Girl Scouts Meet America Ferrera

Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors met America Ferrera a few weeks ago after hearing her lecture at a UAB Latin Heritage Month event. Ferrera is best known for her roles in "Ugly Betty" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Ferrera also served as a spokesperson for the Girl Scouts/Dove self-esteem program, uniquely ME!.

To read more about Ferrera's lecture click here.

Girl Scouts Celebrate Founder's Birthday

Allison, a Brownie, and Kalli, a Daisy after
participating in the "cupcake smash."

By: Brittney Knox
Volunteer, writer

Girl Scouts from around Tuscaloosa filled First Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 15 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts by having a birthday party for founder Juliette Low.

“The girls had a chance to interact with other Girl Scouts and have a day of fun,” said Cortnie Morrow, program/camp specialist for the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama.

The day included activities such as learning “Happy Birthday” in sign language, singing songs and activity stations.

“I think the girls really enjoyed the activities and participated in them very well,” said Meredith McDonald, volunteer for the program, and elementary education major at the University of Alabama.

Cadette Hannah Foster said she enjoyed the activities and furthered her Girl Scout knowledge. 

“I learned more about Juliette Low and more about being nice to people,” she said.

Tammy Foster, parent, said she attended with her two daughters to help celebrate the birthday of the founder.

“My girls have learned so much about working in teams and increased their leadership skills,” she said. “They have had the opportunity to go so many places with Girl Scouts such as Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain.”

Call for 2012 Women Who Serve West Alabama

Event Part of Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary 

The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama (GSNCA) is now accepting nominations for the 2012 Women Who Serve West Alabama. Nominations are open to all women in Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Hamilton, Lamar, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter or Tuscaloosa counties who have made significant contributions in the aftermath of the April 2011 tornadoes. We are honoring women who served in the relief efforts and made a difference in the lives of the survivors and well-being of the community.

Nominations may be submitted by any individual, employer, civic organization or agency in West Alabama. Selection of awardees will be in December by a group of community leaders from across our Council.

Women chosen for this award will be recognized at the Women Who Serve West Alabama event in May. GSNCA will also present the Karen LaMoreaux Bryan Lifetime Achievement Award to a woman who has demonstrated a lifelong dedication to making the world a better place through service to her community. Prior affiliation with Girl Scouts is not required.

Application forms are available online at www.girlscoutsnca.org/womenwhoserve. The deadline for nominations is November 21, 2011. Girl Scouts has a history of honoring women who make the world a better place and hope you will join us as we recognize Women Who Serve.

For more information, please contact Leah Beth Downs at 800-734-4541 x1030 or ldowns@girlscoutsnca.org.

About Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama
For 100 years Girl Scouting has given every girl access to life-changing experiences that inspire her to do something BIG! For more information about how you can get involved, visit our 100th anniversary link at www.girlscoutsnca.org/100. Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama is a United Way community partner and serves more than 15,000 girls ages 5-17, and 5,000 volunteers in programs across 36 counties. For more information, call 800-734-4541 or log on to www.girlscoutsnca.org.

###

City of Birmingham Recycles Day, October 26 at Linn Park

The City of Birmingham Recycles Day Committee will host an event to allow citizens to recycle their Electronic Waste (including televisions) and Yellow Pages, taking place Wednesday October 26 from 6 a.m.–2 p.m. at Linn Park.

Accepted Items for Recycles Day:
Yellow Pages, Personal Computers, Televisions, Monitors, LCD TVs, Flat Screen Monitors, VCRs, Radios, Stereos, DVD players, Microwaves, Power Supplies, Rechargeable Batteries, Vacuums, Banking Equipment, Telephones, Pagers, Networking Equipment, Laptops, Keyboards, Mice, Power Cables, Non-Hazardous Medical Equipment, Printers, Copy Machines, Servers, Hubs, Ink Cartridges, Toner Cartridges, Remotes, Modems, Projectors, Cameras

Unaccepted Items for Recycles Day:
Refrigerators, Washers, Clothes Dryers, Dish Washers, Mercury Containing Devices (Thermometers, Fire Alarms), Hazardous Chemicals/Materials, Light Bulbs, Florescent Bulbs, Bio Waste

A drive-thru for recycling e-waste, Yellow Pages telephone books and cellular telephones will be available.

Linn Park is located at 710 20th Street North in Downtown Birmingham.

Do you know of opportunities like this happening in your community? Let us know, and we'll post the information here! 

Republished from www.mygreenbirmingham.com/my-city.

Laura Earns Silver Award

Troop 177 member Laura earned her Silver Award after establishing a eighth grade volunteer team to help out with school registration at Brocks Gap Elementary School (BGES). Laura was responsible for coordinating volunteers, registration day set-up, and communicating with the principals and the PTO. Through this project Laura improved her communication and public speaking skills. 

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. This award symbolizes a Girl Scout Cadette’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and community activities as she matures and works to better her life and the lives of others.

How 18 Girls Became 50 Million Women

The Girl Scouts organization has shaped the lives of more than 50 million alumnae alive today, among them many of our nation’s female leaders. A national poll of American women, in fact, found that two-thirds of women of professional achievement, and more than three-fourths of those who were deemed “women of distinction” had been Girl Scouts in their youth. The same poll found that more than four out of five successful professional women who had been Girl Scouts rated their Girl Scout involvement as helping them achieve later success.

In other words, the Girl Scouts stand for much more than cookies, camping and crafts. There is no other organization remotely comparable in size, experience and resources devoted to developing the leadership in girls. Kathy Cloninger, former CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, tells her story in the new book Tough Cookies: Leadership Lessons from 100 Years of the Girl Scouts.

