2017 Girl Scout Cookie Program Top Sellers

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) recently wrapped up a successful Girl Scout Cookie Program, with more than 7,800 girls selling more than 1,038,000 boxes of delicious Girl Scout Cookies. 

“This year’s Girl Scout Cookie Program was a huge success! I’d like to thank all of our girls, their parents and the fantastic volunteers who contributed to the success of the cookie program,” said Kelly Jansen, Director of Product Program for GSSI. “The dedication and commitment of all those involved allow us to provide girls throughout southern Illinois with a great Girl Scout Leadership Experience.”

The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls gain five valuable skills – goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics – that will benefit them throughout life. In addition, proceeds from the cookie program help Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois recruit and train adult volunteers, provide financial assistance so Girl Scouting is available to all girls, improve and maintain camp properties, and develop and deliver extensive program activities for girls.

Congratulations to the following Girl Scouts who were top sellers for their Service Units. Please note that girls are associated with Service Units based on where her troop is located, rather than her hometown. 


Top 3 Overall Sellers:

Claire Meininger from Shipman - 2,115 boxes

Eden McQuay from Medora - 2,100 boxes

Elisa Thomlinson from Collinsville - 1,503 boxes

Service Unit Top Sellers

Alton/Godfrey/Wood River/Roxana: Alyssa Herbst  - Troop #47, Alton

Belleville/Swansea: Kalayna Beskorovany - Troop #93,  Belleville

Bethalto: Hope Rosales - Troop #577, Bethalto

Bond County: Dalani White - Troop #8800, Greenville 

Centralia: Madaline Ruez - Troop #8338, Centralia

Clark/Cumberland Counties: Anastasia Turner - Troop #2170, Marshall

Clay County: Elizabeth Lagle - Troop #8829, Rinard

ClinClair: Lynn Shirley - Troop #734, Summerfield

Clinton County: Kaleigh Voegeli - Troop #8834, Carlyle

Collinsville: Elise Thomlinson - Troop #302,  Collinsville

Crawford/Jasper Counties: Kaylynn Paddick - Troop #2484, Willow Hill

East Marion County:Vanessa Dodson - Troop #8572, Salem

East St Louis/Cahokia/Centreville: Carre Webster - Troop #874, Granite City

East Williamson County: Jaycee Hill - Troop #8073, Marion

Eastern Coles County: Ariana Sluder - Troop #2643, Ashmore

Edgar County: Kadrianne Henry - Troop #2080, Paris

Edwardsville/Glen Carbon: Jayden Henschen - Troop #954, Hamel

Effingham County: Jeavenlee Lira - Troop #2300, Effingham

Fairview Heights/Caseyville: Mackenzie Watson - Troop #43, Fairview Hgts

Fayette County: Delaynee Ward - Troop #8383, Vandalia

Granite City/Madison/Venice: Hannah Groetecke - Troop #521, Granite City

Highland: Emmah Reppond - Troop #496, Highland

Jackson County: Abigail Fields - Troop #8158, Carbondale

Jefferson County: Sydney Fenton - Troop #8653, Mt. Vernon

Jersey/Calhoun Counties: Claire Meininger - Troop #235, Shipman

Johnson/Pope Counties: Sadie Hinkle - Troop # 8649, Cypress

Lawrence County: Zoe Booth - Troop #8704, Bridgeport

Massac County: Addyson Johnson  - Troop #8695, Metropolis

Millstadt/Columbia/Dupo/Smithton: Alexandria Kampmeinert - Troop 3303, Columbia

New Athens/Marissa/St Libory/Freeburg: Chelsea Sinn - Troop #356, Freeburg

North Franklin County: Paige Jennings - Troop #8924, Benton

North Randolph County: Alaina Smith - Troop #8081, Ruma

O'Fallon/Shiloh: Erin Hanny - Troop #595, O'Fallon

Perry County: Ellyette Ralston - Troop #8124, Du Quoin

Richland County: Alexandra Lomas - Troop #8345, Olney

Shawnee: Elizabeth Marshall - Troop #8287, Shawneetown

South Macoupin County: Kayleigh Trimm - Troop #628, Bunker Hill

South Randolph County: Addison Gottschammer - Troop #8791, Ellis Grove

Troy/St. Jacob: Leah Connelly - Troop #258, Troy

Union/Pulaski/Alexander Counties: Karleigh Ellis - Troop #8528, Alto Pass

