Cookie Booths! How Your Troop Can Plan & Host One!

The Girl Scout Cookie Program has been transforming girls into G.I.R.L.s (Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders) since 1917, when Muskogee, OK saw the first-known sale of cookies by Girl Scouts. 

Cookie Booths have been a common sales technique since the early 1950's, when Girl Scouts were setting up stands in the malls that were emerging across the country. 

At a Cookie Booth, Girl Scouts sell cookies at area venues – popular areas include area stores, their churches, local community events, etc. It's a great way for girls to practice their leadership and financial literacy skills while working together as a team. 

Downloadable Cookie Booth Resources

Helpful Hints to Volunteers: 

(from the Volunteer Cookie Manual)

Where Can a Troop Have a Cookie Booth?

Troops can hold cookie booths at local businesses, their place of worship, community events, gas stations, etc.  Troops should contact all venues for permission before setting up their booth. 

Due to high demand for these spaces, Service Unit Cookie Managers will schedule the following venues: Wal-Mart, Rural King, Lowes', Flying J, Love's and Travel Centers. 

The information for these sites will be uploaded into eBudde as Council Booth sites, but troops can secure any other business or location in their own Service Unit area.  Troops must stay within their Service Unit jurisdiction; however that does not mean that troops have to stay in the town they are from.  

Selling in another Service Unit is only allowed with written approval - troops must fill out a form and submit with a seven day grace period for approval. Troops must also visibly display their troop number and service unit at their booth location. 

Enter Your Cookie Booths Into eBudde

Troops need to enter their cookie booth information in eBudde under "My Sales."   Customers are looking for Girl Scout Cookies - help them and help your troop by making your cookie booth easy to find!  Information entered into eBudde helps GSSI direct customers to your booth, makes it easy for local media to share and lets people utilizes Girl Scouts' national Cookie Finder app to get cookies. 

How to Order Cookie Booth Cookies 

1.  Log in to eBudde 
2. Go to the Transaction tab 
3. Click Add a Transaction 
4. In the Pickup box, choose a date and time. NEW - Cupboard Hours of Operation will now be shown when placing booth cookies. 
5. In the 2nd Party box, Cupboard needs to be selected. In the next box, choose the cupboard in which you plan on picking up your cookies. 
6. Enter your troop order. Make sure you put your order in as cases unless you are filling Goal Getter or Girl Delivery cookies. 
7. Click Save/Print. Please take this receipt with you when you pick up the cookies

No Cookie, Cookie Booth

Troops can even set up a cookie booth without the actual cookies!   Use media coverage around National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend to collect donations to send cookies to the U.S. Military through Operation: Sweet Treats donations. There is no inventory to manage and sales count towards girl rewards and troop proceeds! 

1. Contact your local place of worship or mom and pop stores in your community. You may not contact any businesses listed on the eBudde booth scheduler. 
2. Set up the date and time to attend. 
3. Customers support your troop and Operation: Sweet Treats; you collect funds for those donations at the booth. 
4. Enter your No Cookie, Cookie Booth in eBudde as a non-council sponsored cookie booth. 

To get ideas on where to hold your cookie booth or to find out some best practices, contact our Product Program team at nutsandcookies@gsofsi.org or hop on Leaders Lounge to hear from experienced GSSI volunteers. 

GSSI Teams Excel at FIRST LEGO League State Tournament

Three Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois robotics teams excelled while competing among 64 teams participating in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Central Illinois State Tournament at University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana on Saturday, January 28. 

FLL is a robotics program for 9 to 14 year olds which is designed to get children excited about science and technology, as well as teach them valuable life skills. Along with programming robots, teams are also evaluated on an elaborate research project, as well as how well they demonstrate FLL Core Values, which include teamwork, collective learning, active participation and gracious professionalism. After practicing and preparing for months, teams meet at regional qualifying tournaments to be graded on the three elements, with top teams advancing to state competition.