Tough Cookies addresses one of our nation’s most underused resources: girls, and the women they ultimately can become. Kathy Cloninger makes a convincing case for the enormous untapped potential of America’s girls and issues a ringing call to action to girls, boys, parents, the business community and public to help females make a better, stronger and more prosperous future for all.

The Tough Cookies story is not only a celebration of leadership, citizenship, service, confidence and character, but a testament to a movement that continues to transform lives and multiply across the globe. The proceeds from Tough Cookies go to Girl Scouts of the USA. By buying your copy today you are helping us support our nation’s girls and our nation’s future. For more information, visit www.girlscouts.org/toughcookies.

Troop 87 Earns Bronze Award

Troop 87 members Grace, Kailian, Anna, Abby, Christina, Erin and Carolyn earned their Bronze Awards after they collected supplies for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. Not only did the girls collect items from designated donation sites, but they also added a personal touch to the project by making dog treats, cat toys and dog beds.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn. This award recognizes that a Girl Scout Junior has gained the leadership and planning skills required to follow through with a project that makes a positive difference in her community.

Troop 364 Members Earn Silver Award

Troop 364 members Julia and Shelby earned their Silver Award after creating no-sew blankets for chemotherapy and blood transfusion patients at Children’s of Alabama. To raise money for the project, the girls held a lemonade stand. Each girl was able to make & donate 11 blankets to the hospital.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. This award symbolizes a Girl Scout Cadette’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and community activities as she matures and works to better her life and the lives of others.

Troop 524 Earns Bronze Award

Troop 524 members Carrie, Lillian, Becca, Abby, Alex and Elizabeth earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award after giving the Crestline Girl Scout House a much-needed facelift. To raise money for the project, the troop participated in a charity garage sale benefiting Children’s of Alabama. With the funds raised through the garage sale, the girls were able to repair the ceiling, paint the walls, and replace broken soap and paper towel dispensers. In addition, each troop that uses the house was given their own wall panel for displaying artwork and projects. Other organizations that also use the house now have individual storage shelves.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn. This award recognizes that a Girl Scout Junior has gained the leadership and planning skills required to follow through with a project that makes a positive difference in her community.

Troop 529 Members Earn Bronze Award

Troop 529 members Hannah and Isabelle earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award after completing a service project for Hannah Homes Campus of King’s Home. After the girls determined which items were most needed by the women and children, the girls used their cookie sale profits to purchase toiletries and put together age-appropriate goodie bags for the children.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn. This award recognizes that a Girl Scout Junior has gained the leadership and planning skills required to follow through with a project that makes a positive difference in her community.

Mini Space Day Offers Opportunities for Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts recently participated in a mini-space day at the U.S. Space and Rocket center in Huntsville. They received a guided tour of Saturn V Hall and Rocket Park, a Discovery Theater presentation, watched an Imax movie and participated in a hands-on lab. They were also able to enjoy the climbing wall, Mars ride and hands-on Spark Lab. To see photos, click here.

Girl Scouts Cook Up a Tasty Treat

Girls from Troop 531 and Troop 501 spent the afternoon at Jones Valley Urban Farm learning about plants and healthy eating. Girls made pizzas and smoothies from fruits and vegetables found on the farm.

To view the full album, click here.

Call for 2012 East-Central Alabama Women of Distinction Nominees

The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama (GSNCA) is now accepting nominations for the 2012 East-Central Women of Distinction Awards. Nominations are open to all women in Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Jefferson, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega and Walker counties who have made a special contribution to their community through civic, academic or professional efforts.

In recognition of our 100 years, we will honor our East and Central Women of Distinction with one combined celebration on March 9, 2012. Nominations may be submitted by any individual, employer, civic organization or agency in East or Central Alabama. Selection of awardees will be in December by a group of community leaders from across our Council.

Women chosen for this award will be recognized at the annual Women of Distinction Luncheon in Birmingham on Friday, March 9, 2012. GSNCA will also present the Mildred Bell Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award for Central Alabama and the Frances E. Couch Lifetime Achievement Award for East Alabama. Each of these awards honors the memory of a beloved community leader whose contributions had far-reaching impact in their respective communities of Alabama. Prior affiliation with Girl Scouts is not required.

Application forms are available online at www.girlscoutsnca.org\wodeastcentral. The deadline for nominations is November 21, 2011. The Women of Distinction Awards Program is the premier fundraising event for GSNCA. All proceeds from the Luncheon directly support the Girl Scouts’ mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.

Nominations for North Alabama will open in January. Details for West Alabama coming soon.

For more information, please contact Margaret Ritchie at 205-453-9525 or mritchie@girlscoutsnca.org.

Girl Scouts Learn to Save Savvy

Representative Paul DeMarco visited the Girl Scouts’ Saving Savvy: Hands on Banking program on October 1 at the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama headquarters in Inverness. Girls learned the fundamentals of savings accounts and interest and were taught the importance of money management skills, the role of banks in helping people save money and understand interest and saving. To understand the interest in savings, girls make “monster” banks, performed a skit about how money changes hands, and held discussion using Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking materials.

Pictured R-L: Front Row: Sophia, Campbell, Ella Katherine, Ren, Maris and Allison. Back Row: Katherine Ann, Mary Morgan, Representative DeMarco and Patsy. Girls attend St. Francis Xavier Catholic School and are part of the Mountain Brook Service Unit.