Award Winning Service Unit Team Members Share Details of Their Success

by Nicolle Patton, GSSI Intern

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) not only shows recognition to their girl members that have worked hard for the achievements they’ve earned, but they also recognize their adult members and volunteers that dedicate countless hours to helping their troop, community and service units.

At the GSSI Annual Meeting that was held April 1 at the Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon, three service units were not only awarded the President’s Award, which recognizes the efforts of a service-delivery team or committee whose service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience surpassed team goals and resulted in significant, measurable impact toward reaching the council’s overall goals, but the Service Unit Trifecta award as well.

The Service Unit Trifecta Award is given to Service Units that have earned the President’s Award for three consecutive years in a row. The service units that received this prestigious award were Service Unit 54 - Perry County, Service Unit 201 - O’Fallon/Shiloh, SU 201, and Service Unit 202 - ClinClair.

A Service Unit consists of a group of individual troops in a geographic area that are organized and helped run by a service unit team made up of volunteers. Service Units often hold area registration nights, community service events, programs and even camps.  They also help provide support for troop leaders.   

The council has seen what the service units that earned the Service Unit Trifecta Award have done to not only help their girls and their communities and I wanted to see what lead these women to be a part of these service unit teams and how they made them stand out from the rest. I was able to discuss being part of a service unit team with volunteers from two of the three areas recognized – ClinClair and Perry County.

When asked how they even got involved with Girl Scouts in the first place, Marsha Shirley from ClinClair said, “I was a Girl Scout when I was a child. Then, as a young adult, I helped my friend lead her daughter’s troop. Now that my daughter is old enough, I am her leader and have been the past five years. Our SUM (Service Unit Manager) went back to school and needed to lighten her work load, so I offered to be a co-SUM.” Shirley said when asked how she became part of her service unit team."

“I first was a Girl Scout myself from second grade until fourth grade,” said April D. Stanley from Perry County. “I was reconnected as an adult when I became a step mother to three girls and was looking for a way to bond with them. I became an assistant leader for their troop and later a full leader.”

Just like everything that’s done in Girl Scouts, nothing is done solely by yourself, and I wanted to know exactly who was doing what in these successful service units to make sure everything was going along smoothly.

Sometimes, one person takes on multiple roles in a service unit, which is the case for Stanley who acts as not only the Service Unit Manager, but the Treasurer and the Orientation Manager too. Alongside her, there’s Jaci Kelly who does Communications, Patti Bardle who’s the Program Organizer, Amber Saylor the Product Manager, and Denise Robson who does Registration.

With so many people working together for the common goal of enhancing their service unit to create more opportunities for girls and volunteers, it’s clear to see that hard work gets results. What do these women think makes their units stand out from the rest?

“We hold a monthly leader meeting, and we host an event each month.” Shirley stated. “This way, the leaders stay connected, as do the girls from all of our different troops.”

When asked how ClinClair Service Unit has gone beyond its goals, Shirley explained, “There are so many people that play a part in our service unit. With such a great group of people, it is easy to go beyond any goal that is set in front of us. We hold registration events in each town to sign up more girls and adults. We push each leader and girl to succeed with all product sales. When they are excited about something, they will succeed!”

What if an adult volunteer wants to become part of their service unit team, are there any certain qualities or skills they should have before applying for these positions? Shirley said, “Leadership skills are a must! Being organized, creative, excited, encouraging, enthusiastic, and having the girls best interest at heart are all needed to be part of the service team.”

About Perry County Service Unit’s excellent performance, Stanley said, “We have to think outside the box on lot of situations in our county. We have so many low income families that we have to look at different ways to get our parents to come out in the public. We have businesses offer free meals for a registration to also having businesses let us set up at event to where they are offering certain things to the public -for example: back pack giveaways, dental exams, free haircuts.”

Stanley and Shirley were both Girl Scouts when they were younger, so being familiar with the organization and its dedication to helping build girls up, I wanted to know what they thought the benefits of Girl Scouts for girls were and what exactly keeps them involved.

Stanley explained that, “Girl Scouting teaches our girls to be strong, confident. It allows them to do problem solving and to have a variety of sisters they may have never had.”

She went on to say, “I stay involved to be a positive role model in the community. We just don’t have a lot of opportunity for our kids here and to see the smiles of these girls when they attend these events just makes it so joyful.”