How GSSI teams excelled at the FLL Central Illinois State Tournament: 

GIR! with the Research Award trophy

GIR! from Staunton won the Research Award, which FLL states “recognizes a team that utilizes diverse resources to formulate an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the problem they have identified. 

SWAT next to their presentation board detailing their project. 

SWAT from Troy was a finalist for the Project Award, for their excellent research project. 

Purple Robot Penguins getting ready for the robot game. 

Purple Robot Penguins was a finalist for the Core Values Award, which recognizes teams that exemplify “the fundamental elements that distinguish FIRST LEGO League” and include teamwork, active participation, friendly competition and gracious professionalism.

2016-17 FLL Season in Review

This year, 12 GSSI teams from Albers, Alton, Anna, Belleville, Chester, Mt. Olive, O’Fallon (4), Staunton and Troy participated in FLL robotics. GSSI’s metro-east robotics teams are sponsored by The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, which awarded GSSI a $25,000 grant to support GSSI’s STEM initiatives in Jersey, Macoupin, Madison and St. Clair Counties. This grant is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund focused on strengthening the Greater St. Louis community, where Monsanto Fund and Monsanto Company are headquartered.

See 2016 FLL Photos 

Robotics teams are a vital part of GSSI's commitment to providing engaging science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs to girls in southern Illinois.  Other activities girls can explore includes wiring circuits, exploring forensics, conducting chemistry projects and more.  To ensure that even more girls have the chance to take advantage of these future-building opportunities, GSSI has integrated STEM activities into its outreach programs – which bring Girl Scouting to girls in underserved populations, such as low income neighborhoods, housing projects, rural communities and even detention centers.

About Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

Sarah Eversman from Swansea Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Sarah Eversman from Swansea has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Plastic Caps, Sarah wanted to improve her school’s landscaping and show the importance of recycling to the environment. According to Sarah, she collected over 400 pounds of recycled plastic bottle caps and had a bench made for her school. She and her dad built an additional wood bench for extra seating. Finally, she created two new flower beds at her school to finish off the new and fresh look. 

This Girl Scout Gold Award project was a rewarding experience for Sarah. “Through my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I learned that anyone can make a difference in their community.”

Sarah is the daughter of Edward and Claire Eversman. She is currently a Senior at Belleville East Township High School. Sarah has been a Girl Scout for 7 years.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Robotics Teams Headed to State Tournament

This Saturday, three Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) robotics teams will compete at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Illinois State Tournament at University of Illinois in Champaign: GIR! from Staunton, Purple Robot Penguins from O’Fallon and SWAT from Troy. 

FLL is a robotics program for 9 to 14 year olds which is designed to get children excited about science and technology, as well as teach them valuable life skills. Along with programming robots, teams are also evaluated on an elaborate research project, as well as how well they demonstrate FLL Core Values, which include teamwork, collective learning, active participation and gracious professionalism. After practicing and preparing for months, teams meet at regional qualifying tournaments to be graded on the three elements, with top teams advancing to state competition.

GIR! and SWAT qualified for the state tournament during the regional tournament held Dec. 3 at Henning Elementary School in Troy. In addition, SWAT won Top Table Performance Award and GIR! won the Champion’s Award for their overall top performance. Purple Robot Penguins qualified for the state tournament during the regional tournament held Dec. 10 at Carriel Jr. High in O’Fallon. The team also won the Champions Award. 

"The girls and volunteer coaches headed to state have a lot to be proud of," said GSSI STEM Program Manager Mary Buchanan.  "It takes a lot of dedication and teamwork to compete in FLL,and our teams have all put in time and the effort."  

This year, 12 GSSI teams from Albers, Alton, Anna, Belleville, Chester, Mt. Olive, O’Fallon (4), Staunton and Troy participated in FLL robotics. GSSI’s metro-east robotics teams are sponsored by The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, which awarded GSSI a $25,000 grant to support GSSI’s STEM initiatives in Jersey, Macoupin, Madison and St. Clair Counties. This grant is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund focused on strengthening the Greater St. Louis community, where Monsanto Fund and Monsanto Company are headquartered.

