Some of her most memorable moments in Girl Scouts were attending the National Convention in Texas and representing the Peacepipe Council twice at Macy’s Training Center in New York for NASA trainings. She was also selected to attend a training at Goddard Space Center in Maryland that helped her start up space activities for the council.

As a leader in Girl Scouts, Gerri has learned a great deal over the years. She is currently taking education assistant classes at Ridgewater College, where she regularly applies skills and experiences from Girl Scouts. She looks forward to working in a school system, which will allow her to continue to work with children.

Participating in Girl Scouts as an adult has been incredibly satisfying for Gerri. She has enjoyed watching girls mature and grow up and share special experiences with them. She hopes to continue as a leader for many years to come, because she feels just as young as the girls when she’s working with them.

It is Gerri’s hope that the girls she works with will take their Girl Scout memories with them, particularly the outdoor activities, and share them with the next generation as she has.

The troop’s final camping trip was in 1959. Seven of the Girl Scouts spent almost three months camping with two leaders at 36 different sites across Europe, including visits at Our Ark in London, the Girl Guide Hostel in France and Our Chalet in Switzerland. For this grand tour, they packed a Volkswagen bus with a tent, cooking supplies and gear. Taking this type of trip was unusual at the time, and this ambitious endeavor provided a very enriching experience.

The girls began planning their European tour in fifth grade when they were working on an International Friendship Badge. While preparing for performances at the State Fair and the Festival of Nations, the girls wondered if they could visit the countries they were learning about and representing. The answer they received was yes! They could do it if they worked for it.

Over the following years, the girls eagerly fundraised by babysitting and selling nuts, cookies, fresh eggs and holding quarterly paper sales. They balanced this work with additional part-time jobs, high school activities like the Honor Society, and badge-earning activities with Girl Scouts.

Their hard work paid off, and the girls were able to fully fund their 1959 trip. Through this process, they gained independence and developed team building, organizational and leadership skills.

With the support of their families and their talented leader, Charlotte Rotzel, the girls graduated as Girl Scout Mariners in 1960, achieving the highest level for Girl Scouts at the time. The women from Troop 430 remain loyal friends today, and although many have moved from Minneapolis, they continue to meet and celebrate the legacy of their troop (photo from October 2012).

A special thanks to Nancy Moe, member of Troop 430, for providing the details for this story.

Has your group stayed connected over the years? We’d love to hear! Submit your story and photos. 

What is your favorite memory from Girl Scouts?

I have many favorite memories of Girl Scouts. I joined Girl Scouts in 1974 as a first grader at Harry Spence Elementary School in Lacrosse, WI. I attended the weeklong camping opportunities and went swimming and hiking. I also enjoyed participating in day activities at Goose Island Camp. I eventually became a counselor, and at the same time a leader in my high school.

I also earned my Silver Award and Gold Award by taking on global food security and hunger issues. Our troop mobilized in the community to work on a number of projects relating to these topics. I think it’s interesting that my Gold Award Project was on global hunger and now I work on food security issues in my job. It has been a theme that has followed me throughout my career.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

One of my biggest professional accomplishments was leading the design and construction of the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building when I was working at Neighborhood House. It was a 93,000-square-foot community center with a $27.5 million project budget that was constructed to serve the multi-cultural community on the west side of St Paul. For this project, I had to bring together leaders from all over the community. It really enabled me to find a way to reach out from my comfort zone as a leader and be able to engage people in new ways.

What does it take to be a leader?

Being a leader means listening to others and taking the time to hear what is important to them. It means looking at what the opportunities are and mobilizing people around a central vision. That is not always simple to do.

For a girl who thinks she can change the world, what is your advice?

I would tell her that she should go for it. Absolutely she can change the world. There is nothing holding any girl back from being able to do whatever she wants to do and make whatever difference she wants to make. She just has to put her mind to it, and she has to be able to encourage others around her to help follow that vision.

Why do you think Girl Scouts should reconnect with one another?