Shirley said, “My troop grows a little each year. We gain one or two girls each year and many ask about it all year long. So, seeing the excitement and wanting to try new things really does make all of it worthwhile.  And, I also get to spend quality time with my daughter!”

We see that girls get so much out of being active in this organization, but is it the same with adult members and volunteers?

“I believe that I have learned just as much as the girls have….whether it is a new skill, trade, or even friendship qualities, I believe they teach me just as much as I teach them!” Shirley said.

Stanley further stated, “Yes I do. If you love working with kids and making a difference in a young child’s life. It is so rewarding to hear these girls say we couldn’t wait to get to a scout meeting. Or when is this event coming?  You got to love the smiles.”

“I love working with these ladies so much. I also love being out at our events and communicating with our parents of our girls,” Stanley explained. “But, most of all seeing the smile on these girls faces when you know they don’t have much to be offered to them at home and they attend an event held by our team and they have the most awesome time. That just makes me feel so great inside.”

Stanley and Shirley, along with their fellow service unit team members, have worked extremely hard to shape their service units into grounds that not only help the girls learn new things, build their skills, and encourage them to strive for bigger and better aspirations, but also give adult members and volunteers the same high flying inspiration. The Trifecta Award earned by their units are proof of that hard work and determination. 

GSSI's Girl Scout Gold Award Committee Guides Girls Towards Girl Scouts' Highest Award

by Nicolle Patton, GSSI Intern

(L-R) GSSI Program Manager Courtney Schaefer, Anne Haltenhof,
Elizabeth Burr, Mary Ann Hopper, Cheryl Heimerman

The iconic Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. Its prestige is built upon the considerable commitment, foresight and hard work it takes to achieve. A girl must complete a service project of a suggested minimum of 80 hours, and her efforts must be sustainable and valuable to her community. 

Of course, doing the project and getting the hours isn’t all a Girl Scout has to do to earn her Gold Award. She has to give a presentation detailing her project in front of the Gold Award Committee - a group of equally hard working, time-giving women who review girls’ projects as they present them, making suggestions and helping them towards success.

I personally earned the Girl Scout Gold Award in 2012. Presenting my project in front of the committee was a bit unnerving since public speaking wasn't really a forte of mine, but it was empowering to talk about the hard work I put into my project. Even though I was one of those girls presenting years ago, sitting there as a spectator got me thinking about the Gold Award Committee's perspective on everything.

GSSI’s Girl Scout Gold Award Committee is made up of Cheryl Heimerman, Penny Pejka, Anne Haltenhof, Marry Anne Hopper, Betsy Murphy, Chelsey Banaskavich and Carla Nilson. These women volunteer their time and talents to ensure that each girl gets individual attention to help make her Gold Award project the best it can be. 

Seeing these women go over paperwork describing girls’ projects, asking question after question to each girl that filed into the room and making sure that the girl got the most out of her Gold Award project, got me thinking about how they saw this whole process and how exactly they got involved in such a huge task in the first place.

It was enlightening to see the different range of experiences and reasons why they joined the Gold Award Committee.

When asked how she got involved with Girl Scouts and then later joined the Gold Award committee, Mary Anne Hopper said, “I was a Girl Scout for 8 years as a girl. When my daughters were in first grade, I registered them in Girl Scouts. My older two daughters’ troops met right after school. Since I worked out of town, I couldn’t help at their meetings. When my youngest daughter registered, I was asked to be a leader. Since another woman had volunteered to assist with an evening troop, I accepted the leadership of her troop.”

“My oldest daughter, Michelle, earned her Gold Award in 1996,” Hopper continued. “As my youngest daughter, Amy, approached her Cadette years, I decided I wanted to know as much as I could about the Gold Award. So I became a Gold Award trainer as well as part of the Gold Award Committee around 2000 and have continued for 16 years or so.”

Anne Haltenhof said, “I was a Girl Scout in grade school and now that I am retired I wanted to give back to the organization that helped me be who I am today.”

“My background is in project management and one of the staff members suggested that I get involved with the Gold Award since what the girls do are projects.”

Now, I know these ladies do more than sit in a room and review Gold Award projects all day and I wanted to know exactly what all their responsibilities entailed, because I know it’s more than going over a few files.

