We’re getting closer every day to reaching River Valleys’ Feed the Need food drive goal. Our goal is 20,000 pounds of food donated to food shelves across the council by May 31. Are you ready to take on the challenge?

Last month fifteen Girl Scouts from the Delano-Loretta Service Unit took action, collected and donated 2,180 pounds of food to a local food shelf, giving our food drive a boost and helping those in need. They went door-to-door in their community and handed out bags donated by Cub Foods and Coborn’s. People had the option to fill the bags with non-perishable food items on the spot, or they could fill it at another time and leave it on the front steps to be collected later. 

The girls planned ahead and posted their food collection activity in the local paper so that people would be expecting them. They partnered with Boy Scout troops in the area to distribute the bags and collect the donations. Using ten to twelve SUVs and vans, it took about two hours to collect 2,180 pounds of food. That’s 1,817 meals for Minnesota children in need. 

The food was delivered to Delano Helping Hands Food Shelf, where the girls enjoyed a tour and learned how the food shelf operates. According to food shelf staff, the donation is the single largest food donation they’ve had this year. 

To reach our Feed the Need goal by May 31, we need your help. There’s still time to get out there and see how much food you can collect in your school, your church or neighborhood. Can your troop or service unit top the Delano-Loretto Girl Scouts’ donation? Don’t forget to track your donations so your troop is entered into the Chloe and Halle Bailey Prize Package drawing!

During Skylar’s first year of Girl Scouts, Jamison did everything he could to help her earn badges. During her second year, one of Skylar’s troop leaders stepped down. Jamison jumped at the chance to become the new leader of Troop 13594, and with the approval of all parents, joined Dawn as a co-leader of the troop.

“The girls have done a great job accepting me,” says Jamison. “I believe that Dawn and I create a great dynamic environment for the girls.” Jamison’s background is in sports, the outdoors and astronomy, and tries to incorporate those skills into activities for the girls.

Jamison took his love for sports and the outdoors to camp last summer. “After clearing it with my daughter that I wouldn’t embarrass her, I took a week off work and attended Camp Elk River,” says Jamison. Before attending camp, he made sure the girls learned basic camping and outdoor skills to take with them. During their week at camp, he helped wherever he could.

Already excited to attend camp again this summer, Jamison describes it as, “A week’s worth of time off work on a vacation has no value compared to a week being at camp with the girls.”

Jamison balances his time between work and being a troop co-leader and treasurer for his Osseo service unit. It’s all worth it though. He reflects, “If I want her to succeed in life, it makes sense that I’m there for her now.”

Since Toys for Tots doesn’t reach as far north as their community, they created an initiative called Movie Mania Toy Drive, which is held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The local movie theater holds a private viewing of three movies with an admission fee of a toy donation. The toys are then given to the girls’ classmates.

The drive this year was extra special for the girls, because they planned everything on their own. They made arrangements with the movie theater, promoted the event to their local service unit and managed donations the night of the showing.

At the end of the night, the donation boxes were overflowing with more than 75 donated toys. Over the last five years, the girls have collected 500 items for boys and girls of Chisago County.

To book an outing for your troop, email Buck Hill or call 952-435-7174 and ask for group sales.

More details:

• The minimum age is 6.
• The troop must book through group sales, pre-pay and provide final numbers on the Wednesday of the previous week.
• The entire group must choose to either ski or snowboard and have a minimum of five people.
• The troop will need to check into the ski school at 6 pm for a lesson beginning at 7 pm

Buck Hill is located at 15400 Buck Hill Road, Burnsville, MN 55306.

Every Tuesday afternoon, anywhere from 15–30 girls gather for a Girl Scout troop meeting led by troop leaders Choua and Barbra. A ConnectZ Girl Scout troop, the girls meet in school at rotating time periods each week.

The Roseville High School Hmong Women’s Circle is similar to any other Girl Scout troop. They hold weekly meetings, participate in money-earning activities and have experiences geared toward high-school-aged girls. Throughout the year, they explore different topics such as healthy relationships and body image.

“I really enjoy Hmong Women’s Circle because we are a big girl group, and we can talk things out relating to our lives and culture and then solve them together; it really helps us bond,” explained Jojo, who has been a Girl Scout for two years.

One of the most valued aspects of every troop meeting is the opportunity to openly discuss age-appropriate topics. “We talk about a lot of stuff I didn’t learn about growing up,” says troop member Julie. “Choua is a reliable resource that we all look up to and can turn to for advice.”

The girls also explore college and career resources such as financial aid information, college tours and job shadow opportunities like one they recently participated in at 3M.

The year is just getting underway for this troop, but their lively meetings are already packed with discovering, connecting and taking action.

