Report Deadline Approaching

To be recognized at the 2013 Silver Award and Gold Award Ceremonies, girls must submit their final reports by March 1. Final reports submitted after March 1 will be recognized the following year. As a reminder, project proposals are accepted year-round.

Silver Award and Gold Award Workshops

Attend one of our upcoming award workshops and discover what it takes to earn the highest awards in Girl Scouting. Learn about the resources available to you through the council, review award information, brainstorm with other girls and identify possible project opportunities in the community.

Upcoming Workshops

• Going for Gold Webinar: March 19, April 17, May 16
• Gold Award at Here and Now: April 20–21, April 20 only
• Silver Award at the Cadette Getaway: March 8, March 9

To complete 100 acts of kindness, the girls used their resources to inform the community and other Girl Scouts about the project and encouraged everyone to contribute. They created posters to display in local businesses, started a website for people to post their acts of kindness and created a commercial that has played on the local community access channel.

The girls have been dedicated throughout the project, which has involved many detailed steps and required them to step outside their comfort zones.

“One of the hardest parts for the girls was working with adults and asking the community for help,” explained troop leader, Laura. “When we first started, the girls were really shy to ask businesses to display the posters, but their confidence and courage has really grown.”

Anyone who completes an act of kindness can post on the website, where it is tracked and added to the total. Each post from a community member is extremely rewarding for the girls and gives them the confidence that they will meet their goal.

Have you completed an act of kindness lately? Visit 100 Acts of Kindness to help Hannah, Mattea and Allyson reach their goal by the end of the year.

Sam, Mikenna, Bronwyn and Breezy teamed up for their Silver Award project and brought new light to kids and family members staying at the Ronald McDonald House by creating activity kits.

The kits contained puzzles, paper crafts, bookmark-making supplies, bean bags, outdoor games, a cup game and library books for kids in grades 1–5. In addition to providing the activity kits, the girls also reached out to their sports teams to request food donations for breakfast bags.

In addition, the girls cooked, served and cleaned up after an entire meal for the families at the Ronald McDonald House.

The overall project required a lot of time, planning and community outreach. “I was able to build confidence when it comes to speaking to people I am unfamiliar with and courage to ask for items needed for our project,” explained Breezy.

The girls also learned the important skills of public speaking, organizing teams and gaining community support while earning their Silver Award, the highest award a Cadette Girl Scout can earn. Mikenna described how building these skills will help her later in life: “I have the confidence to make my own appointments, apply for jobs and handle other responsibilities of becoming an adult.”

Four Girl Scout Cadettes from Eden Prairie completed their Silver Award this fall by raising awareness about bullying. Together they created videos that were shown in Eden Prairie schools during the month of October.

Ellie, Kaitlyn, Rachelle and Star, members of troop 10785, brainstormed ideas for the videos, wrote scripts and then shot footage of kids in different bullying situations. The videos, posted at YouTube GS Bully Busters, show kids how to respond to each situation and stand up for themselves.

The videos were part of a series of events hosted by the Eden Prairie Disability Awareness Committee and Eden Prairie Schools Parent Teacher Organization for National Bully Awareness Month. As part of their Silver Award project, the girls also volunteered and helped with planning and running the events which included a screening and panel discussion of the movie “BULLY”, a presentation and discussion about what parents can do, PACER’s Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying, and a day to wear orange to show solidarity against bullying.

To learn more about the events and how the girls helped raise awareness, read the article from Eden Prairie News.

Ellie, one of the Cadettes, also wrote an opinion piece that was published in September. She offers some advice to parents about how to talk with kids about bullying. “Most of the time, we can handle it,” she writes, “but don’t just assume that we can. If we say we want your help, then please help us . . . but whatever you do, please don’t take over. We just want your support.”

For Troop 52691 from Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, Centennial Day of Service was not only a day to help prevent debris and leaves from entering their local waterways; it also marked the completion of their Silver Award project. Divided into three teams, the troop began their Silver Award journey this summer. Each team planned separate phases of the project with the goal of informing the community about proper water preservation and natural resources conservation.

When asked how the troop’s project impacts their community, troop leader Lisa explained, “In our Wisconsin community we heavily rely on our natural resources, so environmental issues that affect our waters, fish and other wildlife are very important to us.”

One of the first steps of the project was teaming up with the Water Quality Department at the Polk County Fair this summer. The girls created and handed out informational buttons, magnets and flyers to fairgoers.

The next step was planning and hosting a workshop regarding water and natural resources preservation. Hard work and creative planning resulted in a great turn-out for the workshop, which included an opening ceremony, learning stations, speakers, food, door prizes and even the Girl Scout flash mob!

For the final piece to their Silver Award project, the girls participated in Centennial Day of Service in Balsam Lake. After completing their Silver Award, the troop is already planning their next service project. “We have always been a troop truly dedicated to service and we are always looking ahead to our next area to explore,” said Lisa.

• You must be a current, registered member of River Valleys in order to be recognized as an award recipient. Make sure your membership is current; if it isn’t, register now and continue your membership.
• The final report deadline is quickly approaching. Those of you working on your Gold Award must submit your final report to River Valleys no later than September 30 after high school graduation. Those of you working on your Silver Award must submit your final report to River Valleys no later than September 30 after completion of grade 8.

We also invite you to check out this upcoming volunteer opportunity for older girls. This year, Girl Scouts River Valleys will have a booth and a parade float at the Minnesota State Fair August 25–26. The parade will start at 2 p.m. both days. Adult and girl opportunities are available and all volunteers will receive a complimentary ticket into the fair.

Interested in volunteering? Contact Sheila Her for more information at 800-845-0787.

The 12-year-old seventh grader from Wayzata Central Middle School began her Silver Award journey by addressing the Plymouth City Council last September. When the council decided to switch recycling providers, Josie helped notify her neighborhood of the change and worked with the new recycling company to offer a discount to neighbors who became new customers, consolidating waste pick up and cutting pollution by reducing the number of excess waste management vehicles in the neighborhood.

Since the changes were implemented, Josie says that she’s been getting calls of thanks from her neighbors. “I discovered that you can have as many good ideas as you want, but you will only be great if you are able to put those ideas into action.”

Josie, who has been a Girl Scout for seven years, fulfilled the requirements for the Silver Award, and it was presented to her on May 20. The highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn, the Girl Scout Silver Award shows that the girl is a leader who is organized, determined and dedicated to improving her community.

“Because of my project,” Josie says, “people in Plymouth are recycling more than they were before.” She added that she hopes that through her efforts people “will come to appreciate what Girl Scouts does for the community.”

This summer we’re featuring randomly selected Bronze, Silver and Gold Award recipients on our blog. Stay tuned for more stories about Girl Scouts who’ve made a difference in their community!

The girls are working with an organization called Retrieve A Golden Of Minnesota (RAGOM). They have raised enough money through cookies sales this year to sponsor two dogs at $325 each, and they have also raised more than $200 in cash to buy supplies for the foster parents of these dogs. Supplies are needed for care due to illness, abandonment, personality problems, etc. The girls have set up boxes at many local animal hospitals and veterinarian offices around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area asking for new/gently used canine supplies. They also have pre-packed free treats in baggies for visitors to these establishment; the treats are set up on counters next to a small donation box for change.