dates to remember GSWNY Annual Meeting May 21, 2014 UB Center for Tomorrow 5:30 p.m. Registration 6:30 p.m. Meeting begins

Gold Award Ceremony Saturday, June 7, 2014 Samuel’s Grande Manor Williamsville, New York

GSWNY Service Centers and Shops will be closed: Monday, May 26 Friday, July 4

Women of Distinction Dinner & Awards Ceremony Thursday, September 18, 2014 Buffalo Marriott Niagara 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst 6:30 p.m

Leadership Breakfast Friday, September 19, 2014 Rochester Riverside Convention Center 123 East Main Street, Rochester 8 a.m

SPRING 2014

Happy Spring!

In March, the Girl Scouts celebrated its 102nd birthday. What a huge accomplishment. When an organization celebrates milestone birthdays like this organization, it reinforces the hard work, dedication,

staying power, and openness to change that separates organizations who make it and those that don’t.

In my opinion, what has kept Girl Scouts as the pre-eminent organization for girls first and foremost is the historical brand.

Girl Talk

Ceo Comments Cindy L. Odom Chief Executive Officer, GSWNY

continued on page 2 . . .

in this issuePage 2• Meet the GSWNY Board Members: Judith Maness• Girl Scouts Gain So Much at Girl Scout Summer Camp

Page 3• Girl Scout Cookie Program Helps Girls• Girls Scouts Celebrate Forever Green Project• Girl Scouts Educate Community on Importance of Saving Water

Page 4 • Brownie Troop Holds Food Drive• Volunteer and Help a Girl Lead!• Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts!• What Would You Do with 1,000 Boxes of Girl Scout Cookies?• GSWNY CEO Discusses Impact of Girl Scouting• Dates to Remember

GSWNY is staying connected better than ever! Please take a moment to like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, and read our CEO’s blog on WordPress. We're now on Instagram, too!

stay ConneCted

Like other popular brands, when you see our logo, instantly people recognize the organization. Secondly, the mission of the organization has not changed. The strategy may have changed throughout the years to keep the organization relevant, but the overall mission has always been about the girls.

To help Girl Scouts keep abreast of what impacts today’s girls, our Girl Scout Research Institute released research that one-third of girls who do not want to be leaders attribute their lack of motivation to fear of being laughed at, making people mad at them, coming across as bossy, or not being liked by people.

4

GSWNY is looking for volunteers who are interested in implementing and facilitating a six-to-eight week Girl Scout leadership program for girls in various grade levels. Volunteers will assist program advisors in implementing a program(s) using a pre-designed curriculum.

Do you have a background or passion in STEM? GSWNY is in need of volunteers to train other leaders and run STEM programs for girls.

For more information on these volunteer opportunities, email programs@gswny.org.

When a boy asserts himself, he is called a leader, but if a girl does she same, she is often called “bossy”. This means next time she is less likely to speak up. It is probable her confidence level will drop and she will feel discouraged from leading in the future.

Girl Scouts has embarked on a campaign called “Ban Bossy” to help show girls they can lead, whether at home, at work, or at school. National personalities have endorsed the Ban Bossy campaign, including Beyoncé, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, actress Jane Lynch, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

In Western New York, troops have begun to offer to girls the Ban Bossy Patch Program,

Let’s ban bossy and show GirLs they Can Lead!

which aims to show girls how they can resolve conflicts with confidence in their own lives. Andrea Rock, Cristina Carey, and Julie Brubaker, all of Troop 60570 in Irondequoit, recently took six girls from various troops through the Ban Bossy Patch Program at the Rochester Service Center. The program helped girls learn how to manage conflict using I-statements, a formula that encourages girls to address conflicts or challenging situations. The formula is: “When you ____ (share what the other person has done), I feel ___ (share how that makes you feel) because ___ (share why it makes you feel that way). For example, “When you call me names, I feel sad and hurt because I care about what you think about me.” This formula helps girls speak directly about their feelings. As part

of the activity, leaders and girls participated in role playing and talked about situations they are facing or have faced in their own lives.

Volunteers interested in leading girls through the Ban Bossy Program can find materials available at gswny.org in the Volunteer Toolbox page. For those who do not currently volunteer for GSWNY but are interested in volunteering to lead a one-hour Ban Bossy program, contact 1-888-837-6410.

