Pampered Camper – September 15 & 16, 2007 - Registration opens May 15.

New Girl Scout Site Reservation Form

The new site reservation form for Girl Scout use is posted on the website. It includes a complete list of prices for all of our properties including the Urban Campus. Print out the form and mail it to the Council Office to request a site. We no longer require the signature of a Camp Consultant on the application.

Barbara J. Bonifas Selected as CEO

The Council Realignment Committee of the four merging councils in western Ohio are pleased to announce that Barbara J. Bonifas has been selected as CEO to lead the efforts in building the new western Ohio Girl Scout council. The formal selection process included representatives from the boards of Appleseed Ridge, Buckeye Trails, Great Rivers, and Maumee Valley. Barbara's appointment will become effective on January 1, 2008, when the new council is formed.

Barbara has been the CEO of Girl Scouts - Great Rivers Council for over 18 years and brings a wealth of experience to this new position. As a 50 year member of Girl Scouting, Barbara has worked professionally in five Girl Scout councils and served as CEO in three of those councils. Barbara grew up in Delphos, Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University. She began her career in Appleseed Ridge Council, before moving to Heart of Ohio Council, Pennyroyal Council, Kentuckiana Council, St. Croix Council, and Great Rivers Council. 

Barbara has a passion for the Girl Scout mission and the proven ability to challenge and inspire others through her vision and commitment to meeting the needs of girls. She is excited about the opportunity to work with board members, volunteers, and staff members to create the council of the future for the girls of western Ohio.

In her new role, Barbara will work closely with the current CEOs in Dayton, Lima and Toledo to ensure the best ideas and practices of each council are integrated into the new organization.

We are confident that we can count on each and every one of you to give Barbara and her team your full support. We are fortunate to have such strong, experienced leadership in western Ohio and look forward to building on the many successes we have all enjoyed, and to an even brighter future.

Realignment News Web Page

First Annual Wings of Women Conference

The National Aviation Hall of Fame will hold the First Annual Wings of Women Conference July 20, 2007 for young women entering grades 9-12 for the 2007-2008 school year. The goal of the conference is to engage and inspire girls in education programs, introduce them to exciting career opportunities, highlight educational resources available to both the student and parents, and promote the belief that the sky is NOT the limit –it is possible to achieve success in aviation, or STEM.
 
Each participant must complete a registration form and a short statement (75 words or less) explaining why you want to come to the conference and what you expect to take away from the experience.  Applications will be accepted thru May 15, 2007.  Participants will be notified no later than June 7, 2007.  Please feel free to print out this form and mail to: WOW Conference, National Aviation Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 31096, Dayton, Ohio 45437

The Girl Scouts Are Invited to Help Keep Montgomery County Beautiful!

Established by Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the Great American Cleanup™ is our country's largest annual community improvement program. Each year, millions of volunteers across the country take part in this program. Here in Montgomery County, we are seeking 10,000 to 15,000 volunteers for our Great American Cleanup™ activities, which will run from March 15 to May 31. Montgomery County Great American Cleanup™ activities include:

• April 14, Litter Bugs Me Day at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (free admission with coloring page)
• April 21, River Corridor Cleanup and Earth Day Celebration at Island MetroPark
• May 19, Sculpture and Poetry Contest Awards Reception and Open House
• June 3, Volunteer celebration at Fifth Third Field Plaza with the Dayton Dragons

To register for this year's Great American Cleanup™, call MCSWD. Contact is John Woodman at 496-6797 or woodmanj@mcohio.org to find out more concerning any of the above activities. You can also visit the website to register or find out more information on any of our programs. We hope you'll join us in making Montgomery County clean and beautiful this spring!

Dayton Dragons Scout Days

Ft. Knox Future Leader's Day

Buckeye Trails Girl Scout Selected as National Young Woman of Distinction

It is with great pleasure that we announce the selection of Elizabeth Okrutny as a Girl Scouts of the USA Young Woman of Distinction for her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Elizabeth will be one of only ten Girl Scouts nationally to receive this honor! She will travel to Washington DC in June to receive the award. We are so proud of her accomplishment.

Elizabeth is from Tipp City and is currently a freshman at Ohio Northern University majoring in forensic biology. Her Gold Award project involved researching, selecting and installing a composite sketch system for the Tipp City Police Department. She developed and delivered training on the use of the system. The tool has already been shared with other law enforcement departments in Miami County.

Congratulations to all our Young Women of Distinction!

Girl Scouts Receive Religious Recognition Awards

On Girl Scout Sunday, the following girls were presented with their GS Religious Awards: Congratulations girls on this outstanding achievement!
 
Cadette Troop 871- Marian Medal
Alicia Howard, Jackie Thompson, Alisha Webb
 
Junior Troop 226 - I Live My Faith Award
Jessica Bell, Jordan Bell

Troop 1944 - Family of God
Abby Arestides, Brooklyn Bartczak, Brittney Blaschak, Christina Davis, Hannah Davis, Kaitlyn Edwards, Haley Hentrich, Nicole Inesta, Madeline Kelly, Morgan King, Samantha Larmore, Emily MacLean, Audrey Marticello, Beth McArdle, Erin McCoy, Abby McNamara, Abby Moddeman,
Renate Mueller, Elizabeth Ruetschle, Abigail Schafer, Ashley Schafer, Rachel Schwab, Abby Schrand, Justine Turner, Sarah Sperber

Troop 739 - Family of God
Ashley Ventrella

Troop 54 - Spirit Alive
Kathy Chapman, Megan Falter (Tr. 136), Kirsten Gersch, Alicia Gooding, Emily Hutchison, Elayne Martz, Courtney Seibert

HOURS 

Monday - Thursday
9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Friday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Every Saturday
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

New Girl Scout Merchandise

In the near future you may begin to see Girl Scout scrap booking supplies appear in your local Hobby Lobby. Later on this summer Target stores will be introducing a Troop Groovy Girl doll. This is an effort on the part of our national organization to introduce Girl Scouting into our communities.

We will also be carrying this merchandise in our council Boutique for Girls. When you purchase items from our Boutique the revenue collected goes to support programming for girls in our very own council. We appreciate your on going support of our Girl Scout Boutique. Please visit our newly expanded shop soon.

Boutique for Girls - Annual Meeting
As you know our Annual Meeting will be April 19 in our new Urban Campus. The Boutique will be open for an additional half an hour after the meeting. Beat the rush for end of the year items. Call at least a few days in advance to place your order. Identify the person from your service unit who will be picking it up. Items will be packaged and ready the day of Annual Meeting.

Bridging in a Bag
When placing your troop order receive a 10% discount on the following items. A complete age level set must be ordered to receive the 10% discount.

Bridging from Daisy to Brownies- Cost $3.51 per person
  Membership Star
  Daisy Blue Disc
  Brownie Membership Pin
  Bridge to Brownie patch

Bridging from Brownies to Juniors – Cost $4.96 per person
  Membership Star
  Green Disc
  Contemporary or Traditional Girl Scout Pin
  Bridge to Juniors Patch
  Brownie Wings Patch

Bridging from Juniors to Cadette – Cost $3.06 per person
  Membership Star
  Yellow Disc
  Bridge to Cadette Patch

Bridge to Cadette to Seniors – Cost $2.21 per person
  Membership Star
  White Disc
  Bridge to Seniors Patch

Prize Drawing
Shop at the Boutique for Girls and spend $30.00 (in one purchase) between April 6 and April 27 and be entered into a drawing to win a: Flashlight/Weather Radio or a DVD Player. The drawing will take place on April 30. We will notify you to pick up your prize.