Winter 2012-2013 Newsletter
In This Issue:
- A Letter from Our CEO
- News Flash!
- Introducing Girl Scouts to the Careers of the Future
- Making a Difference
- Juliette Low Society
- Cookies
- Save the Date
- Funder Profile: The New York Community Trust
- To Help People at All Times
- Our 2011-2012 Supporters
At Girl Scouts, we make the unshakeable promise to help people at all times.
Recently, this promise was put to the test by Superstorm Sandy and the terrible devastation it left in its wake.
New York City Girl Scouts of all ages rose to the challenge. They donated clothing, helped clear debris, and delivered supplies and food, making a difference for families and communities. Their efforts are a demonstration of leadership and compassion.
It is this kind of initiative and commitment that we celebrate with the kick-off of our 100th anniversary. Our girls have shown that after 100 years of service, we continue to develop girls of courage, confidence and character.
As we look forward, we are excited about expanding programming and opportunities to even more New York City girls - from every corner, in every borough, in public and private schools, in public housing, and in houses of worship.
In 2013 we'll launch our Leadership Institute with Barnard College, expand our pilot after-school STEM mentoring program with The New York Academy of Sciences, and pursue a more robust advocacy agenda. And, in the process we will help girls build an even stronger foundation to succeed.
It is the loyalty of our many friends in the community - volunteers, supporters, educators and other partners - who make these opportunities possible for our girl members. Thank you for your support and friendship.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Barbara Murphy-Warrington
Chief Executive Officer
- $1 Million raised at our 2012 gala!
- Cyber-Bullying Bill Passed: We are proud to have been part of the New York State Legislative Network advocacy efforts to support this legislation.
- 7th straight year of growth! We now serve 26,500 girls with the support of over 9,200 volunteers.
- Success: Our 20th annual Women of Distinction event was our most successful yet - with 611 attendees and more than $339,000 raised!
Introducing Girl Scouts to the Careers of the Future
In the past ten years, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs have increased in the United States at three times the pace of non-STEM jobs - a trend that is projected to continue into the foreseeable future. Yet only 20% of young women in college intend to major in a STEM field, compared to 50% of young men.
We're working to reverse this trend and give our girls a head start as they enter college. There is encouraging news! According to recently-released research by The Girl Scout Research Institute,
- Girls like STEM - 74% of teen girls are interested in STEM
- Girls are more interested in STEM fields if they have greater exposure to STEM through someone in a STEM career or through STEM extracurricular activities.
In response, we have expanded our STEM programming in partnership with The New York Academy of Sciences, Deep Earth Academy, and the New York Hall of Science. We are confident that these programs will open the door for our girls to the job and economic opportunities of the future.
It doesn't take a disaster for members of our Girl Scout family to make a difference. Our Girl Scouts and our amazing volunteers make a difference every day. They are an inspiration to all those who will follow in their footsteps.
Toni Morrissette supported her Staten Island Cadette troop through 200 hours of Superstorm Sandy-related relief efforts, which included collecting donations, running a supply stand, and organizing guest volunteers. Toni is now helping plan future relief efforts, including planting flowers in hard-hit neighborhoods. But, Toni did not stop there. Toni is collecting Girl Scout care packages from around the country and distributing them to Girl Scouts affected by the storm. Toni has been volunteering for the Girl Scouts of Greater New York for four years, and this is but one example of how she is making a difference - both for the girls and the greater community. (Pictured: Back: Abigail Morrissette; front left to right: Victoria August, Gabriella Sasso, Kaitlyn Mattera, Alexandra Piazza from Troop 5237, Erin and Cathy Moulton, Mary Jane Meconi, Toni Morrissette)
Asha Wills, our 2012 Future Woman of Distinction, is a leader who has been making a difference in her community and beyond for 13 years. Asha is active in her church and school communities, plays lacrosse and is on the swim team. She is her troop's top cookie seller and edits her school's literary magazine. As part of her Gold Award project, she created a multi-pronged program to encourage younger students to become more enthusiastic about school and college. Asha plans to attend college in the fall to study medicine. (Pictured: Asha Wills, center, with fellow 2012 Women of Distinction honorees Tracey Gray-Walker , Claudia Poccia, Asha Wills, Stephanie Breslow, Linda Gadsby, and Carol Sawdye)
The Juliette Low Society Secures the Future of Girl Scouting
Named for Girl Scout Founder Juliette Gordon Low, who sold her beloved pearl necklace to fund the Girl Scout movement in its early days, the Juliette Low Society honors forward-thinking individuals who have included the Girl Scouts of Greater New York in their estate plans.