Jalisa (left) shares her thoughts about conflict and leadership during the Ban Bossy Patch Program as Elizabeth and other girls listen.

Through the Girl Scout cookie program, girls gain important skills that help them to become future leaders. For Girl Scout Junior Natalie, the Girl Scout cookie program helped her become a leader today!

When the fifth grader asked her Aunt Sonya, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, to buy Girl Scout cookies, she bought 1,000 boxes with one stipulation: Natalie and her troop had to donate all of the boxes to places of need. The girls of Troop 60132 had to choose organizations that would benefit most from the gift. They would also have to distribute the boxes to the places they chose. Natalie even spent time decid-ing how many boxes of each Girl Scout cookie variety to order. Needless to say, she had to work with her troop to make a lot of decisions!

This experience has helped Natalie and her troop learn where there is great need for food donations within their community and how important it is to give back to others. “The troop is excited to be able to provide a little Girl Scout ‘sunshine’ to the many men, women, and chil-dren who may have fallen upon difficult times in their lives,” Natalie’s mother, Jen, said.

Natalie helped determine which organizations would benefit most from receiving a donation of Girl Scout cookies.

what wouLd you do with 1,000 boxes of GirL sCout Cookies?

happy birthday, GirL sCouts! Girl Scouts of Western New York celebrated the Girl Scouts of the USA’s 102nd birthday in a fun and interactive way. GSWNY’s Facebook fans participated in activities based on a theme of the day. Monday everyone recited the Girl Scout promise, Tuesday Facebook fans shared their favorite Girl Scout memories, Wednesday birthday wishes were posted, Thursday fans wrote a note to military troops, which will be passed along to the recipients of the Cookie Share Program, and Friday everyone wore their Girl Scout uniforms or gear to school or work.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated Girl Scout Week with us.

VoLunteer and heLp a GirL Lead!

Ceo Cindy odom disCusses impaCt of GirL sCoutinG

In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, Cindy Odom, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Western New York, appeared on Community Action News, hosted by the Community Action Organization of Erie County, Inc. Odom and Azia, a Girl Scout Senior, joined Community Action News host L. Nathan Hare to talk about Girl Scouting, how Girl Scouting positively impacts girls and young women, and the leadership skills Girl Scouts gain. On Legends 102.7 FM, Odom talked about the Girl Scouts’ 102nd birthday and how Girl Scouts is staying relevant regarding issues impacting today’s girls.

Brownies from Troop 30415 learned about the value of community service through hosting a food drive to benefit Tri-Community Food Pantry, which assists residents in the Depew and Lancaster areas. For their service project, the girls created flyers, designed signs for their boxes, and wrote letters to local government officials and companies seeking help. The Village of Depew, Prince of Peace Church, The Vine Church, and Hillview Baptist Church allowed the troop to use their locations as drop-off points to collect food for more than two weeks.

The girls loaded the food they had collected into numerous vehicles and dropped it off to the food pantry, filling numerous pallets.

Girls from Troop 30415 pose with Depew Village Trustee Linda Hammer and Village of Depew Mayor Steven Hoffman at the Depew Village Hall.

brownie troop hoLds suCCessfuL food driVe

1

Judith Maness, FACHE, Chair

Favorite Hobbies: Showing dogs (Shetland Sheep Dogs), photography and travel, fly fishing and horses

Favorite book: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and any horse book

Favorite movie: War Horse, Out of Africa, The Help

Favorite Quote: "It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts." ~ Father Myles Sheehan

Are you a former Girl Scout? Yes.

3

continued from cover . . .

2

Girl Scouts recently partnered with Sheryl Sandberg’s LeanIn.org Foundation for a public service campaign called Ban Bossy. The mission is to encourage leadership in girls through banning the word “bossy.” What we’ve found is that by middle school, girls are less likely than boys to assume leadership positions. This trend continues into adulthood. I like what Sheryl Sandberg was quoted in the March 9, 2014, edition of Parade Magazine. She said, “I tell parents, instead of saying, “My daughter is bossy,” try, “My daughter has executive leadership skills.” Please join the Girl Scout organization and other national organizations like Teach for America, Google for Education, We the Children, Common Sense Media, Edmodo, and AARP by taking the pledge to ban the word “bossy.” We want to show our girls that no matter what they aspire to do later in life, they can be leaders.

