We are so excited that you and your daughter have chosen to be a part of the largest leadership organization just for girls! Girl Scouts is the place where she can imagine the possibilities as she discovers new skills, connects with others and takes action to change the world.

The Girl Scout environment provides your daughter an opportunity to step away from school pressures, social cliques and boys. She can be herself and try new things. She can have fun and work in cooperation with new friends. She can be creative and inspire others. She is a Girl Scout joining thousands of girls around the world in sisterhood.

You and your daughter are partners in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Your involvement and support will help shape her experience. Here are a just a few ways we hope you will consider:

• Share special skills, your time and other resources directly to your daughter’s troop. When her leader asks, please say YES to activities like chaperoning a field trip or the annual Cookie Program.

• There are great opportunities to share your talents beyond the troop. We are always looking for volunteers to serve on a council-wide committee or provide expertise in a specialized area like STEM. Let us know how we could work together by emailing voldept@gsksmo.org.

• Make a gift to Girl Scouts. Annual membership and troop dues don’t cover the full cost of your daughter’s experience. Choosing to add just a few more dollars supports opportunities like training for adult volunteers, resources for leaders and financial assistance for other girls to be able to join.

• Recognize your daughter’s leader(s) for the time, talent and skills shared. A thank you note and full support of your daughter’s experience will mean a lot.

• Enjoy a great year in Girl Scouts!

Take the LeadA newsletter just for parents!

Summer/Fall 2013

Welcome to a New Year in Girl Scouting!sisterhood

imagineadventure

explore

wonder

fungrow

dream

INSIDE:• Your Girl Scout Year

• I Can’t Wait to...

• Cookie Program Changes

• GSUSA Girl Voices

• Top 5 Reasons your daughter should be a Girl Scout

• Great Start Kits: Every girl deserves one!

World Thinking Day - February 22Join in on special Service Unit activities

and projects with global themes to honorsister Girl Scouts in other countries.january

february

march

april

may

june

sept

embe

roc

tobe

r

novem

ber

july, august

,

Girl Scout WeekCelebrate 102 years of

Girl Scouting! March 12, 1912;Juliette Gordon Low officially

registered the first 18 girlsin Savannah, Georgia.

Honors CeremonyHonor our Gold Awardees.

This is the highest award a girlcan earn in Girl Scouts.

Early Bird RegistrationGet those formsin now for somefun incentives.

End of YearAwards

Time to bridge up to thenext age level. Start sewing

on those new badges!

IT’S Cookie Time!

Girls deliver cookiesand collect money.

Register Now!Time to register for the

exciting year ahead!

Register by Sept. 20 and

receive an opportunity to

purchase the exclusiveon-time tshirt!

This is our friends and family

program which helps the

troop earn start-up proceeds

for the new troop year and gives girls fun learning

opportunities and rewards.

Camp TimeCheck out your service unit’s

Day Camp or other fun council summer program!

Don’t forgetto get your

supplies at theGirl Scout Shop.

We Our VolunteersAs part of Volunteer Appreciation

Week (the third week in April),we pay tribute to the amazing

volunteers who help girls makethe world a better place.

march:

Girls can take orders from friends and neighbors. Troop leaders will letyou know when orders need to be turned in.

january 1:

Leader’s Day is April 22!

YourGirl Scout

Year

Support your daughter’s troop

and beyond by lending your

time and talents.

candy/nut/Magazine Program

Volunteer Today!INVITE a friend!

Community booth salestake place.

december

World Thinking Day - February 22Join in on special Service Unit activities

and projects with global themes to honorsister Girl Scouts in other countries.january

februarymarch

april

may

june

sept

embe

roc

tobe

r

novem

ber

july, august

,

Girl Scout WeekCelebrate 102 years of

Girl Scouting! March 12, 1912;Juliette Gordon Low officially

registered the first 18 girlsin Savannah, Georgia.

Honors CeremonyHonor our Gold Awardees.

This is the highest award a girlcan earn in Girl Scouts.