Janet Nettleton Otto
Board Member for 10+ years, Juliette Low Society Chair, and member of the Finance Committee and Fund Development Steering Committee
"Over the years, I have seen how Girl Scouting changes the lives of New York City girls - helping them grow into tomorrow's leaders by building their courage, confidence and character. As we celebrate our 100th Anniversary, joining the Juliette Low Society is the perfect opportunity for those who are passionate about our mission to help secure the future of Girl Scouting for the next 100 years."
Dawn McEvoy
Juliette Low Society Member, Troop Leader, Service Unit Manager, and Bronx Program Committee Chair
"I joined the Juliette Low Society because it was a very simple and easy way to show my love for and commitment to the Girl Scouts. I want to be sure when I am no longer here that there is something left from me for them."
To learn more about the society and the many ways you can join, please contact Jill Scibilia at 212.645.4000 x247.
- 1,226,006 Boxes of Cookies Sold in 2012: A Record Number!
- Our 2013 Goal: Up 6% Citywide
- Cookie sales kicked off on December 14th
Girl Scout cookies are much more than a delicious treat. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest, most successful business and entrepreneurship program for girls. Through the sale of Girl Scout Cookies, girls learn essential business skills such as goal setting, decision making, and more.
Ambassador Girl Scout Regan Sims (left) is more than just a Girl Scout cookie seller. She also is one of the new faces of the national Girl Scout Cookie advertising campaign. Regan has been with the Girl Scouts for 7 years, and is currently working on her Gold Award project. She writes poetry and plans to turn her interest in performing arts and Earth and Planetary Sciences into a career as a meteorologist. She credits the Cookie Program with teaching her the people skills that will be essential to a successful career.
Girl Scout Gala: Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting in New York City
Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 6:30pm
The Waldorf=Astoria
Annual Juliette Low Society Reception & Induction Ceremony
Monday, May 13, 2013
Bridge Crossing: Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting in New York City
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Wards Meadow on Randall's Island
Starting point will be at the Manhattan Side of the 103rd Street pedestrian bridge (Wards Island Bridge)
Why The New York Community Trust Supports the Girl Scouts of Greater New York
Since 1924, The New York Community Trust, through the generosity of its donors, has built a permanent endowment to make the City a vital place in which to live, work, and play for all its residents.
Through the fund she set up in The Trust by will, Mildred Anna Williams' commitment to girls and young women lives on. The Trust has carried out her philanthropy by making grants to many effective nonprofits, including the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, which we have supported for decades.
The Trust is proud to fund programs that are educating, motivating, and helping girls and young women fulfill their dreams and become leaders in their communities.
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Girl Scouts from all corners of our council stepped forward to help those in need.
Above left: Brooklyn Girl Scouts made hot meals and assembled hygiene kits for displaced veterans. Above right: Cadette Girl Scout Troop 5327 from Staten Island helped members impacted by Sandy begin the cleanup effort. Below: Girl Scouts in Queens held a bake sale to benefit those affected by the storm.
We are grateful to our friends and partners for their support in 2012. Click HERE to download a list of our supporters.
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Tomorrow's the last opportunity to register in person for the Bridge Crossing on June 2! If you haven't registered yet, come by our 23rd St office. Have you gotten your shirt and badge yet?
One of our Bronx Girl Scouts, Tiffany, at this Saturday's celebration of GSGNY's 100th anniversary at Yankee Stadium.