In closing, our girls just recently completed our Girl Scout Cookie Program, the largest girl-led financial literacy program in the world. Many of the troops have earmarked their money to take trips to London, New York City, and other exciting places. One of the reasons our Girl Scout Cookie Program is so important is that the girls determine how they want to use the money that they raise. In addition to goal setting, girls are learning how to manage money, business ethics, decision making, and people skills, all important skills that will help them later in life. New this year, girls were given the unique opportunity to hear from small business owners on what it takes to run a business. Last year we made the decision to flip our Girl Scout Cookie Program from fall to winter/spring. We understand that change is not easy and that the weather played a huge impact on how girls traditionally sell cookies. I want to thank the parents and volunteers who shared your best practices with your fellow volunteers. The stories that we heard of ingenuity and perseverance to meet the troop’s goals were refreshing.

Whatever your involvement is with Girl Scouts, thank you. With your support, we are able to fulfill our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character in every girl who joins the Girl Scouts.

CeLebratinG suCCess of 100th anniVersary foreVer Green take aCtion projeCt

As part of the Girl Scouts of the USA’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2012, Girl Scouts embarked on a Forever Green “Take Action” project. A two-year, $1.5 million grant from the Alcoa Foundation allowed Girl Scout councils across the nation and internationally to work together with families, schools, and communi-ties to improve the environment and protect natural resources. This project was initiated because an overwhelming number of girls said they believe protecting the environment is a top priority.

In Western New York, girls joined in the national efforts by planting rain gardens throughout the region. Rain gardens increase green space and improve water quality through infiltration.

GSUSA recently announced the results of this monumental “take action” project, and through these efforts, Girl Scouts were able to• Save 639 kilowatts of energy• Conserve more than 226 gallons of water• Eliminate one billion pounds of carbon dioxide and 120 million pounds of waste total• Recycle 409,940 aluminum cans• Plant 123,753 native plants/trees• Feed and shelter 2,462 wildlife by rain gardens

This is a tremendous success that was made possible because of the hard work and dedica-tion of girls in Western New York and around the world and nation.

Girl Scouts of Western New York is fortunate to have a team of board members who truly believe in the mission of Girl Scouting. We’re happy to share what they have to say about their own personal interests and about why they support Girl Scouts.

For the 2013-2014 Girl Scout camp season, the theme is “I can’t wait to…” It’s a great way to cap-ture the excitement of Girl Scout summer camp. I can’t wait to meet and make new friends! I can’t wait to experience awesome programs for the first time, such as horseback riding, the new ropes challenge course elements “Islands in the Sky” and “Centipede”, scuba diving, and whitewater rafting! I can’t wait to meet caring, positive adult role models who encourage me to do anything that I put my mind to! I can’t wait to experience independence while building my self-esteem, self-worth, and self-respect. I can’t wait to have fun!

This year, GSWNY has a number of new and exciting changes for summer camp.

• For parents’ convenience, 18 new bus stop locations have been added.• Thirty-five new and challenging programs/ themes have been added to day and overnight camp programs – from science, cheerleading, and lifeguard certification to archery and wilderness trips.• Day camp registration now includes a T-shirt and patch.

meet the Gswny board members: judith maness

• Parent programs at day camp are now Friday afternoons from 3 to 3:45 p.m.• The overnight program at day camp is now Wednesday nights for girls in fourth grade and older.• Swim lessons are now available at resident camps.• Two new high ropes course elements are being added at Camp Seven Hills/Goodyear this summer (Islands in the Sky and Centipede). • Five new camp trips are being offered: � Bippity, Boppity, Boo, NYC….Here We Come � Backpacking the Allegheny National Forest � Extreme Expeditions � Extreme Tree and Kayak Adventures � Scuba Explorers

Girl Scout summer camp is so exciting because girls develop important skills while having fun – so much fun that they’ll say “I can’t wait to go to summer camp next year!”

For more information on Girl Scout Summer Camp, including to view the 2014 Girl Scout Summer Camp guide, visit gswny.org.

Why do you volunteer with Girl Scouts of Western New York? Girls Rock!

What would you want people to know about Girl Scouts of Western New York? GSWNY really does make a difference in the lives of our girls — beyond the obvious cookies, camp, and crafts.

Why do you support GSWNY with your time, talent, and treasure? Girls need to know they can do anything and that GSWNY is here to help them discover their talents, build on their dreams, and set goals to accomplish those dreams with courage, confidence, and character.