Wabash/Edwards Counties: Presley White - Troop #8505, Mt Carmel

Washington County: Susan Kressin - Troop #8736, Okawville

Waterloo: Addison Koppeis - Troop #745, Valmeyer

Wayne/Hamilton/White Counties: Kayli Kohn, Troop #8779, Fairfield

West Frankfort: Katie Arview - Troop #8017, West Frankfort

West Williamson County: Laney Baltzell - Troop #8062, Carterville

Western Coles County: Madison Parks - Troop #2462, Mattoon

Kelsey Weatherford from Columbia Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

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

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Blooming Butterflies, Kelsey planted five butterfly gardens in Columbia. These butterfly gardens are a place where migrating butterflies can rest and eat and nest on their trip to Mexico. Kelsey said her Girl Scout Gold Award project was important because Monarch butterflies play a key role in our environment as pollinators. “Without pollinators like the Monarch butterfly, we wouldn’t have the vast variety of crops that we have today,” Kelsey shared.

“Through my Gold Award project, I learned the importance of being environmentally conscious, so that all creatures can continue to enjoy its wonders for many years to come,” Kelsey added.

Kelsey is the daughter of Gregory and Andrea Weatherford. She graduated from Columbia High School in 2017 and 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.

GSSI STEM Camp Still Has Spots Available

Come out to Girl Scout STEM Camp for an experience that's out of this world!  To celebrate the coming total solar eclipse, this year's camp theme is SPACE!   There are two camp options - one for younger girls entering K-3 in the fall, and another for older girls entering 4th-12th grades.  Both camps offer tons of science, technology, engineering and math fun and a cool t-shirt!  Sign up by June 7 and get ready to have a BLAST (yes, we'll be launching rockets)! 

Mini STEM Camp
July 6-7, 2017
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Camp Torqua - Edwardsville, IL
Ages:  K-3rd Grade (Fall 2017) 

Join us for our fourth Mini STEM camp, just for Daisies and Brownies! Let's explode rockets, build a Mars Rover, glow in the dark and a whole lot more! Cost includes lunch both days, two snacks and a t-shirt. 

Girl Scout Fee: $40
Non-Girl Scout Fee: an additional $15 per girl

Adult volunteers are needed to make this camp a success. Full time volunteers who work both days will receive a camp shirt and be reimbursed $20 for one camper at the close of camp. If interested in volunteering, a volunteer application and health history form should be mailed in with your payment and daughter's registration form. 

Deadline to Register: 06/07/17

STEM Camp: Destined for Infinity

July 17-21, 2017
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Camp Torqua - Edwardsville, IL
Ages: 4th-12th grade (Fall 2017)

How do you organize a space themed camp?? You PLANet! It only gets better at this year's space themed STEM camp. Let's shoot rockets, defy physics and get our inventor brains warmed up with more littleBits. If that doesn't sound like fun, how about an Escape the Room: Space Station module? We will also do a field trip to Boeing's Prolouge room to get a feel for aerospace and history. 

Girl Scout Fee: $74
Non-Girl Scout Fee: an additional $15

Adult volunteer are needed to make this camp a success. Full time volunteers who work five days will receive a camp shirt and be reimbursed $35 for one camper at the close of camp. If interested in volunteering, a volunteer application and health history form should be mailed in with your payment and girl's registration form.

Deadline to Register: 06/07/17

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois 28th Annual Girl Scout Golf Classic Raises $27,500

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) held its 28th Annual Girl Scout Golf Classic at Sunset Hills Country Club on May 15. This year’s Golf Classic raised $27,500.  See photos...

“Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois greatly appreciates everyone who helped make this year’s Girl Scout Golf Classic a success,” said Tricia Higgins, GSSI Communications and Development Manager. “On behalf of our over 12,400 girl members and nearly 5,000 adult volunteers I would like to thank our corporate sponsors, donors, supporters and players for another successful golf classic,” Higgins added. 

During the past 28 years, the Girl Scout golf classic has raised more than $850,000 to support girl program development, girl financial assistance and to maintain and improve Girl Scout camps. 

2017 Girl Scout Golf Classic sponsors include: 

Silver Sponsor:  

The Korte Company

Bronze Sponsors:
Siemer Milling Company
JF Electric

Dinner Sponsor:
Angie Zahn, Broker, Strano & Associates

Lunch Sponsors:
The PaintSmiths of St. Louis
Mathis Marifian & Richter LTD Attorneys at Law

Beverage Sponsor:
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Bucket Raffle Sponsor:
David & Kay Werner

Golf Cart Sponsors:
Cassens Transport
Anderson Hospital
Plocher Construction
Palmer & Cay
Terra Properties

Tee Sponsors:
The Korte Company
Siemer Milling Company
J.F Electric
Louer Facility Planning
SunCoke Energy
Dr. David Hyten
Jim's Formal Wear
Hurford Architects
ADR Auto Repair & Towing
Coldwell Banker Brown Realtors
Hill Law Offices
Spencer Homes
Bloomsdale Excavating Company
Gori, Julian & Associates
Jarrett Industries
CompuType IT Solutions
Vee-Jay Cement
Basler Electric Company
Highland Rural King
GRP Mechanical Company
Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli
Bull & Bear Grill & Bar
Providence Bank
Cecil Management Group

Josefina Pimentel from Carbondale Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

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

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Creative Writing: Express Your Dreams, Josefina held several creative writing clinics for 55 children at Unity Point School, the Carbondale Library and the Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale. Josefina said she wanted to pass on her love of writing to other youth living in the Carbondale area. 

“Through my Girl Scout Gold Award Project, I had the opportunity to work with children from many different circumstances: wealthy and low income, international and local, boys and girls, etc. Working with them and getting to see their faces light up when they were proud of their writing was an amazing experience. I also learned better time management skills and how to be a leader and role model for children,” Josefina said.

Josefina is the daughter of Susan Walch-Pimentel and Ed Pimentel. She will graduate from Carbondale Community High School in 2017 and has been a Girl Scout for 11 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.

Have You Seen GSSI's New Web Platform?

GSSI launched a new website on April 24!  

While the URL remains the same - www.gsofsi.org - GSSI's updated website, which is built on the Adobe platform, will make it easier to find the information you need, as well as offer improved data security.  Searching for events, programs and forms will be simpler than ever before! 

You will notice that our new website looks very similar to other Girl Scout websites across the nation.  GSSI's web update is part of the Customer Engagement Initiative (CEI), a Movement-wide business transformation which puts girl, parent and volunteer customers at the center of GSSI’s efforts. 

Through implementation of CEI, including significant process improvements, staffing alignment and training, and technology tools, Girl Scouts is improving volunteers’, parents’ and girls’ experiences, making it easier and less time consuming for volunteers to effectively complete tasks. For the first time, Girl Scouts is investing in shared tools and technology that will empower us to dramatically improve the Volunteer and Girl Experience. From joining and getting oriented, to managing a troop and renewing membership – being a volunteer will be easier, more manageable and more enjoyable. This results in an enhanced Girl Experience.

The ultimate goal of CEI is to provide girls with exciting, meaningful and impactful experiences and to ensure every girl who wants to participate in Girl Scouting, can do so, with a caring adult to support her.

Three key technology tools support the initiative – Volunteer Systems fueled by Salesforce, the Volunteer Toolkit, and a new Web Platform.