LAST DAY FOR COOKIES! Visit a Cookie Cupboard location today to stock up before the fall. Thank you to everyone who supports the Girl Scout Cookie Program every year. Girl Scout Cookies Pop-Up Shops in each of the five boroughs are now open, and will continue through May 16, 2013, except for our Bronx location, which will close on Thursday May 9, 2013. www.girlscoutsnyc.org
Check out this wonderful piece about our 100th anniversary gala: http://causeceleb.newsvine.com/_news/2013/05/01/18001962-girl-scouts-of-greater-new-york-mean-more-than-just-cookies?lite Cause Celeb highlights a celebrity’s work on behalf of a specific cause. This week, Sandra Lee and Trish McEvoy talk about their work with Girl Scouts of Greater New York. 2012 marked Girl Scouts of America’s 100th anniversary, and this year The Girl Scouts of Gre … causeceleb.newsvine.com
One of our newest exhibitors for the Bridge Crossing that we're excited has decided to join us on June 2, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian has a free event this weekend that you should definitely consider checking out. The culture and traditions of Native Hawai’i reverberate during Aloha Days, Saturday May 18th & Sunday May 19th, 12 pm-5 pm at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, located at 1 Bowling Green across from Battery Park. Performances and hula workshops will feature Hālau O ‘Aulani, a Hawaiian dance troupe. Kids will have the opportunity to stamp traditional kapa designs on a tote bag, make cloth leis, and kukui-nut bracelets. For more about the museum, visit http://nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/ The National Museum of the American Indian–New York is located within the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. The museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions—as well as a range of public programs, including music and dance performances, films, and symposia—explore the diversity of the Na... nmai.si.edu
Why does Caitlin from troop 6127 need Girl Scouts? *** To submit your own reason for "Why Girls Need Girl Scouting", simply copy the URL listed below into your browser, print out the document it contains and write in black marker - in no more than 6 words - why YOU need Girl Scouts! Then have your troop leader take a close-up of you holding the paper in front of your left shoulder and mail it to us at katrin@anatgerstein.com (include your name and troop #). Thanks for participating! http://www.girlscoutsnyc.org/uploaded/files/Girls/INeedGS.pdf
Catch-Up Cookie Campaign Form 2012-2013, 8 days ago
Did you have newly registered Girl Scouts that participated in the Catch-Up Cookie Campaign? Make sure you fill out the electronic form on our website - linked below - so they're eligible to receive rewards. Forms must be submitted by May 20th so complete it today. girlscoutsnyc.wufoo.com
LAST week for Girl Scout Cookies! Make your appointments now for our Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island Cookie Cupboard locations. Thursday, May 16th will be your last opportunity to get Girl Scout Cookies before the fall. Please note that troops must make appointments to pick up orders at the Cookie Cupboard. Troop Leaders must present bank deposit receipts - not cash - at time of order pick up to receive order. Specific Cupboard locations have specific guidelines that must be followed. www.girlscoutsnyc.org
Our Board President Rose M. Littlejohn and CEO Barbara Murphy-Warrington have a special Mother's Day message. This Sunday is Mother's Day in the USA, a celebration of women who play a critical and central role in supporting and nurturing girls and enabling them to reach their full potential. Over the past 100 years,… www.girlscoutsnyc.org
All over New York, Girl Scouts are helping their communities and changing their lives with the money raised from Girl Scout Cookie sales. Tell us your story of how your troop is using the funds, and how your girls are doing things that never would have been possible without Girl Scout Cookies. Email your stories, photos, and videos to nathan@anatgerstein.com.
This film featuring the honorees of our 100th Anniversary Gala, Renee Haugerud, Michelle Lee, Sandra Lee and Trish McEvoy and our New York City Girl Scouts includes five chapters: "100 Year Commitment," "Global Citizens," "The Sky is the Limit," "Making a Difference" and "Today's Girls, Tomorrow's Leaders."
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting in New York City, this film featuring Girl Scout Board President Rose Littlejohn, CEO Barbara Murphy-Warrington and our New York City Girl Scouts, includes highlights from our first 100 years and then focuses on the importance of "making the history of tomorrow" today.
Trish McEvoy, Founder and CEO, Trish McEvoy Beauty hosted Girl Scouts and Volunteers in her New York City Studio in April 2013.
Thank you for being a friend to New York City's 26, 658 Girl Scouts.
Michelle Y. Lee, Northeast Regional President, Wells Fargo Bank, hosts a group of Girl Scouts at the Wells Fargo Learning and Development Center for a "Hands-on-Banking" Financial Literacy Lesson and an inspirational Career Presentation.
Renee Haugerud, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Galtere, hosts a troop of Brownie Girl Scouts in her offices and teaches them about global currency and the importance of being global citizens.