GirLs Gain so muCh at GirL sCout summer Camp!

Girl Scouts of Western New York has wrapped up its 2014 Girl Scout Cookie Program, through which thousands of Girl Scouts developed important skills, including goal setting, decision making, people skills, money management, and business ethics. GSWNY launched new and fun initiatives and even partnered with local businesses, who provided girls with programs to help them practice the five skills. Also, Girl

GirL sCout Cookie proGram heLps GirLs Gain important Lessons

Girls from Troop 30294 and 30076 met with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

Girls from Troop 63486 (top) and 60123 (bottom) met with Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren.

Girls from Troop 20051 met with Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi.

irondequoit troop eduCates Community on importanCe of ConserVinG water throuGh GirL-Led projeCt

Each year, the Irondequoit Service Unit combined its spring recruiting event into a town-wide community service project, and this year, the service unit partnered with the Rochester Museum & Science Center to educate the community about the importance of saving water. Troop 60570 hosted the event on World Water Day as a conclusion of their Wonders of Water (WOW) journey. The WOW Journey allows Girl Scout Brownies to learn about the importance of protecting Earth’s bodies of water through hands-on activities. More than 150 people came to learn about water conservation and how exciting Girl Scouting can be. Troop Leader Julie Brubaker said, “This was a 100% girl-led project, and I am very proud of how it turned out!”

Troop 60570 hosted an event to educate the community about water conservation.

Scout troops were able to visit with the mayors of Buffalo, Jamestown, and Rochester to talk about the Girl Scout cookie program and what they learned. One troop also met with the Rochester City School District Superintendent.

Thank you to everyone within the Girl Scout family and the community who helped make this important financial literacy program a success for the girls!

Top Three Sellers

1. Kelsey McKinney: 2,064 boxes

2. Catharine Boyle: 2048 boxes

3. Amber Baldwin: 2,035 boxes

Top Three Service Units

1. Como Lake

2. Webster

3. Greece

Top Three Troops

1. Troop 70283

2. Troop 30446

3. Troop 70165

Azia, a Girl Scout Senior, planted trees as part of the Forever Green Take Action Project.

Judith Maness, FACHE, Chair

Favorite Hobbies: Showing dogs (Shetland Sheep Dogs), photography and travel, fly fishing and horses

Favorite book: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and any horse book

Favorite movie: War Horse, Out of Africa, The Help

Favorite Quote: "It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts." ~ Father Myles Sheehan

Are you a former Girl Scout? Yes.

3

continued from cover . . .

2

Girl Scouts recently partnered with Sheryl Sandberg’s LeanIn.org Foundation for a public service campaign called Ban Bossy. The mission is to encourage leadership in girls through banning the word “bossy.” What we’ve found is that by middle school, girls are less likely than boys to assume leadership positions. This trend continues into adulthood. I like what Sheryl Sandberg was quoted in the March 9, 2014, edition of Parade Magazine. She said, “I tell parents, instead of saying, “My daughter is bossy,” try, “My daughter has executive leadership skills.” Please join the Girl Scout organization and other national organizations like Teach for America, Google for Education, We the Children, Common Sense Media, Edmodo, and AARP by taking the pledge to ban the word “bossy.” We want to show our girls that no matter what they aspire to do later in life, they can be leaders.

In closing, our girls just recently completed our Girl Scout Cookie Program, the largest girl-led financial literacy program in the world. Many of the troops have earmarked their money to take trips to London, New York City, and other exciting places. One of the reasons our Girl Scout Cookie Program is so important is that the girls determine how they want to use the money that they raise. In addition to goal setting, girls are learning how to manage money, business ethics, decision making, and people skills, all important skills that will help them later in life. New this year, girls were given the unique opportunity to hear from small business owners on what it takes to run a business. Last year we made the decision to flip our Girl Scout Cookie Program from fall to winter/spring. We understand that change is not easy and that the weather played a huge impact on how girls traditionally sell cookies. I want to thank the parents and volunteers who shared your best practices with your fellow volunteers. The stories that we heard of ingenuity and perseverance to meet the troop’s goals were refreshing.

Whatever your involvement is with Girl Scouts, thank you. With your support, we are able to fulfill our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character in every girl who joins the Girl Scouts.