Lifelong friendships are important. Everyone in my troop is different. We are not the exact same person. We have different career paths and have different family lives. There is a shared experience that we all had with one another in our troop though, and we can draw on that. We can continually be there for each other. We’ve been there for each other through celebrations of weddings and of new children, and we’ve been there for each other for losses of family members and divorces. It’s wonderful to have people in your life who knew you when you were young—they appreciated you for who you were and they are glad to have you as you are today as a part of their life.

Join alumnae for an afternoon focused on your wellness goals, and kick off 2013 with a plan that bridges the gap between your current health and where you want to be. In this experiential workshop, you will explore healthy diet and nutrition, stress mastery and moving the body. Dare to imagine feeling healthier and more resilient as you move into the New Year with intentionality and resolve.

The workshop will be presented by Balance and Thrive Health and Wellness Consortium and facilitated by Tammy Gifft, health and wellness coach. It is open to Girl Scout alumnae of all ages.

Please RSVP to Stephanie Klenk by email or phone at 800-845-0787, ext. 1226 by January 3. A minimum of 10 alumnae is needed to hold the event. A donation of $5 to cover costs is requested.

When: January 5, 2013,1–4 pm

Where: Camp Lockeslea, 6900 E River Road, Fridley, MN.

Mission: RECONNECT Update

The effort to find 100,000 Girl Scout alumnae continues! In February and March, current Girl Scouts will compete to find new alumnae. Troops that help register the most alumnae during cookie booth sales will be eligible for a fabulous troop prize.

Alumnae in the Know—Training Update

In the 2013 membership year, River Valleys adjusted required training for new leaders. The training sequence includes Girl Scouting 101, an online or self-study training that introduces new leaders to GSUSA resources.

After completing Girl Scouting 101, new leaders complete River Valleys Orientation, which informs new leaders about policies and resources.

Leaders then complete a Fast Start training, which is held with a coach in their service unit. At this one-on-one meeting, new leaders receive a welcome kit from River Valleys with local information.

For more information about River Valleys’ training, please email us.

Host an Alumnae Gathering

If you’re interested in hosting a Party to Go for alumnae in your service unit this January, please contact Stephanie Klenk. We’ll send you activities and prizes to help with the event.

Alumnae Association Committees

Serve on an Alumnae Association committee and coordinate:

• Travel planning
• Young Alumnae retreat for recent high school/college grads
• Communications

Help with an Alumnae Association event:

• Forever Green Breakfast, March 2013
• Networking event, spring 2013
• Regional events for adult recognition, May 2013
• Summer Camp Days for alumnae and families, summer 2013

If you are interested in any of the these options, please contact Stephanie Klenk at 800-845-0787, ext. 1266.

Volunteer with a Troop

We’re looking for volunteers to assist with after school Girl Scout Daisy and Brownie troops at Hazel Park Elementary in St. Paul every Thursday from 4:15–6 p.m. Please email Diane White if interested.

Thanks to a travel grant from Second Winds alumnae group, a River Valleys Girl Scout blasted off to Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL this summer.

“Space Academy is one of the best things that has happened to me,” Carolyn wrote in an essay after her trip. “It has taught me so many life lessons that I will use for the rest of my life. I learned more about myself and met a lot of great friends I will keep in touch with. I am so grateful for getting a scholarship, and I couldn’t have done it without help.”

River Valleys is proud that we had 10 girls from all over the council, ages 12–18, participate in destinations this past year:

• Carolyn—Space Academy
• Claire—Wyoming’s Wildlife Wonders (wildlife study)
• Emily—Outback Adventure, Australia
• Jessica—Channel Islands Adventure Expedition (kayaking)
• McKenna—Alaska Yukon River Expedition
• Megan V.—Midwest Madness, MN and WI
• Meghan C.—Happy Trails (horseback riding in the Appalachians)
• Michelle—Kenya
• Olivia—Juliette Low Camp
• Tatiana—From London to Lucerne, Europe

Trip costs ranged from $500 to $5,600. More than half of the girls received financial assistance to make their travel dream come true. Your donations make destinations possible for girls in River Valleys.

