Girl Scouts Donate Cookies, Food to Local Charity

Girl Scout Junior Troop 287 of Thompson Intermediate School in Alabaster did more than just sell cookies during cookie season. They chose Manna Ministry as their charity for their Gift of Caring project, and they donated several cases of Girl Scout cookies to the ministry.

The girls also held a community food drive to benefit the charity. During their booth sale, Abbie, Molly, Alyssa, Shelby, Jessie, Gillian and Isabelle promoted the event with flyers that they passed out to individuals and local businesses. At the event, they collected three shopping carts full of food. The event was part of the girls' Take Action project to complete the Agent of Change Journey.

Girl Scouts Learn Sweet Science with Miss Hoover

On Saturday, March 16, Girl Scout Troop 208 had a science lesson from Miss Hoover, Briana Kinsey, while earning their Daring to Defeat Diabetes patch. They took part in experiments to learn about glucose, osmosis and diffusion, and about the roles of the pancreas and insulin in the body.

“The Girl Scouts were so excited about being in the lab and learning all about the science of glucose! They were so engaged and did not want the program to end!” said Kinsey. 

The program was part of the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiative, which seeks to ensure girls are educated in STEM-related fields to give them an edge when competing for an increasing number of STEM-related jobs. STEM topics help girls develop problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills. 

About STEM Advocacy 

Girl Scouts is committed to ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to explore and build an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The strength of our nation depends on increasing girls’ involvement in STEM. While the percentage of careers that require advanced STEM education increases, an alarmingly high percentage of girls lose interest in STEM subjects early in their development. If the United States is to maintain its competitive advantage in the global economy, we urgently need to ensure that our entire population of young minds, and especially girls, are educated in STEM fields. To learn more about our advocacy efforts, visit girlscoutsnca.org/advocacy.

Troop Volunteers Time on New Year's Eve

Older girls from Troop 20136 volunteered at "The Soup Bowl," a soup kitchen in Anniston, on New Year's Eve. The soup kitchen has been around for more than twenty five years, and serves hot meals free of charge to those in need.

Troop leader Valerie Jones said it was a project her troop felt strongly about from the beginning when they sat down to plan out their year. "This project was not to earn a badge or receive any type of recognition. It was simply their way of giving back to the community," said Jones. "This was a great experience and it really gave the girls a chance to connect with people in the community."

Girl Scout Troops often perform service projects in the community, whether or not the projects are part of the patch program. Troop 20136 is no exception.

"The girls enjoyed this project so much, they plan on doing it again in the near future," said Jones.

Pictured left to right are Taylor, Sabrina and Jessica from Oxford.

Girl Scouts Offer Expanded Opportunities

Volunteers Also Needed for 2012-2013

For over 100 years, Girl Scouts have been having fun while learning. Through our pathway opportunities, girls have opportunities to travel all over the country and internationally, explore science and technology, learn about finances and a healthy lifestyle, build valuable leadership skills and even learn about college. Girl Scout experiences are also, as much as possible, girl-led and encourage learning by doing.

Any girl age 5-17 can have real experiences like these through any of our six pathways. Girl Scout pathways allow girls to participate in Girl Scout programs through camp, traveling, a traditional troop setting, a virtual environment, a series of programs like our Yoga or Fancy Nancy series, or one-time events like our NASA space day or Juliette’s Jamboree. Girl Scouting is one of the most affordable extracurricular activities for girls. Scholarships are available for membership dues, camp scholarships and uniform insignia.

GSNCA has created some new activities for girls, including new travel opportunities such as trips to Savannah, GA; Gulf Shores and a European Tour.

“This is an exciting time to join Girl Scouting,” said Hilary Perry, director of communications and advocacy for GSNCA. “We’ve got more ways for girls to participate in programs through our six pathways, and we are improving volunteer services to include online training courses to make it easier to serve girls.”

GSNCA is always in need of troop leaders and other volunteers. Adults 19 or older both male and female, can help with programs, lead troops, volunteer with events, serve on committees, help at camp or work with girls virtually.

Visit girlscoutsnca.org/who-should-i-contact or call 800-734-4541 for more information.

About the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama
2012 is the Year of the Girl in recognition of our 100th anniversary! Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama is a United Way community partner and serves 15,300 girls ages 5-17 and 5,000 volunteers across 36 counties. For more information on becoming a member, volunteering or pathway opportunities, call 800-734-4541 or visit girlscoutsnca.org.