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GIRL SCOUTS LOOK TO THE FUTURE

Greetings,

It is official…summer break is over, school is back in session, Girl Scouts from Preble County have joined GSBTC and the National Girl Scout Board of Directors has formally voted to endorse momentous decisions that will guide the future of the Girl Scout Movement.

The new Nationwide Map of Council Jurisdictions will now represent 109 Girl Scouts Councils, which will create the infrastructure with which the organization will have the greatest impact on girls' lives nationwide. Girl Scouts of Buckeye Trails will be joined with our sister councils Great Rivers (Cincinnati), Appleseed Ridge (Lima) and Maumee Valley (Toledo). These four strong and effective councils with dedicated staff and volunteers and many resources, that when combined, will create even more wonderful opportunities for all of our girls. 

The process of consolidating our operations has begun and everyone is committed to making this a positive and streamlined effort. The final completion/implementation timeline will be decided by the end of this year.

Highlights of the other actions approved by the National Board which will be phased in beginning in October, 2008 include:  the endorsement of a Girl Scout Leadership Development program that will provide a consistent message and program that reinforces the impact Girl Scouting has on girls' lives; membership will be differentiated by grade levels and named K-1 Girl Scout Daisy, 2-3 GS Brownie, 4-5 GS Junior, 6-8 GS Cadette, 9-10 GS Senior, and 11-12 GS Ambassador; revision to the Girl Scout uniform dress code which will have one official uniform item (ie tunic, vest, sash) for the display of pins and awards. Girls will use their own solid white shirts and khaki pants or skirts to complete the uniform look when participating in official GS events. For more details, please visit GSUSA's website.

Finally, I would like to personally thank everyone for supporting our 16,000 Girl Scouts this year. It has been very successful with the introduction of new programs and keeping the old favorites. Like the words of the song, "we have made new friends, while keeping the old, one is silver and the other gold". We hope that you will continue to be part of our wonderful organization. 

On October 1st, we will kick-off the 95th year of Girl Scouts and the opening of our new urban campus. I know you will want to be a part of this exciting journey.

Yours in Scouting,

Ann Granger, CEO

Be sure to visit the GSUSA web site often to stay up to date with all the latest news and information on the realignment of councils and the new Girl Scout Leadership Development program development.

2006 SUMMER CAMP wAS a GREAT sUCCESS!

Over 500 girls enjoyed a great summer camp experience. They swam, canoed, fished, climbed walls, zipped down the zip line, rode horses, rock climbed at John Bryan State Park, rode bikes from Whip-Poor-Will to Camp Greene, visited Jungle Jim's and our food provider – Ellenbee Leggitt. 

We learned how to throw tomahawks and Kurt Bass visited, showed us how to crack a whip and told about his Native American ancestry. Kurt has appeared in Blue Jacket. 

During the last week of camp, commonly known as "prank" week, we were invaded by pirates, the upside down/backwards kitchen crew, and we created the WPW-WP --- Whip-Poor-Will Water Park. We swam, and "slip-slided" every afternoon during these dog days of summer.

Our "Heat Is On" session prepared and served the Directors from the Council with wonderful chicken salad, melon, Pine Club pasta salad, home made banana muffins and cake that they made and decorated. Hmmmm good. 

The "Journey to the Heart of Nature" session built their own shelter out of branches and leaves and caught enough fish for a fish fry with hush puppies and the works!

We had GREAT food, made lots of new friends and memories to share for a long time. If you didn't come this summer, start preparing for next summer. Keep watch for more exciting sessions that you will not want to miss!

Diamond, Lily and the whole gang look forward to seeing you next year!

Here is a preview of some fun programs coming up this fall. Look for more programs in the Just Us Girls and Totally You coming soon!
 
Canoe Flotilla (all ages)
Bring the whole family to Camp Whip-Poor-Will and take a trip down the Little Miami River. Bring the kids and the grandparents too! Pack a lunch and drink. Dress for the weather.
Sunday, October 15

Animal Try-It (ages 6-8)
Some animals, like cats and dogs live with us as pets, while other animals like moose and bear live in the wild. Explore the world of animals as you complete some of the requirements of the Animal Try-It.
Thursday, September 21

Rocks Rock (ages 8-11)
Earn your Rocks Rock badge at Caesar's Creek Lake. The park rangers will lead you on a fossil hunting trip to the Emergency Spillway. Learn about the geology of the area and how the structures were formed.
Saturday, September 23

Folk Art IP (ages 11-17)
Folk arts reflect the stories, myths, and symbols of a culture and are expressed in objects such as cooking utensils, textiles, and toys. You will complete your IP in this session.
Saturday, September 30

Vertical Limit Climbing Club (ages 11-17)
Join us for exciting times in the trees or on the rocks! Experience each of the council's three challenge courses, plus rock climbing at John Bryan State Park. This club will help build your leadership skills and train you to help on our challenge courses for the next season.
Sunday, September 24

Don't miss these other exciting programs...
Stamp Bookmarks, November 7
Spruce Up the New Urban Campus, November 8
Cake Art, October 16
Boo Bash, October 21
Dough Know How, October 18
Adventure Sports Badge, September 24
Local Lore Badge, October 28
Voyager Group, September 27

PRODUCT SALES AMBASSADORS CLUB

Girls... do you have something to say about cookie sales or fall sale? We want to hear it. Do you want to yell and tell everyone what you have done with product sales? Good... cause we want you to say it. GSBTC Product Sales wants you to be a part of the Product Sales Ambassadors Club. This is the first year for the club and you will want to be involved. This is your opportunity to directly tell us what you want. You will be able to tell newspapers and other troops what rocks about product sales.

Send your name, address, phone number, email address, service unit, age and troop number to:

Meda_Cranford@btgirlscouts.org

WE nEED "GIRL" iNPUT!

By Girls For Girls Committee ---  It is time to start another year of planning for the programs that our girls want to do. 

We are looking for girls 11 to 17 to serve on the "By Girls, For Girls Committee".  This committee meets year round at least once a month to plan and make decisions in the best interest of all our girl members. This committee represents all of our service unit areas and we need girls from each service unit to be responsible for these decisions. 

We will have our first meeting on Wednesday, September 26, 2006 at the Program Center in Dayton - we will move them around so that we can accommodate all of our service areas. This meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the 26th and we'll have pizza and drinks for dinner. 

Please consider being a part of this committee - we need your help!

If you are interested - please contact Patti Davy – patti_davy@btgirlscouts.org or 937-279-6521 or Kim Gaffney, kimberly_gaffney@btgirlscouts.org  or  937-279-6556.

CAMP DEPOSITS – NEW
Beginning October 1, 2006

Reservations for all facilities now require a deposit of $100 for each building at each camp. If you reserve the whole camp - your total deposit is $250 for the camp. If you leave everything in clean condition - your deposit will be refunded within two weeks of your campout. Your deposit check will be cashed upon receipt OR HELD on a credit card. Upon check in at camp - you will find your unit in the condition it is expected to be left in. Upon check out - the rangers will check each unit to verify the condition, they will then inform the office to release the deposit.

Please be understanding with this new process - there are many aspects to be worked out and we will work with you on this.