Marion Troop #8893 Honored By City Council for Receiving Governor's Hometown Award

Micahya Banks, Kaitlyn Satterfield, Olivia Allen, Carlie Gunn and Hailey Buckingham
presented a sign that celebrates their award to Mayor Rinella

Congratulations to Girl Scout Troop #8893 for being recognized by The City of Marion for receiving the Governor's Hometown Award!

To earn the Girl Scout Silver Award, Troop #8893 helped The Lighthouse Shelter, which serves area homeless people. The shelter had recently been impacted by flooding, so the Girl Scout Troop hosted a fall festival and collected supply donations from participants as the entrance fee. 

Their efforts earned an Honorable Mention Governor's Hometown Award from the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. The Governor's Hometown Award program gives formal recognition to communities that contributed to their community’s quality of life via projects that had strong volunteer support, met a need, and made a definitive impact.

A large sign recognizing the award-winning service project will be on display in Marion. 

GSofSI CEO Loretta Graham Named Transformational Leader of 2018 By Marion Chamber of Commerce

GSofSI CEO Loretta Graham with
Marion Chamber of Commerce Director Karen Mullins

Congratulations to GSofSI CEO Loretta Graham for being named Transformational Leader of 2018 by Marion, IL Chamber of Commerce! Watch her receive her award & hear her speech: http://bit.ly/2F71kz4

East Williamson County Girl Scouts Learn About Service Dogs

Service Unit 42 - East Williamson County kicked off their Nut, Candy & Magazine (NCM) Program by learning about "This Able Vet" service dogs. Service animals are part of this year's theme for the NCM Program, which runs until mid November. 

Girl Scouts Around the Council: June 2018

Check out the exciting things that Girl Scouts have been up to all around Southern Illinois!  See our photo album to catch Girl Scout troops in action!

Carlyle Troop #688 went on a hike

Troop #8123 visited Beth Alongi Glass Studio in DuQuoin where they learned how to c reate works of art out of glass. 

Girl Scouts worked on their Junior Camper Badge at the Audubon Center at Riverlands

SU 202 - ClinClair held a His & Her Fishing Derby

Troop #130 from Wood River built a fire pit at Camp Torqua

Troop #130 from Wood River held a camp out at Camp Chan Ya Ta, where they build a firepit at the bunkhouse and made outdoor awareness charts.

Lyndal & Adalyn K from Fairfield have been out recruiting more girls to join Girl Scouts.

Girl Scout Troop #2921 from Nashville, IL visited Cleveland! They enjoyed engaging educational activities like touring a power plant and NASA Glenn Visitor Center, as well as tons of recreational fun like hanging out on the beach and playing Whirlyball - an exciting combination of lacrosse, hockey, basketball and bumper cars.

Troop #8869 from Marion beautified Jones Park.

Jefferson County Troop #8653 installed a free Little Library at Field Grade School

Jefferson County Troop #8653 constructed a free Little Library at Field Grade School to encourage summer reading - complete with minions! 

GSSI CEO Loretta Graham was excited to speak at the Charleston Rotary about the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. 

Troop #8123 volunteered to clean up after free community concerts in the park in DuQuoin. 

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois: Around the Council May 2018

Check out the exciting things that Girl Scouts have been up to all around Southern Illinois!  See our photo album to catch Girl Scout troops in action!



Alton area Girl Scout Brownie Troop #55 had their first-ever camp out!  The girls went hiking, practiced first aid and put up tents!

Troop #792 from Madison County collected 192 lbs of tabs for the Ronald McDonald House of St. Louis - and received a trophy prize for their efforts! 

Cadette Troop #2141 from Charleston earned their Field Day patch where, among other games, they played a match of Quiddich! 

Girl Scouts from SU 202 ClinClair worked on their Outdoor Journeys, as well as Junior Aide and Leader-in-Action awards. 

Freeburg Troop #8349 learned a lot of OWL Flight School. 

Troop #8163 from Carbondale learning water safety

Troop #8163 from Carbondale has been busy - they learned water safety, earned their Pottery badges, went camping and explored the 3 Cheers for Animals Journey at Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge.

Marion Troop #8869 honored WSIL TV anchor Evie Allen with the Inspiring Woman award at their 2nd Annual The Empowerment Project and Empower You Career Fair.

Girl Scouts from SU 107 South Macoupin County marched in the Staunton Memorial Day Parade.

Girl Scouts from SU 101 Alton/Godfrey/Wood River/Roxana marched in the Alton Memorial Day Parade.

Girl Scouts placed flags on veterans' graves at the St. Peter and Paul Cemeteries in Waterloo to honor Memorial Day. 

Girl Scouts from Troop #238 held a Court of Awards and potluck. 

West Williamson County Girl Scouts marched in the Herrin Festa Parade. 