"It's great seeing all the confidence and leadership that the girls build, along with the technical skills that they learn.  Girls from our first year of having a robotics team have been reporting back to us how much these experiences have helped them be better prepared as they get ready for college and their future career paths." 

See 2016 FLL Photos 

Robotics are a vital part of GSSI’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programming, which continues to be a progressive and forward-thinking initiative that has grown exponentially in recent years. GSSI has dedicated staff and volunteers who develop the STEM program through research, collaborator cultivation, training and hands-on experience. GSSI strives to offer diverse and high-quality STEM programming, such as simple circuit wiring, programming robots, exploring forensics and more. To ensure that even more girls have the chance to take advantage of these future-building opportunities, GSSI has integrated STEM activities into its outreach programs – which bring Girl Scouting to girls in underserved populations, such as low income neighborhoods, housing projects, rural communities and even detention centers. 

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is a high-capacity Girl Scout council serving approximately 13,000 girls and almost 4,500 adult volunteers in 40 ½ counties in southern Illinois. Girl Scouting has inspired more than 50 million girls and women since its founding in 1912. Today, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. is the largest voluntary organization for girls in the world. Its sole focus is to meet the needs of all girls (ages 5-17) from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Today’s Girl Scouts not only enjoy camping and crafts, but they also explore math and science and learn about diversity, good citizenship, leadership and teamwork. Girl Scouting is the place where girls experience the fun, friendship and power of girls together. 

About Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Receives Donation from GCS Credit Union

Thank you to GCS Credit Union for your donation that will help us continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.  

Donations help Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois continue to provide quality girl programming, adult training, outdoor experiences and financial assistance so that any girl can have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout, regardless of her family's financial situation. 

Volunteers! Display Your Outdoor Skills Expertise with our Trained Leader Patch & Charms!

Through outdoor experiences, girls build self reliance and confidence, expand their horizons and experience the wonder of the natural world.  Not to mention - they have a great time with friends

You should be proud of all you do to help girls have fun and build new skills and leadership in the great outdoors!  Put your expertise on display with our new "Trained Leader" patch and charms set. 

To earn the charms, volunteers first must complete the certification for each subject.  Once completed, fill out the order form on our website to build your "Trained Leader" charm collection!  Then proudly display your patch and charms on your jacket or vest, on a tote bag you use for Girl Scouts - anywhere that makes you feel good about the amazing things you do for girls every day! 

Upcoming Adult Trainings:

First Aid/CRP/AED

Feb. 4 from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. at St. John's United Church of Christ in Trenton

Camping In

Feb. 11 from 8-9 a.m. at Camp Chan Ya Ta in Worden

Feb. 18 from 8-9 a.m. at Camp Torqua in Edwardsville

April 23 from 8-9 a.m. at Camp Wassatoga in Effingham

April 29 from 8-9 a.m. at Touch of Nature in Makanda

Camping Out

Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Camp Chan Ya Ta in Worden

Feb 18 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Camp Torqua in Edwardsville

April 23 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Camp Wassatoga in Effingham

April 29 from 9 a.m. - 3  p.m. at Touch of Nature in Makanda

Archery

Feb. 11 from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. at Camp Chan Ya Ta in Worden

Feb. 18 from 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. at Camp Torqua in Edwardsville

April 23 from 3:15-4:15 p.m. at Camp Wassatoga in Effingham

Troop Camping Selected as Girls' Choice Badge Winner

Girls have spoken! The winning Girls’ Choice badge topic for 2017 is in and the next Girls’ Choice badge will be Troop Camping! What a great way to build go-get-‘em problem-solvers, encourage challenge-seeking, and expose girls to new experiences as they grow their skills, confidence, and character.

Thank you to all the girls who voted and the adults who helped them do so. 