CeLebratinG suCCess of 100th anniVersary foreVer Green take aCtion projeCt

As part of the Girl Scouts of the USA’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2012, Girl Scouts embarked on a Forever Green “Take Action” project. A two-year, $1.5 million grant from the Alcoa Foundation allowed Girl Scout councils across the nation and internationally to work together with families, schools, and communi-ties to improve the environment and protect natural resources. This project was initiated because an overwhelming number of girls said they believe protecting the environment is a top priority.

In Western New York, girls joined in the national efforts by planting rain gardens throughout the region. Rain gardens increase green space and improve water quality through infiltration.

GSUSA recently announced the results of this monumental “take action” project, and through these efforts, Girl Scouts were able to• Save 639 kilowatts of energy• Conserve more than 226 gallons of water• Eliminate one billion pounds of carbon dioxide and 120 million pounds of waste total• Recycle 409,940 aluminum cans• Plant 123,753 native plants/trees• Feed and shelter 2,462 wildlife by rain gardens

This is a tremendous success that was made possible because of the hard work and dedica-tion of girls in Western New York and around the world and nation.

Girl Scouts of Western New York is fortunate to have a team of board members who truly believe in the mission of Girl Scouting. We’re happy to share what they have to say about their own personal interests and about why they support Girl Scouts.

For the 2013-2014 Girl Scout camp season, the theme is “I can’t wait to…” It’s a great way to cap-ture the excitement of Girl Scout summer camp. I can’t wait to meet and make new friends! I can’t wait to experience awesome programs for the first time, such as horseback riding, the new ropes challenge course elements “Islands in the Sky” and “Centipede”, scuba diving, and whitewater rafting! I can’t wait to meet caring, positive adult role models who encourage me to do anything that I put my mind to! I can’t wait to experience independence while building my self-esteem, self-worth, and self-respect. I can’t wait to have fun!

This year, GSWNY has a number of new and exciting changes for summer camp.

• For parents’ convenience, 18 new bus stop locations have been added.• Thirty-five new and challenging programs/ themes have been added to day and overnight camp programs – from science, cheerleading, and lifeguard certification to archery and wilderness trips.• Day camp registration now includes a T-shirt and patch.

meet the Gswny board members: judith maness

• Parent programs at day camp are now Friday afternoons from 3 to 3:45 p.m.• The overnight program at day camp is now Wednesday nights for girls in fourth grade and older.• Swim lessons are now available at resident camps.• Two new high ropes course elements are being added at Camp Seven Hills/Goodyear this summer (Islands in the Sky and Centipede). • Five new camp trips are being offered: � Bippity, Boppity, Boo, NYC….Here We Come � Backpacking the Allegheny National Forest � Extreme Expeditions � Extreme Tree and Kayak Adventures � Scuba Explorers

Girl Scout summer camp is so exciting because girls develop important skills while having fun – so much fun that they’ll say “I can’t wait to go to summer camp next year!”

For more information on Girl Scout Summer Camp, including to view the 2014 Girl Scout Summer Camp guide, visit gswny.org.

Why do you volunteer with Girl Scouts of Western New York? Girls Rock!

What would you want people to know about Girl Scouts of Western New York? GSWNY really does make a difference in the lives of our girls — beyond the obvious cookies, camp, and crafts.

Why do you support GSWNY with your time, talent, and treasure? Girls need to know they can do anything and that GSWNY is here to help them discover their talents, build on their dreams, and set goals to accomplish those dreams with courage, confidence, and character.

GirLs Gain so muCh at GirL sCout summer Camp!

Girl Scouts of Western New York has wrapped up its 2014 Girl Scout Cookie Program, through which thousands of Girl Scouts developed important skills, including goal setting, decision making, people skills, money management, and business ethics. GSWNY launched new and fun initiatives and even partnered with local businesses, who provided girls with programs to help them practice the five skills. Also, Girl

GirL sCout Cookie proGram heLps GirLs Gain important Lessons

Girls from Troop 30294 and 30076 met with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

Girls from Troop 63486 (top) and 60123 (bottom) met with Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren.