Early Bird RegistrationGet those formsin now for somefun incentives.

End of YearAwards

Time to bridge up to thenext age level. Start sewing

on those new badges!

IT’S Cookie Time!

Girls deliver cookiesand collect money.

Register Now!Time to register for the

exciting year ahead!

Register by Sept. 20 and

receive an opportunity to

purchase the exclusiveon-time tshirt!

This is our friends and family

program which helps the

troop earn start-up proceeds

for the new troop year and gives girls fun learning

opportunities and rewards.

Camp TimeCheck out your service unit’s

Day Camp or other fun council summer program!

Don’t forgetto get your

supplies at theGirl Scout Shop.

We Our VolunteersAs part of Volunteer Appreciation

Week (the third week in April),we pay tribute to the amazing

volunteers who help girls makethe world a better place.

march:

Girls can take orders from friends and neighbors. Troop leaders will letyou know when orders need to be turned in.

january 1:

Leader’s Day is April 22!

YourGirl Scout

Year

Support your daughter’s troop

and beyond by lending your

time and talents.

candy/nut/Magazine Program

Volunteer Today!INVITE a friend!

Community booth salestake place.

december

Through Girl Scouts, girls work toward their Bronze (Juniors), Silver (Cadettes) and Gold (Seniors/Ambassadors) Award by developing and implementing a community service project.

Troop 779 from Raytown, Missouri earned their Silver Award by creating and leading an anti-bullying workshop for their younger Girl Scout sisters.

Be the star of my own story.

Be the star of my own story.

Be the one who makes everyone giggle.

Be an explorer on a real-life adventure.

Be a superhero with the powersI choose.

Many girls will say that having an opportunity to teach a skill or mentor a young Girl Scout is what they can’t wait to do.

Meet Alyssa Klinzing from Olathe, Kansas. Aly is proud to be a Girl Scout and carries the leadership skills she gained serving as Miss Kansas Teen USA. Aly’s platform is anti-bullying and she makes such an impact with her message – especially with our younger Girl Scouts!

Aly surprised Brownie Troop 565 from Olathe after the troop filmed an anti-bullying rap that received local and national attention.

Be a Girl Scout!

I Can’t Wait To...

Exciting Changes Coming to the Cookie Program

Did you know that Girl Scouts began selling cookies in 1917? There are few businesses that can boast that kind of history, but we can – all because of girls who are running the business and supportive parents like you!

Like any good business, listening to those who sell and buy the product is critical to success. We are pleased to make some exciting changes that came from girl, volunteer and parent feedback:

• We are moving the Cookie Program to January to allow more time for a troop to get up and running and be able to take advantage of national marketing efforts.

• We are returning to an order taking program where girls will have their cookie cards to take orders from customers. No more guessing about how many or what kinds of cookies you may need.

• We are modifying the girl incentive program to bring the kinds of rewards girls say they want.

• Troop Cookie Managers will provide you all the details at your Cookie Parent Meeting in Nov./Dec.

Program Fast Facts• Troop will host a Parent Meeting in Nov./Dec.

• Girls start taking orders from family in Dec.

• Public order taking begins Jan. 1

• Orders are due to the troop in late Jan.

• Deliver cookies in late Feb. through early Mar.

• Community Booth sales in Mar.

• Cookies will be $4.00 per box – all the favorites will be back excluding the Mango Cremes which will be replaced by a BRAND NEW cookie.

The Five SkillsWhy the Cookie Program Matters

Through Girl Scouting, girls become leaders in their daily lives and prepare for their bright futures too! The Girl Scout Cookie Program provides an important ingredient for leadership by helping girls develop five key skills:

• Goal SeTTiNG: She sets a goal and develops a plan to reach it

• DeCiSioN MakiNG: She works with her troop to decide how to spend their cookie money

• MoNeY MaNaGeMeNT: She takes orders and money from customers

• PeoPle SkillS: She learns to talk and listen to all types of people

• BuSiNeSS eThiCS: She is honest and responsible at every step of the Cookie Program

Save the New Date!