Badge requirements will be available for download on June 15, 2017; badges and printed requirements will be in council shops by August. Keep an eye out for the badge design poll, which will be open from February 13 to 17.

Sarah Goldacker from Glen Carbon Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Sarah Goldacker from Glen Carbon has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called An Old Spin on a New Trick: Teaching Art to Senior Citizens, Sarah wanted to share her love of art with others in the community in a way that would benefit their well-being. Having a desire to help the elderly, Sarah learned that art classes can help to cope with the onset of dementia. In the hope of relieving boredom and increasing cognitive ability by learning new skills, she knew that teaching art classes at nursing homes is what she wanted to do for her project. 

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Sarah learned that giving back to others benefits all those involved. “Through this project I not only found a way to give my art back to people, but I really grew as a person,” said Sarah. “My people skills are far better now that I’ve done this project, and I like to think I’ve made an impact on each person I taught,” she added.

Sarah is the daughter of Don and Debra Goldacker. She is a senior at Edwardsville High School. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Art and Design. Sarah has been a Girl Scout for 13 years.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.

Annual Meeting 2017 Save the Date

SAVE THE DATE:

GSSI’s 8th Annual Meeting  and All That Glitters - April 1, 2017

Holiday Inn, Mt. Vernon

Girl Scout Silver Award Paperwork Due By Feb. 6

Girl Scout Silver Award paperwork is due by Feb. 6 to be included in the 2017 All That Glitters award ceremony on April 1 at Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon. 

Please submit all forms to Courtney Schaefer at girlawards@gsofsi.org. 

Introduced in 1980, the Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award girls in grades 6-8 can earn. It is symbolic of accomplishments in Girl Scouting and community activities, as a girl becomes her best self and builds the world around her. The Girl Scout Silver Award represents a girl's accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others.

Girls typically spend a minimum 50 hours working on their projects, after the completion of a Girl Scout Journey and project approval.

Dakota Smallie from Granite City Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Dakota Smallie from Granite City has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

The idea for Dakota’s Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Pontoon Beach Patchwork Garden, was sparked from a brainstorming session she had with a group of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. The group discussed the issues of hunger and nutrition, and Dakota thought a community garden would be a great way to address both issues. In addition to starting and maintaining the garden, Dakota provided education on the topic to elementary school students as well as other Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. 

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Dakota learned important life skills that she will be able to use throughout her life. “The most important thing I have learned through Girl Scouting is that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to,” said Dakota.

Dakota is the daughter of Scott and Nancy Smallie. She is currently senior at Granite City High School and, upon graduation, plans to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering. Dakota has been a Girl Scout for 12 years.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, recognizes a Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador must design and carry out a project that fulfills a need within a girl’s community, creates change, and is sustainable. The project must be completed with a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. Only about 5 percent of eligible girls earn the prestigious Gold Award.

It's a Good Time to THINK CAMP! Registration for Summer Girl Scout Camp Open Now!

Daydreaming of sunny days and warm weather?  You're in luck - you can start planning for summer camp now!  Girl Scout Camp registration is open! 

Girl Scout Camp is a fantastic place for girls to make friends, go on new adventures, enjoy the outdoors and just plain have fun! 

Resident Camp

This year GSSI has partnered with Touch of Nature (on Little Grassy Lake in Makanda) and Camp Ondessonk (in Ozark, IL) to give girls three amazing opportunities!  

Camp Ondessonk Week Long Camp 

July 16-22, 2017 (deadline 3/1)

Touch of Nature Mini Camp

July 26-29 (deadline 5/24)

Touch of Nature Week Long Camp

July 30-Aug.5 (deadline 5/24)

Resident Camp Details & Registration

Day Camp

GSSI has 19 Day Camps taking place across our council this summer with a wide variety of fun themes including learning about nature, taking on STEM projects, living out popular movies and books and much more!  

Day Camp Details & Registration

Invite a Friend to Girl Scouts, Get a $50 Gift Card

Girl Scouts' Invite-a-Friend promotion runs until Jan. 31!  