Carla Nilson explained, “I do Gold Award training. I participated in designing the Gold Award requirement paper work in the Shagbark legacy council. I read and evaluate proposed Gold Award projects with phone interviews. I offer suggestions and ask questions. I participate in interviews of final Gold Award projects. I help facilitate the awards at All That Glitters.”

Mary Anne Hopper added, “As part of the Gold Award Committee, I review Project Proposals about projects girls wish to do to earn their Gold Awards. With the committee, I help to interview the girls via phone conference calls to determine if their projects are acceptable Gold Award projects, not just a good service project. We make suggestions, and often requirements, which we feel will make the projects better.”

Seeing all of these responsibilities that the committee does really says something about their character and how much time and effort they put in for these girls. I’m sure over the years, they’ve had some memorable projects.

“All projects are memorable,” said Nilson. “I have even made special trips to see the finished product of some Girl Scout Gold Awards.”

Hopper said, “Two projects come to mind immediately. One project was done by two girls, assisting Habitat for Humanity in building a home for a family. The girls spent one Saturday for each of six months providing the volunteers and equipment as well as feeding the volunteers. The second project provided a free spay and neuter clinic for dogs and cats to eliminate overpopulation by unwanted dogs and cats. The young lady was very passionate about this project!”

When the women on the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee discuss their roles, their passion and excitement is obvious. With passion comes wisdom, so I asked these ladies to share advice for any Girl Scout who is about to present a Gold Award project in the near future. 

Haltenhof said, “Details, details, details. Make sure you are providing as much information about your project as you can. Often times, we get very sketchy reports and it’s hard to determine if they qualify for the award.”

Nilson added, “Allow plenty of time and be flexible. Before you speak to a group about your project, go over the points, have notes, take notes on suggestions and be prepared. Don't forget to write thank you notes to those who helped you with your project.”

“I would tell girls to find an issue about which you are passionate,” recommended Hopper. “Give yourself plenty of time. Choose people you can count on to help you. Ask for help when you need it. Set a timeline to achieve small goals in order to achieve the ultimate goal. Admit when something isn’t working and try doing it a different way.”

With the wonderful women of GSSI’s Girl Scout Gold Award Committee helping guide girls, there's so much knowledge and ideas to go around if any girl feels as though she's stuck at any point in her Gold Award. They want to help in any way they can to make these young women succeed in any way they can.

GSSI Alumna Nicolle Patton: How Girl Scouts Has Shaped Me

I have been shaped by many factors that have surrounded my life and Girl Scouts has been one of those. For 18 long years I was part of a sisterhood that has taught me skills to succeed in this world, has helped me discover some phenomenal things about myself, and best of all, let me share the amazing power of “Courage, Confidence and Character” and continue to spread the word of the Girl Scout Law, The Girl Scout Promise and everything in between. 

Growing up, I was always a very shy, introverted child, always wanting to be by myself and being the quiet one of the bunch, opting out of large group activities and just being the lone girl that I was. I was fine with that. It was something I was used to until I got convinced to join Girl Scouts.

There I was. Little five year old Nicolle. Clad in her bright blue Daisy vest with a few colorful petals, still considered the shy one of the bunch, but the difference was her Girl Scout sisters didn’t forget her. They pulled her along during troop games and always remembered to include her no matter what. That was a turning point for me.

Through their simple act of kindness, I started to shape myself more through the years. Even as more of my friends dropped Girl Scouts, I stuck to it. I felt like I needed to continue with it, not because of the awards I was receiving, but because of the knowledge and self-growth I was getting from it.

I felt myself growing to be a better person, a better-rounded person. Not to mention a more outspoken person. Those who knew me when I was younger were surprised to see “the new and improved me” you could say. I wasn’t afraid to say what was on my mind.

If I had an opinion, I was going to say it loud and proud. I enjoyed doing things I liked even though others might’ve thought it was ‘weird’ or ‘childish’ and I always stood up for what I thought was right, even if others thought it was wrong. I was my own person - Girl Scouts taught me it was okay to be and I will always express that wholeheartedly.

As I continued to grow up with Girl Scouts basically by my side, I learned so many things, starting with the many skills I learned from earning Brownie Try-Its. Putting activities I’d never done before into action and actually learning something and getting firsthand experience was amazing for me. It made me want to do more.