GSkSMo is rolling out a new and exciting way to capture Girl Voices!Girl Scout Voices is an exciting opportunity from the Girl Scout Research Institute that lets girls, volunteers and parents share their thoughts about Girl Scouting through occasional online surveys.

We hope that you will be willing to share your views and experiences with us so that we can help make the Girl Scouts the best leadership development program for girls!

You will NEVER receive any sales or marketing contact as a result of your participation and we will never share your information with outside organizations and businesses.

Please visit www.girlscoutvoices.org to register.

Show your Girl Scout pride with an exclusive tshirt celebrating this year’s recruitment campaign, Imagine the Possibilities. An email with all the purchase details will be sent September 27 to all girls and adults registered by the on-time deadline.

•Availableingirlandadultsizes•Cost:$12each.

816.271.5499 • 1502 MacArthur Drivewww.stjoenaturecenter.infowww.facebook.com/RemingtonNatureCenter

Conference room rentals

Authentic Civil War artifacts

Aviary with six varieties of birds

Educational programming for all ages

7,000 gallon aquarium of native Missouri fish

Where history & nature collide!

The A Change of Heart® patch program teaches girls how to make heart-healthy choices.• OpentoBrowniesandJuniorGirlScouts.• Costisonly$5pergirl;adultsattendfreeofcharge.• Hour-longprogramcovershearthealth,riskfactors,howtotakeyourpulse,exerciseanddietarydecision-makingskills.

For more information or to schedule your troop, call 913.588.8280.

Earn the Patch of Good Health

Register by Sept. 20 and Purchase an exclusive on-Time TShirt

There are many reasons your daughter should be a Girl Scout – just ask her! If you are considering your options and aren’t sure about her becoming a member or renewing membership, check out the top five reasons she should be a Girl Scout... �

Girl Scouts lead the future! What do you want your daughter’s future to be? Whether your daughter is 5 or 17, you have probably imagined what her life will be like and how you can support her dreams. Today’s girls have an opportunity to choose their future. With your support and guidance and Girl Scouts’ expertise in building girl leaders – the future has endless possibilities for your daughter!

Girl Scouts can’t wait to try new things! Your daughter will discover she can do things she never thought she would – or could – in Girl Scouts! From participating in service projects that change her community to camping under the stars for the first time. From running her own business with the Cookie Program to traveling across the world. Your daughter will gain self-confidence and learn valuable skills that will last a lifetime!

Girl Scouts find friends for life! When girls connect with other girls their age with the same interests, friendships develop and grow. Many teen Girl Scouts still count the friends they made as Daisies among their best!

Girl Scouting works! For over 100 years, Girl Scouts has shaped the lives of the majority of female executives and business owners, two-thirds of women in Congress and virtually every female astronaut. Girl Scout alumnae routinely point to the lasting effects of their experience. Our alumnae have attained higher levels of education, display a more positive sense of self and are more engaged in volunteerism and community service.

Girl Scouting is affordable! For a minimal cost ($15 membership, some troop dues and essential program items), your daughter can join 2.3 million girl members throughout the U.S. and become a leader of tomorrow – and today!

Top 5 Reasons your daughter should be a Girl Scout

My Daughter’s Troop Information:

All items available at the Council Shop and at gsksmo.org/shop.

Troop Number: Service Unit Number:

MeeTiNGS: Day & Time: Location:

leaDeR: Troop Leader Name:

Phone Number: Email:

Every girl needs aGREAT START!

kansas City8383 Blue Pkwy.Kansas City, MO 64133(816) 358-8750

Manhattan205 S. 4th St. - Ste. D7Manhattan, KS 66502(785) 776-1488

St. Joseph 3300 Dale Ave. - Ste. 105St. Joseph, MO 64506(816) 279-7438

Topeka2300 SW 29th St. - Ste. 200Topeka, KS 66611(785) 273-3100

gsksmo.org

Troop numbers sold separately.