Girl Scout Day at the Capitol Showcases the Power and Sisterhood of Girl Scouts Across Illinois

Girl Scout Troop #258 from Troy at Girl Scout Day at the Capitol

On April 28, Girl Scouts from across Illinois converged on Springfield for an awesome day of sisterhood!  We are grateful to Girl Scouts of Central Illinois for hosting "Girl Scout Day at the Capitol" each year and appreciative of all of the Girl Scout troops who represented Southern Illinois so well!   See photo album 

Just a few of the awesome pics!

Girl Scout Troop #879 from Alton, IL

Girl Scout Troop #8093 from Carterville, IL

Girl Scout Juliette from Paris, IL

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Alumna Madalyn Farrar Receives Truman Scholarship

2018 Truman Scholar Madalyn Farrar

Trinity College announced that Madalyn Farrar has received a prestigious Truman Scholarship for her leadership, public service and academic achievement.  An Edwardsville native, she was a member of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois through high school graduation and earned the Girl Scout Gold Award - the highest award in Girl Scouting - in 2015. She currently attends Trinity College as an anthropology major with an interest in "creating a healthy environment through public health policies." 

Farrar is one of 59 Truman Scholars for 2018, selected from an applicant pool of 756 nominated by 311 colleges and universities, a record number of institutions. Students were nominated by their institutions based on their history of leadership, public service, and academic achievement. Recipients of the Truman Scholarship receive a $30,000 scholarship toward graduate school and the opportunity to participate in professional development programming to help prepare them for careers in public service leadership.

"I am incredibly honored to become part of the Truman community and be connected to like-minded people who share my passion for public service. This award opens up many opportunities that will support my goals in public health and my career in public service,” said Farrar.

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Kaitlyn Barnett from Troy Earns the Governor's Volunteer Service Award for Work with Girl Scouts

(L-R): GSSI CEO Loretta Graham, Kaitlyn Barnett, GSSI Director of Development & Communications Kim Vrooman

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is proud to share that Kaitlyn Barnett has been named as a Governor’s Volunteer Service Awardee for her service to Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. The bipartisan Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service presents the Governor's Volunteer Service Awards. These awards recognize in​dividual volunteers through a statewide award program to highlight the importance of volunteerism and community service in the State of Illinois.

Kaitlyn Barnett is 17 years old and lives with her parents and sister in Troy. She attends Triad High School and participates in the Running Start Program at Southwestern Illinois College, where she will graduate with an Associate’s Degree in Arts and Science. Kaitlyn earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by completing a project called “Camp for Everyone”. With the help of local companies, Kaitlyn was able to make Girl Scout Camp Torqua accessible. In order to make the camp accessible, she installed a concrete ramp to the fire pit, a concrete sidewalk leading to the bath house, and an accessible rock trail. She has continues to volunteer in local service unit events and serves as a member of the Girl Scout Board. Kaitlyn is also a board member of Triad’s Science Club, Secretary for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and President of Holy Cross Lutheran’s Youth Group.


Kaitlyn notes, “Through the Girl Scout program, I have been given the opportunity to service Girl Scouts and my community. This has led me to earn this award. These Girl Scout programs have consisted of community Take Action projects, journey Take Action projects, Service to Girl Scouting bar, Community Service Bar and the GSSI Trifecta Award.” Kaitlyn has earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award, Girl Scout Silver Award, and Girl Scout Gold Award—the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award.

Welcome From Loretta Graham, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois' New CEO

Loretta Graham, Girl Scouts of Southern Ilinois' CEO 

I am extremely honored to have been selected as the New CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. I am boundlessly grateful to the Board of Directors who empowered me to lead Girl Scouting, and I can hardly keep in my impatience to get started.

I joined Girl Scouts in 1991, beginning my career with roles in membership and marketing before returning to South Carolina over 9 years ago. I lived in North Dakota for more than 25 years. My achievements in the nonprofit sector include working with communities to be a voice and face for girls, and developing volunteer programs and council activities.

In Girl Scouting, we reach out to our communities for support and in turn we are challenged to be a service to those communities. In the Girl Scout Law, we pledge: To be honest and fair, courageous, strong, responsible, and to make the world a better place. I will hold true to this pledge. Even through the hard times that we may have throughout the year, I will remain committed to meeting the needs and interest of girls, and developing leadership skills. There’s a statement that fits us perfectly: “The best way to prepare for the future is to have a hand in creating it." Having a hand in it is something we strive to do every day. Together we can help girls imagine what they can do, and help them develop the skills to make their dreams a reality.

When we work together as one unit, we hold the key to the future of our communities. I want the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois to continue to be a leader in this movement and be a vital part of the success to all girls in this council. I appreciate your courage and confidence in moving forward to make Girl Scouting available to every girl. Just look around and you will find a Girl Scout who is striving to reach her potential and you made that happen!!!

Now let us take a moment to think about the importance of delivering the Girl Scout program and educating the girls of this generation. Tomorrow's problems demand bright, hard-working individuals to solve them, and the only way we can create these individuals is by acting as one unified body to support GSSI. They depend on us for their continued strength to guide them on their journey.

If Girl Scouting stands for anything, it stands for the united spirit in all of us because we achieve and we achieve because we meet the challenges and experience triumphs together!

What we are doing today is planting seeds for our future.

So In my work as the CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois I pledge to adhere to the Girl Scout Promise and Law and to continue to implement and develop great programs for girls 5-17. 

Loretta Graham

Chief Executive Officer

We're Back! GSSI Blog to Feature Girl Scout Stories from Around Southern Illinois!

We're excited to announce that the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois blog is back!  Watch our blog for great Girl Scout stories from around Southern Illinois coming soon!