Girl Scouts at Scott Air Force Base learned more about firefighting. 

Troops #238 and #513 from Scott Air Force Base took a fire station tour and learned about the engines on the flight line. 

Girl Scouts from Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Troop #370 bridged to Ambassadors by serving as Pages in the Illinois House of Representatives. 

SU 202 ClinClair held an awards and bridging ceremony at St. John's United Church of Christ. 

Troop #130 from Wood River placed flags on veterans grave sites as part of their Memorial Day commemorations. 

Brownie Troop #744 and Daisy Troop #1044 volunteered to serve the monthly community meal in Gillespie. 

Troy Cadette Troop #717 completed their Breathe Journey Take Action project by placing plants in the classrooms at their middle school, thanks to a donation from Sunnyside Nurseries.  Each plant removes volatile compounds from the air.  

Girl Scout Troop #717 added plants to their middle school classrooms.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Around the Council

Check out the exciting things that Girl Scouts have been up to all around Southern Illinois!  See our photo album to catch Girl Scout troops in action!

Junior Troop #83858 from Vandalia, IL has been honoring community members as "Everyday Heroes" - including a local police officer and the town's only crossing guard.

Daisy Troops #283 and #676 stayed overnight at Camp Torqua.

Girl Scouts testing water at Scott Air Force Base

The Bioenvironmental Unit at Scott Air Force Base helped Girl scouts do water testing for PH, chlorine and bacteria as the girls worked on their World of Water Journey.

On April 21, Girl Scout Seniors from Service Unit 101 Alton/Godfrey/Roxana/Wood River hosted an Enchanted Friendship Day for younger Girl Scouts.  Girls played games, put on friendship skits, made flower pots for each other and learned to pass the friendship squeeze. 

Girl Scout Troop #8653 from Mount Vernon, IL discussed respecting authority at their April troop meeting.  They had special guests including Mr. Wayne Stone, Field School Principal, Casey Hanes and Lynne Mulch, parents of Girl Scouts and Police Officer Christina Drage.  Visitors discvussed how to show and give respect to peers, adults, parents and authority figures in charge.  

Troop #688 from Clinton County has been working on their Girl Scout Bronzw Award.

West Willamson County Girl Scouts helped welcome veterans home from an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

Girl Scouts from Troop #8125 from Pinckneyville, IL introduced STEM activities to local pre-K students.

Girl Scout Troop #8626 from Mount Vernon, IL donated 26 baby baskets to Angel Cove.

Katie, Mia and Delaney from Troop #8115 discussed earning their Girl Scout Bronze Award and community service with the audience at Girls World Expo.

Girl Scout Troop #8597 at the Anna Veterans Home

Girl Scout Troop #8597 created a Fairy Garden for the Anna Veterans Home.

Girl Scout Troop #8843 from DuQuoin, IL went to Build-A-Bear. 

Madison County Girl Scout Troop #130 visited Sherry's Snacks in Alton to earn their Business badges and learn what it takes to operate a small business. 

Service Unit 42 Marion held a weekend campout.

Girl Scout Victoria was honored at Girls World Expo.

Jackson County Girl Scouts held a successful Arbor Day event.  Girls helped plant trees in Attucks Park in Carbondale, potted their own dogwood saplings, made seed paper, created nature-inspired paintings and chalk pictures, learned nature photography, made bamboo windchimes and made rain sticks. 

Girl Scout Junior Troop #145 from Staunton explored Chicago together.  Over the course of the weekend, the girls walked nearly 22 miles while visiting Willis Tower, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Millennium Park and Pizano's. 

Girl Scout Troop #8349 from Freeburg has been busy lately - including attending Tab Top Pandemonium with Ronald McDonald House, enjoying Great American Human Foosball and visiting Lincoln's New Salem Home. 

Gretel Pierpoint from Marion Receives Girl Scouts' Thanks Badge II

Top volunteers were recognized at Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois' 6th Annual Meeting on March 28 at Rend Lake Resort. 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. 

“Girl Scouting in southern Illinois would not be what it is today without the dedication, passion and leadership of all of our volunteers,” said Appoo. “We are honored to present these awards to our exceptional volunteers as they are the driving force behind carrying out GSSI’s mission of building leaders for America. I Can’t Wait To continue working with these amazing volunteers to ensure all girls in southern Illinois can benefit from a premier Girl Scout Leadership Experience,” Appoo added. 

Gretel Pierpoint from Marion received the Thanks Badge II, which is the top award that an adult member can earn. This award recognizes an adult member who has already received the Thanks Badge and who has continued to contribute in extraordinary ways that benefit the total council or the entire Girl Scout movement.


Gretel Pierpoint, Service Unit #42, East Williamson

“I help build future leaders by encouraging girls to find their voice and have the courage and confidence to use it,” said Gretel.