So I did. I went on and put all of these wonderful skills I learned to the test and started earning my Girl Scout Awards. Girl Scouts have three high awards: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each one has its obstacles and personal rewards whenthe project is done. For me, each of my projects have been near and dear to me and I’ve put in countless hours of community service, time and money to make my projects come to life. It’s paid off and when I look back at my scrapbooks, I can’t help but to smile at all the fond memories I have for each one.

I know a lot of people look up to me including my sister, Danielle, who’s also a fellow Girl Scout. I’m not going to lie, it’s rough, but even if the worst seems near, don’t fear. Keep going, keep persevering and keep going. You’re a Girl Scout. You’re supposed to be prepared for anything, right? Just take it in stride and keep moving forward because the best days are just straight ahead.

So, from one Girl Scout to another, the lessons you learn in this wonderful organization will continue to stay with you for the rest of your life and you’ll learn new things each and every day, no matter what age you are. So, don’t be afraid to try new things, say what’s on your mind, do what you want to do, because it’s your life and you’re in charge. It’s taken me awhile to figure that notion out, but I’m glad I did.

My name is Nicolle and what I’ve learned in my years in Girl Scouts is no matter what, the eternal sisterhood of Girl Scouts will be instilled in each and every girl and what they get out of it is entirely up to them, but what I got out of it was a whole new development. I became stronger, more vocal, more independent and most of all, more me. 

Girl Scout Gold Award Centennial: Golden Sisters Nicolle and Danielle Patton

Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world through their Girl Scout Gold Award projects.  The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others.  As the Girl Scout Gold Award celebrates 100 years of girls changing the world, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) will highlight some of our shining stars who exemplify the greatness of this award.

Most people who have been a part of Girl Scouting for several years feel as though their troop and leaders are like a family.  That’s definitely the case with Nicolle and Danielle – literally.  The Patton sisters, both from Mt. Vernon, have been involved with Girl Scouting ever since they were old enough to join the organization.  And, each of them earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award.  They attribute a lot of who they are today to Girl Scouts and their journey for Gold.

When the sisters were in the process of earning their Gold Awards, they each took on projects that would benefit the youth of their community.  Nicolle partnered with Hope In Christ shelter.  She educated people on the issue of homelessness in their community, made major improvements to the shelter facility and provided Christmas boxes to the children at the shelter.  “Nicolle has influenced me for as long as I can remember.  Every little sister wants to be like her older sister, and I was no exception,” states Danielle.  “When I saw her work hard for her Gold Award, I told myself that one day I would be standing on that stage receiving recognition for all of my hard work.  She made me want to strive to be a better person and set my goals higher,” Danielle added.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Danielle partnered with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).  She wanted to give the youth that were served by this organization some of the luxuries many others think of as staples.  She made sure each child had a box that contained supplies to have an age appropriate birthday party; a bag with many essentials, books and toys; and a life book that provided words of encouragement and inspiration to the children who received them.

Having achieved the Gold Award herself, Nicolle was there to support her sister along the way.  “Danielle has always told me she looked up to me.  I wanted to set an example for her; I wanted her to strive to be the best that she could be because she’s an amazing young lady,” said Nicolle.  “Above all, I reminded her of the impact she was making as she continued to work on her project.  She was changing people’s lives for the better.  The long hours of work she put into the project couldn’t compare to the impact she was having on those deserving people.  I am extremely proud of what she accomplished.”

Nicolle and Danielle encourage young girls to get involved in Girl Scouting and for older girls to go for their Gold Award.  “Girl Scouts has impacted my life so much over the years,” said Nicolle.  “Not only has it helped me come out of my shell, but it also taught me some important life lessons along the way.  It taught me that I could be a leader – that I had the drive and the skills all along.  To this day, I use those same skills in my work and my schooling,” Nicolle added.

“Earning my Gold Award taught me skills that I’ll use in the future; it gave me a sense of adulthood,” Danielle said.  She also encourages other girls to strive for this top award.  “Do it!  Believe in yourself and push yourself to do better each day,” she added.

Nicolle is in her final year at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she will graduate with a degree in Mass Communications, minoring in Theatre and Dance.  She plans to pursue a career in the television industry after graduation.  Danielle is a senior at Mt. Vernon Township High School.  Upon graduation, she intends to pursue a degree in Communications.