Sophia Ballard from Effingham Earns the Girl Scout Gold Award

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Sophia J. Ballard from Effingham has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Business Tree Bookshelf, Sophia wanted to impact young teens who had an interest in business. Due to budget cuts, the area’s junior high school business club was discontinued. Sophia participated in this club during junior high, and she wanted other students to still be able to have the benefit of learning about business as she had. She built a bookshelf that was designed to catch the attention of students and house informational books related to business.  She also donated some youth-oriented books on business topics.  Sophia partnered with the library, which will maintain the tree bookshelf in the future.

Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Sophia gained valuable leadership skills that she’ll be able to use throughout her life. “I learned that it takes a lot of hard work and patience to see a project through, beginning to end, and that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of family and friends,” said Sophia.

Sophia is the daughter of Ken and Deena Ballard. She is currently a junior at Effingham High School and 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.

Help Girls Become Super Sellers By Volunteering at Cookie College

Girls discuss branding during last year's Cookie College.

Help us make a difference!  Join us for our annual Cookie College on Saturday, Dec. 14.  The event, consisting of two educational sessions for approximately 150 girls per session, will be located at Kaskaskia College and will cover the following topics:  Meet my Customers, Cookie CEO, Business Plan, Research and Development, and Customer Loyalty.  We are seeking experienced businesswomen who will share insight on developing customer relationships, setting business goals, and researching competition.  Statistics show that girls who attend Cookie College sell more cookies than girls who do not attend.  Training materials will be provided.  See photos of last year's program.

Other Volunteer Opportunities:

Help Girls Prevent Bullying with BFF (Be a Friend First)

The BFF (Be a Friend First) Series is focused on bullying, self-esteem and healthy communication. Opportunities are available in many communities throughout southern Illinois.  Experience working with middle school children is helpful, but not necessary.  All curriculum and training is provided.

STEM Series Volunteers

Help girls develop skills in science, technology, engineering and math!  Girl Scout series are offered in a variety of formats in several locations throughout southern Illinois.  Learn more about GSSI's STEM program...

Office / Administrative Volunteers

We are seeking volunteers available to work at GSSI Service Centers in Glen Carbon or Mt. Vernon during the office hours of 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.  Assist with the behind the scenes work that helps to bring the valuable Girl Scout program to girls in our community.   Hours are flexible based on your schedule. Duties may include data entry, preparing mailings, answering phones, etc.

Retail $hop Volunteers

GSSI's Council Shop is looking for volunteers to assist with operations during the regular hours of 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, as well as the occasional Saturday morning. Duties would include stocking inventory, creating and maintaining displays, managing inventory, contacting customers and researching vendors.

Does your workplace offer an Employee Volunteer Program?

GSSI is looking to build partnerships with companies and organizations that offer an Employee Volunteer Program. If you work for or know of a workplace that offers a program like this, please contact Amanda at akaemmerer@gsofsi.org and we will take care of the rest!


To volunteer with GSSI, please contact Volunteer Services Manager Amanda Kaemmerer at 800.345.6858 or by e-mail at akammerer@gsofsi.org. 

Jessica Stanley: Why Girl Scout Product Programs Matter to Me

Jessica Stanley, Product Program Manager

I just turned 30 years old as the Fall Product Program was ending and it made me take a step back and remember all of my experiences in life thus far.   I graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a Bachelors of Science in Marketing.  I remember being a freshman in college and being so overwhelmed at all of the options for degrees.  You are 18 and you have to make this major life decision that will affect you for the rest of your life, but how are you supposed to choose the right one for you?  I actually attended three different colleges and changed my major four different times before I found my love and passion for marketing and business. 

That’s why I strongly believe the Girl Scout Product Programs are so beneficial for girls.  Through these programs, girls are learning so many skills that they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.  They get to try new things. They learn business and financial skills that, no matter what career field they go into, they are able to adapt to help them succeed.   Even something as simple as learning how to set a goal and then figuring out how to achieve it makes such a big impact.  I remember a few years ago, taking girls to pick out the rewards that they earned during a Product Program.  One of the girls said to me “I wanted an ipod for a long time.  I saw we could earn one selling cookies, so I said to myself, ‘I am going to get that.”   She was kind of a quiet, humble girl, but you could tell by the look on her face that she was incredibly proud for setting and reaching her goal.  

I am so proud of all of our girls.  I think back to the Annual Meeting last March, when we recognized the girls that sold over 1,000 packages of cookies through the Girl Scout Cookie Program.   Everyone in the room stood up, clapped, and celebrated with them. Realizing that their hard work was admired was a special moment that those girls will remember for the rest of their lives and something that I will also never forget.  It meant so much to them and it puts into perspective how much these girls are gaining from being in Girl Scouting. 

The skills and experiences that girls are learning by participating in Girl Scout Product Programs will help provide them with a variety of experiences to help them understand what they want to do in life.  They will have confidence to know that if they set their mind towards achieving a goal, they will succeed. 

Gabrielle, last year's Top Cookie Seller, grins as she receives a standing ovation
from the crowd at GSSI's 2012 Annual Meeting.

Susan Gurwitch: Two Little Girls, Five Skills

Susan Gurwitch, COO
First of all, thank you to all of you who read last month’s blog and came back to read this one and thanks to those of you who are reading for the first time.  I would love to hear from you!  Suggestions about what blog topics you’d like to see discussed are always appreciated!

This past month, I have been knee deep in GSSI’s Fall Product program, where Girl Scouts sell nuts, candy and magazines to raise funds and learn business skills.  I am lucky to be blessed with a wonderful Product Program Manager, Jessica Stanley, who has been patient with all of my questions and suggestions.  I have learned so much about the program, especially about the 5 Skills that all of the girls who participate will be embracing.   These skills are goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.  I can see for myself that the girls are really enjoying developing these skills and gaining confidence.

It’s funny, at least once a week I get home with my girls and they seem to disappear.  Once I get everything inside (two book bags, two jackets, one briefcase, and multitudes of paper from the school), the doorbell rings.  When I answer, I find two excited little girls practicing their selling techniques.  Josie, my five year old, tells me what her troop will be doing with the dollars earned (having an ice cream party) and lets me know she needs to sell 25 products to meet her goal.  My older daughter, Cooper, tells me about the way the program will help the community if I am interested in helping her troop give to Project Thank You, which sends Girl Scout honey roasted peanuts to U.S. service members.

I never realized how much the girls learn from the candy and cookie programs.  I have watched Cooper’s confidence grow as she talks to neighbors about the products and both of them seem to understand the value of money better.  I am also very lucky to have two great troop leaders (Laura White and Andrea Driver) who are making sure the troop members and parents understand there’s more to the program than just making some money.  Of course, I am also aware some of our parents are concerned about where the money goes when it comes to council. Just so you all know, less than 11% of the funds that come into GSSI go to administration.   As far as Girl Scout councils go, that’s a very low percentage!  Everything else goes to camp upkeep, programs, financial assistance, volunteer training, etc. 

Well, I have to run, the girls are ready to start knocking on doors…



We've been having a blast with GSSI's Fall Product Program!