Girls from Troop 20051 met with Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi.

irondequoit troop eduCates Community on importanCe of ConserVinG water throuGh GirL-Led projeCt

Each year, the Irondequoit Service Unit combined its spring recruiting event into a town-wide community service project, and this year, the service unit partnered with the Rochester Museum & Science Center to educate the community about the importance of saving water. Troop 60570 hosted the event on World Water Day as a conclusion of their Wonders of Water (WOW) journey. The WOW Journey allows Girl Scout Brownies to learn about the importance of protecting Earth’s bodies of water through hands-on activities. More than 150 people came to learn about water conservation and how exciting Girl Scouting can be. Troop Leader Julie Brubaker said, “This was a 100% girl-led project, and I am very proud of how it turned out!”

Troop 60570 hosted an event to educate the community about water conservation.

Scout troops were able to visit with the mayors of Buffalo, Jamestown, and Rochester to talk about the Girl Scout cookie program and what they learned. One troop also met with the Rochester City School District Superintendent.

Thank you to everyone within the Girl Scout family and the community who helped make this important financial literacy program a success for the girls!

Top Three Sellers

1. Kelsey McKinney: 2,064 boxes

2. Catharine Boyle: 2048 boxes

3. Amber Baldwin: 2,035 boxes

Top Three Service Units

1. Como Lake

2. Webster

3. Greece

Top Three Troops

1. Troop 70283

2. Troop 30446

3. Troop 70165

Azia, a Girl Scout Senior, planted trees as part of the Forever Green Take Action Project.

dates to remember GSWNY Annual Meeting May 21, 2014 UB Center for Tomorrow 5:30 p.m. Registration 6:30 p.m. Meeting begins

Gold Award Ceremony Saturday, June 7, 2014 Samuel’s Grande Manor Williamsville, New York

GSWNY Service Centers and Shops will be closed: Monday, May 26 Friday, July 4

Women of Distinction Dinner & Awards Ceremony Thursday, September 18, 2014 Buffalo Marriott Niagara 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst 6:30 p.m

Leadership Breakfast Friday, September 19, 2014 Rochester Riverside Convention Center 123 East Main Street, Rochester 8 a.m

SPRING 2014

Happy Spring!

In March, the Girl Scouts celebrated its 102nd birthday. What a huge accomplishment. When an organization celebrates milestone birthdays like this organization, it reinforces the hard work, dedication,

staying power, and openness to change that separates organizations who make it and those that don’t.

In my opinion, what has kept Girl Scouts as the pre-eminent organization for girls first and foremost is the historical brand.

Girl Talk

Ceo Comments Cindy L. Odom Chief Executive Officer, GSWNY

continued on page 2 . . .

in this issuePage 2• Meet the GSWNY Board Members: Judith Maness• Girl Scouts Gain So Much at Girl Scout Summer Camp

Page 3• Girl Scout Cookie Program Helps Girls• Girls Scouts Celebrate Forever Green Project• Girl Scouts Educate Community on Importance of Saving Water

Page 4 • Brownie Troop Holds Food Drive• Volunteer and Help a Girl Lead!• Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts!• What Would You Do with 1,000 Boxes of Girl Scout Cookies?• GSWNY CEO Discusses Impact of Girl Scouting• Dates to Remember

GSWNY is staying connected better than ever! Please take a moment to like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, and read our CEO’s blog on WordPress. We're now on Instagram, too!

stay ConneCted

Like other popular brands, when you see our logo, instantly people recognize the organization. Secondly, the mission of the organization has not changed. The strategy may have changed throughout the years to keep the organization relevant, but the overall mission has always been about the girls.

To help Girl Scouts keep abreast of what impacts today’s girls, our Girl Scout Research Institute released research that one-third of girls who do not want to be leaders attribute their lack of motivation to fear of being laughed at, making people mad at them, coming across as bossy, or not being liked by people.

4

GSWNY is looking for volunteers who are interested in implementing and facilitating a six-to-eight week Girl Scout leadership program for girls in various grade levels. Volunteers will assist program advisors in implementing a program(s) using a pre-designed curriculum.

Do you have a background or passion in STEM? GSWNY is in need of volunteers to train other leaders and run STEM programs for girls.

For more information on these volunteer opportunities, email programs@gswny.org.

When a boy asserts himself, he is called a leader, but if a girl does she same, she is often called “bossy”. This means next time she is less likely to speak up. It is probable her confidence level will drop and she will feel discouraged from leading in the future.