Sandra Lee, Childhood Hunger Advocate and Emmy and Gracie Award Winning TV Host with 300 Girl Scouts doing a park-clean up in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on April 6, 2013. Girl Scouts have made a 100 Year Commitment to keep this area of the park clean.
This webinar is designed for Alumnae, Parents, & Volunteers to get all of the info you need to lead girls in earning Girl Scouting's highest awards. Learn the requirements along with some interactive project planning activities to bring back to your girls.
As you may know, the Girl Scout Cookie Sale is the largest girl-led Business & Entrepreneurship program in the world. Through their cookie sales, Girl Scouts learn five essential skills that equip them to succeed in school, work and beyond: •Money Management •Decision Making •Goal Setting •People Skills •Business Ethics We have developed the Cookie University program as a way for girls to develop and build on these skills through engaging in fun, hands-on interactive activities centered around the Cookie Sale and learning from older girls, who have Cookie Sale experience, when possible. In Fall 2012, we launched our first-ever Cookie University and Cookie University Mentor Training. At Cookie University Mentor Training at ING Direct Café, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors had the unique opportunity to learn from and engage with professionals from a range of fields such as Business, Finance, Marketing, Customer Service and Sales. They learned about these fields and what it takes to work in them successfully. They also gained invaluable firsthand knowledge and skills that they can apply to selling cookies and planning for their future careers. Girls also worked together to design a plan for sharing their newfound knowledge and skills with Brownies at our Cookie University. At Cookie University at The Cooper Union, Brownies learned from Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors about how to succeed in their cookie sales. The older girls taught and mentored the Brownies and shared the invaluable knowledge and skills they gained at their workshop and their own cookie sales experiences. Brownies developed and built on their knowledge and skill sets in the areas of Goal-Setting, Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics. They "graduated" from Cookie University ready to tackle and excel in their entrepreneurial endeavors! In addition to offering these special initiatives, we have developed a Cookie University Mentor Training curriculum for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors (go to www.girlscoutsnyc.org to download curricula) and this webinar to help teach you to use the curriculum. Webinars and curriculum are also available for Daisies and Brownies, to be used in conjunction with this training on www.girlscoutsnyc.org and our YouTube channel. These curricula are meant to serve as guides for Troop Leaders and Parents to offer the Cookie University program either to their troops at their troop meetings or for them, their Borough Program Committee and/or Service Unit to organize their own Multi-Troop, Borough-Wide or Service Unit events.
As you may know, the Girl Scout Cookie Sale is the largest girl-led Business & Entrepreneurship program in the world. Through their cookie sales, Girl Scouts learn five essential skills that equip them to succeed in school, work and beyond: •Money Management •Decision Making •Goal Setting •People Skills •Business Ethics We have developed the Cookie University program as a way for girls to develop and build on these skills through engaging in fun, hands-on interactive activities centered around the Cookie Sale and learning from older girls, who have Cookie Sale experience, when possible. In Fall 2012, we launched our first-ever Cookie University and Cookie University Mentor Training. At Cookie University Mentor Training at ING Direct Café, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors had the unique opportunity to learn from and engage with professionals from a range of fields such as Business, Finance, Marketing, Customer Service and Sales. They learned about these fields and what it takes to work in them successfully. They also gained invaluable firsthand knowledge and skills that they can apply to selling cookies and planning for their future careers. Girls also worked together to design a plan for sharing their newfound knowledge and skills with Brownies at our Cookie University. At Cookie University at The Cooper Union, Brownies learned from Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors about how to succeed in their cookie sales. The older girls taught and mentored the Brownies and shared the invaluable knowledge and skills they gained at their workshop and their own cookie sales experiences. Brownies developed and built on their knowledge and skill sets in the areas of Goal-Setting, Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics. They "graduated" from Cookie University ready to tackle and excel in their entrepreneurial endeavors! In addition to offering these special initiatives, we have developed a Cookie University curriculum for Brownies (go to www.girlscoutsnyc.org to download curricula) and this webinar to help teach you to use the curriculum. Webinars and curriculum are also available for Daisies and for the Cookie University Mentor Training for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors on www.girlscoutsnyc.org and our YouTube channel. These curricula are meant to serve as guides for Troop Leaders and Parents to offer the Cookie University program either to their troops at their troop meetings or for them, their Borough Program Committee and/or Service Unit to organize their own Multi-Troop, Borough-Wide or Service Unit events.