Bridging ceremonies are special events that signify a girl’s transition from one Girl Scout level to the next. In Zimmerman, MN this year, a bridging ceremony had special significance for Troop 13529 as they demonstrated leadership and the value of Girl Scout sisterhood. It all started with a little problem—how to get Cheradin’s wheelchair across a bridge that was too small.

Cheradin was using a wheelchair because she had surgery on both of her legs in March to fix tibia bones that did not straighten correctly after her birth. Cheradin is an incredibly active girl who plays hockey, was top cookie seller in her service unit this year, and has been top cookie seller in her troop since kindergarten. Her troop mates and troop leaders, Renee Leonard and Cassie Gallay, hatched a secret plan to get her across the bridge in true Girl Scout sister form.

The wheelchair was measured and it became obvious that it was too wide to wheel across the bridge. “We were trying to think of ways to get her across, like Renee would carry her, or I would get up and carry her, or my husband would carry her. And the girls of course said ‘No, we’ll carry her,’ ” Dee Ralph (Cheradin’s mom) laughed.

At rehearsal, Cheradin and her mom were surprised and touched to find out that Renee’s husband built a brand new bridge wide enough for the wheelchair to cross. The troop also decided that Cheradin would be the color guard so she would not be left out. But this was just part of the troop’s secret plan. More details would be revealed later at the ceremony.

The night of the ceremony, Renee told Cheradin that she would be last in her troop to cross the bridge. All of the girls in the service unit lined up, ready to take their turn and walk across. When it was time for Cheradin’s troop to cross, they all walked across one by one. Then the troop leader made an announcement, explaining that the troop never leaves anyone behind. And with that, every one of the girls in Cheradin’s troop walked back, stood behind her and pushed her up over the incline of the bridge.

Dee described her daughter’s reaction, “She was so excited and then she got all teary-eyed. It was very sweet.”

The ceremony marked the girls’ transition from Girl Scout Brownies to Girl Scout Juniors. It also demonstrated their courage, character and understanding of the true spirit of Girl Scouting. They took action to help and support a sister Girl Scout. “Isn’t that the epitomy of what we are teaching these girls to be?” Dee pointed out, “To care for each other?”

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.

In order to make the troop planning process as easy as possible, River Valleys replaced Program Essentials with Planning Guides this year. The online, interactive guides help you customize your year as your girls become well-rounded leaders through Journey awards, badges and patches.

Each skill-building area offers a variety of ways to engage in learning and earning, from completing activity plans to attending special badge-earning events. Using your grade level’s online Planning Guide is the easiest and most efficient way to ensure your troop has a successful year. Each award includes links to activity plans, events, the Girl Scout Shop and other supporting resources.

While the Planning Guides make planning simpler, they still include the wide variety of activities and awards available through Girl Scouts. In order to help each girl make the most of her experience, we expect all River Valleys’ troops to use the Planning Guides to carry out their activities this year.

Check back in early 2013 for a new way to report on activities and earn pins.

You’re the Expert!

Do you have ideas for activities girls can do as they work towards badges and Journey awards? We invite you to submit your ideas using our online form or template.

Note: The print version of the Girl Scout Junior Planning Guide includes incorrect images of the Journey awards and the Bridging to Girl Scout Cadettes badge. The online images are accurate.

Looking for a fun troop or family outing? Attend the Girl Scout Centennial exhibit at River Falls Public Library and complete some steps towards earning your Follow Me Girls history patch!

Celebrating 100 Years of Area Girl Scouting is a display of Girl Scout historical artifacts and memorabilia that covers the entire lower level of the library. It celebrates the first 100 years of Girl Scouts in the United States, with a focus on Girl Scouts in the area.

Library staff have all the information for the Follow Me Girls patch so girls can complete requirements while viewing the exhibit.

Check out library hours and information and attend the exhibit anytime from now through October 25. There is no admission fee for the gallery, which is generally open during regular library hours beginning at 10 a.m.

A number of local alumnae, including Centennial Honoree Mary-Alice Muraski, contributed items to the Girl Scout Centennial display. It was coordinated with strong support from River Valleys Heritage Committee members Bonna Scherer and Midge Andreas. An opening reception held on Sunday, September 30 was very well attended by Girl Scouts from the community.

If you have an interest in Girl Scout history, you won’t want to miss this fun, informative exhibit.

Register now to join your sister Girl Scouts on October 13 during Centennial Day of Service. While you take action to make the world a better place, you could win a trip for 12 to Waterpark of America. The overnight trip includes:

• A slumber party for 12 at the Radisson Bloomington Hotel
• Passes to the Water Park of America
• 100 arcade tokens

The registration deadline is today—Friday, October 5.

Centennial Day of Service cleanups and celebrations will take place across our entire region. Check them out on the Centennial Day of Service map.