You still have time to invite a friend to do something incredible - to start a new Girl Scout troop and change girls' lives!   Everybody wins!  You get a $50 gift card to spend in Girl Scouts' online shop and your friends' new troop gets and awesome resource kit.  Best of all, girls get a fantastic new role model! 

Has your friend joined Girl Scouts as a troop leader and started a new Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, or Junior troop? Great!  You're ready to redeem your award!

When you double the friends, you double your prize: $100 for you and a Volunteer Resource Pack (a $50 value) for each friend. 

Questions? We're here for you. Email us. 

Please review official Terms and Conditions 

Get the News You Need on GSSI's Blog!

The News You Need
Get all the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois news you need right here on the GSSI Blog!  Along with our website, www.gsofsi.org, our blog is the best place to find the most up-to-date information, breaking news, great Girl Scout stories and more!

Around the Council 

Share what your troop has been up to for our "Around the Council" & "Around the Council in Photos" feature!  Share photos, information including troop number, level and area, and a few sentences describing recent experiences. E-mail to Communications & Marketing Manager Erin Johnson at ejohnson@gsofsi.org.  It's a great way to share tips and ideas with your fellow Girl Scout troops, as well as let the community know what amazing things Girl Scouts are doing in their area!

Don't Miss Upcoming Programs & Volunteer Trainings

Watch our online program calendar to see all of the great program and adult training opportunities we have to offer!

Social Media

Connect to the GSSI community through social media!  Here's where you can find us:

Facebook 
Leaders Lounge Facebook Group
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
LinkedIn
YouTube

Daisies, Brownies & Their Families Invited to Life Sized Puppetry Performance at McKendree

Girl Scout Daisies & Brownies, along with their families and troop leaders are invited to attend a life sized puppetry performance by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia on Feb. 11 at the Hett at McKendree University in Lebanon, IL.  GSSI reserved seating is in the first six rows of the auditorium! 

An imaginative blend of puppetry and striking scenic effects bring to life children's storybook favorites by Eric Carle, including "The Very Hungry Catepillar," "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," and "Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me."  See Video

Girl Scouts who register through the council will have a "Meet and Greet" with the cast and puppeteers after the performance and will receive a special Girl Scout Hett activity patch and Brown Bear slap bracelet.  

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2017

Sessions: 11 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. or 2-3:45 p.m.

Location: The Hettenhausen Center for the Arts at McKendree University, Lebanon, IL

Cost: $7 for girls & siblings (includes "Meet & Greet", activity patch and slap bracelet) and $15/adult

Deadline: Jan. 19

Register online through the links above or fill out a paper registration form and return to:

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois

E-mail: programregistrations@gsofsi.org

Fax: 618.629.0685

Mail: #4 Ginger Creek Parkway, Glen Carbon, IL 62034

For more information, please contact Program Manager Carolyn Miener at cmiener@gsofsi.org or 618.692.0692, ext. 1113. 

Kick Off the New Year With Girl Scouts' Brand New Anthem: "Let Me Shine"

Ring in the new year to a new tune!  

This summer Liz Rose, songwriter and two-time Grammy award winner, and Emily Shackelton, singer/songwriter on the popular TV show Nashville, combined their awesome skills to write “Watch Me Shine,” our new, inspiring Girl Scout anthem.  

With the help of three remarkable girls from Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, and their mom, Juliet Shavit (cofounder of Breakthrough Music and business producer on the song), Liz and Emily (the vocalist on the song) were able to make “Watch Me Shine” come to life to inspire millions of girls around the country—amazing!

We hope that “Watch Me Shine” will inspire you to lead like a Girl Scout, and awaken the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-Taker, Leader) in you, regardless of your age, gender, or background. There’s an opportunity for anyone and everyone to get involved!

Download “Watch Me Shine” Now: iTunes | Amazon | Google Play | Girl Scout Shop