Girl Scouts has embarked on a campaign called “Ban Bossy” to help show girls they can lead, whether at home, at work, or at school. National personalities have endorsed the Ban Bossy campaign, including Beyoncé, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, actress Jane Lynch, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

In Western New York, troops have begun to offer to girls the Ban Bossy Patch Program,

Let’s ban bossy and show GirLs they Can Lead!

which aims to show girls how they can resolve conflicts with confidence in their own lives. Andrea Rock, Cristina Carey, and Julie Brubaker, all of Troop 60570 in Irondequoit, recently took six girls from various troops through the Ban Bossy Patch Program at the Rochester Service Center. The program helped girls learn how to manage conflict using I-statements, a formula that encourages girls to address conflicts or challenging situations. The formula is: “When you ____ (share what the other person has done), I feel ___ (share how that makes you feel) because ___ (share why it makes you feel that way). For example, “When you call me names, I feel sad and hurt because I care about what you think about me.” This formula helps girls speak directly about their feelings. As part

of the activity, leaders and girls participated in role playing and talked about situations they are facing or have faced in their own lives.

Volunteers interested in leading girls through the Ban Bossy Program can find materials available at gswny.org in the Volunteer Toolbox page. For those who do not currently volunteer for GSWNY but are interested in volunteering to lead a one-hour Ban Bossy program, contact 1-888-837-6410.

Jalisa (left) shares her thoughts about conflict and leadership during the Ban Bossy Patch Program as Elizabeth and other girls listen.

Through the Girl Scout cookie program, girls gain important skills that help them to become future leaders. For Girl Scout Junior Natalie, the Girl Scout cookie program helped her become a leader today!

When the fifth grader asked her Aunt Sonya, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, to buy Girl Scout cookies, she bought 1,000 boxes with one stipulation: Natalie and her troop had to donate all of the boxes to places of need. The girls of Troop 60132 had to choose organizations that would benefit most from the gift. They would also have to distribute the boxes to the places they chose. Natalie even spent time decid-ing how many boxes of each Girl Scout cookie variety to order. Needless to say, she had to work with her troop to make a lot of decisions!

This experience has helped Natalie and her troop learn where there is great need for food donations within their community and how important it is to give back to others. “The troop is excited to be able to provide a little Girl Scout ‘sunshine’ to the many men, women, and chil-dren who may have fallen upon difficult times in their lives,” Natalie’s mother, Jen, said.

Natalie helped determine which organizations would benefit most from receiving a donation of Girl Scout cookies.

what wouLd you do with 1,000 boxes of GirL sCout Cookies?

happy birthday, GirL sCouts! Girl Scouts of Western New York celebrated the Girl Scouts of the USA’s 102nd birthday in a fun and interactive way. GSWNY’s Facebook fans participated in activities based on a theme of the day. Monday everyone recited the Girl Scout promise, Tuesday Facebook fans shared their favorite Girl Scout memories, Wednesday birthday wishes were posted, Thursday fans wrote a note to military troops, which will be passed along to the recipients of the Cookie Share Program, and Friday everyone wore their Girl Scout uniforms or gear to school or work.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated Girl Scout Week with us.

VoLunteer and heLp a GirL Lead!

Ceo Cindy odom disCusses impaCt of GirL sCoutinG

In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, Cindy Odom, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Western New York, appeared on Community Action News, hosted by the Community Action Organization of Erie County, Inc. Odom and Azia, a Girl Scout Senior, joined Community Action News host L. Nathan Hare to talk about Girl Scouting, how Girl Scouting positively impacts girls and young women, and the leadership skills Girl Scouts gain. On Legends 102.7 FM, Odom talked about the Girl Scouts’ 102nd birthday and how Girl Scouts is staying relevant regarding issues impacting today’s girls.

Brownies from Troop 30415 learned about the value of community service through hosting a food drive to benefit Tri-Community Food Pantry, which assists residents in the Depew and Lancaster areas. For their service project, the girls created flyers, designed signs for their boxes, and wrote letters to local government officials and companies seeking help. The Village of Depew, Prince of Peace Church, The Vine Church, and Hillview Baptist Church allowed the troop to use their locations as drop-off points to collect food for more than two weeks.

The girls loaded the food they had collected into numerous vehicles and dropped it off to the food pantry, filling numerous pallets.

Girls from Troop 30415 pose with Depew Village Trustee Linda Hammer and Village of Depew Mayor Steven Hoffman at the Depew Village Hall.

brownie troop hoLds suCCessfuL food driVe

1