Volunteer Systems: A best-in-class membership and customer care database that is fueled by Salesforce, which also includes the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, a digital marketing tool to help communicate with volunteers and parents. Volunteer Systems will roll out in August 2017.
  

In addition, the new and improved Web Platform will deliver a uniform brand experience to customers, as well as improved data security.  It is also the gateway for the NEW Volunteer Toolkit

Girl Scouts' Volunteer Toolkit (or VTK): helps volunteers access the information and resources they need through their personal computers or mobile devices, and stay better connected to troop leaders and parents. It makes forming and maintaining a troop easier than ever before, which means more time spent on girls and less on administrative tasks. Volunteers can plan out a whole year of impactful activities to ensure their girls receive the best Girl Scout experience possible. 

The Volunteer Toolkit will offer sample K-5 badge-based year plans, K-5 journey-based year plans and help making meeting plans. It focuses on the pillars of our program where we know girls benefit most, especially in a girl-only environment: the outdoors; STEM; life skills and entrepreneurship.

The Volunteer Toolkit will be available through our website, www.gsofsi.org, after the Volunteer Systems and new Web Platform are in place. 

While CEI attends to the needs of K-5 troop leaders, parents and girls to start, Girl Scouts plans to expand the reach to girls and adults participating in delivery models beyond the troop, and to middle and high school girls.

Elizabeth Burr from Collinsville Has Earned the Girl Scout Gold Award

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

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Camps in Motion, Elizabeth visited GSSI’s camps and filmed the camp properties and facilities as well as girls enjoying various programs and activities held at camp. Through her Girl Scout Gold Award, Elizabeth produced four promotion camp videos that GSSI can use to share information about the camp properties for girls and parents or to show potential funders who support outdoors and camping for girls. “I’ve always had a passion for film making, and I thought I would combine that with my passion for camps to complete my Girl Scout Gold Award,” Elizabeth said.

“I feel as though I learned to be a good leader and role model, as I saw many young Girl Scouts looking up to me as I filmed at camp throughout this project,” Elizabeth added.

Elizabeth is the daughter of Marvin and Allyson Burr. She will graduate from Collinsville High School in 2017 and 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.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Recieves $3,100 Grant from Schweinfurth Foundation Trust

Schweinfurth Advisory Committee Chairman Bill Beck &
GSSI Communications & Development Manager Tricia Higgins

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois has received a $3,100 grant from the Schweinfurth Foundation Trust. 

The Schweinfurth Foundation Trust was created by Mt. Vernon philanthropist and businessman Dr. Carl Lincoln Schweinfurth.  One of the purposes of the trust is to develop and carry out plans and programs for the recreation and education of young people in the greater Mt. Vernon area.

The Schweinfurth Foundation Trust grant supports the Girl Scout Leadership Experience in Jefferson County. The majority of funds will support financial assistance to girls, assuring that no girl is turned away from Girl Scouting due to her family's financial circumstances. 

Show the World the Power of G.I.R.L. - Renew Her Membership with Girl Scouts Today

Girl Scouts is for the bold, driven, and devoted. Renew your membership today and show the world the Power of G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader).

BONUS: 

All girls will get a free t-shirt along with their renewed membership with Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois between now and June 15.

Note: This t-shirt can be ordered by adults, as well.  To place an order, please contact our Customer Care Department at customercare@gsofsi.org. 

GSSI Growing Stronger Together T-Shirt Back By Popular Request

GSSI is GROWING STRONGER TOGETHER!  

United by an unwavering belief that every girl has the power to change the world, GSSI Girl Scouts, volunteers, parents, donors, board and staff are working together to make the world’s premier leadership development organization for girls EVEN BETTER.   

We’re more than just a green-blooded group - we’re a mighty movement empowering girls to tap into their courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place!

This unique t-shirt celebrating our strength sold out at our 2017 Annual Meeting, but is available for order now through May 8 for just $8.  

Get yours and stand tall as part of the powerful

Girl Scout movement here in Southern Illinois!

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