Please join us for the luncheon in November to honor new members and remember members who passed away this year, including Deloris M. Kanten, Anna Marie Sandberg and Catherine O’Keefe.

Saturday, November 3, 10:30 am–2:30 pm
Burnsville Performing Arts Center

If you would like to attend the luncheon, please reply by October 22 to Cora Heras at 800-845-0787, ext. 1237 or 651-251-1237. If you have any questions about the Juliette Gordon Low Society or would like to become a member, please contact Stephanie Pommier at 800-845-0787, ext. 1265.

Mission: RECONNECT

• find other Girl Scouts in the area with common interests
• learn what Girl Scouts are doing today
• share their Girl Scout stories—Where has Girl Scouts taken you?
• attend special Girl Scout events
• advocate for girls and girl leadership
• connect to the largest women’s leadership network in the country

You Can Help!

Use your personal connections—family, former troop mates, friends, co-workers, etc.—to find Girl Scout alumnae who are not registered with us. If they don’t already hear from River Valleys, we might not know about them.

Mission: RECONNECT — Friends and Family

• Find unregistered Girl Scout alumnae in your network.
• Encourage them to sign up as a Girl Scout alumna online or by sending their information to Girl Scouts River Valleys, 400 Robert St. South, St. Paul, MN 55107.
• Make sure they indicate that you referred them.
• For every three alumnae you refer, your name will be entered for a $500 Visa gift card!
• Mission: RECONNECT—Friends and Family will run until October 31.

Mission: RECONNECT — Party To Go

• Plan a party for Girl Scout friends and former troop members, or tie Girl Scouts into a holiday gathering that you already host.
• Let River Valleys know you are hosting a gathering and we will send you a special box with Girl Scout party materials.
• Take a picture of attendees having fun at the party and send it to the council. Then your name will be entered for Girl Scout prizes!

What is your favorite memory from when you were a Girl Scout?

Every summer at Camp Lakamaga we stayed at Tyoga for the weekend. I remember giving each other makeovers that consisted of facials, manicures, French braids and lots of blue eye shadow and blush. We used to stay up late and lie out on the dock, looking up at the stars and telling stories about where we thought our lives would take us. We let our imaginations run wild until we heard our leader call out that it was time for bed. Then we continued to whisper and giggle in our sleeping bags until sleep finally found us. No matter what the weather was like, rain or shine, it was still the best weekend of the summer.

What skills and benefits do you think Girl Scouts brought to your life?

Growing up, I never realized that Girl Scouts would have such an impact on my character today. All of the troop activities that touched on friendship, teamwork, leadership and problem solving gave me a special set of tools that has helped me adapt to most situations.

What Girl Scout lessons and skills have you brought to your current career?

Girl Scouts played a significant role in the career path I chose. As admissions and operational manager for St. Paul Sober Living, I help others who suffer from addiction. Experiences I gained by growing up in Girl Scouts led me in the direction of service.

Communications skills I gained in Girl Scouts help me interact with people of all ages. Leadership skills I gained allow me to not only give direction, but also take it. Girls Scouts also taught me the importance of setting goals and working hard to fulfill them.

What have you found most satisfying about reconnecting with your Girl Scout roots?

It has brought up so many wonderful memories of growing up, and these memories have made me excited about getting involved as an adult. I formed an alumnae group that will meet monthly. I’m hoping that this group will reconnect with more young adults so that we can do for others what our parents and leaders did for us.

What ways do you see yourself working with Girl Scouts in the future?

Besides getting an alumnae group together and starting a Daisy troop, I would like to volunteer and teach others about art. I graduated in 2008 with a degree in photography from the Art Institutes International Minnesota, and I would love to show young girls how photography can bring people together by capturing a moment in time.

What is your advice for other alumnae about getting involved with Girl Scouts again?

If we as young adults do not get involved, then who will? It’s important to take time out of our busy schedules to give back so that future Girl Scouts have the same opportunities we did to gain friendships and lasting memories.

What is your dream for girls?

The possibilities are endless for the next generation of girls. It’s important to remind them to set goals, never give up on those goals and never stop dreaming.