Girl Scouts of Southern
Illinois (GSSI) held its 5th Annual Meeting on April 5 at the Hilton Garden Inn
in O’Fallon. During the meeting,
approximately 300 Girl Scout members (adults and girls) from throughout
southern Illinois elected Board of Director members and received a “State of
the Council” report from Dixie Travelstead, GSSI Board of Director Chair, and
Villie M. Appoo, GSSI Chief Executive Officer. In addition, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois
recognized top Girl Scout volunteers which are the heart of Girl Scouting. GSSI’s 4,500 Girl Scout volunteers play an
instrumental role in providing leadership programming and opportunities for
more than 14,000 girls in southern Illinois.
Keynote speaker for GSSI’s annual meeting
was Dr. Sandra Magnus who was an astronaut from Belleville. During her speech, Dr. Magnus encouraged
girls to study hard, be dedicated to reaching their goals and to follow their
passions. Dr. Magnus also stressed the
importance of Girl Scouting and earning badges as a way for girls to try new
things and discover what their interests are.
Currently, Dr. Magnus is the Executive Director of the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which is the world’s largest
technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession, with more than
35,000 members in 79 countries.
As a girl, Dr. Magnus was a Girl Scout in
GSSI’s legacy council River Bluffs. In
2009, she talked with 100 local Girl Scouts from the International Space
Station via a satellite downlink provided by the Boeing Company. Not only did the girls get to ask Dr. Magnus
questions, but they got to see her working on the ISS and see a Girl Scout flag
floating behind her…a truly amazing and inspiring moment for local Girl Scouts.
