GSSI Receives Challenge and Change Grant from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois received another grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with Girl Scouts of the USA, to implement Challenge and Change projects in three Southern Illinois communities.  The three communities where girls will plan and implement a project are Pontoon Beach, Roxana and Anna.  

Challenge and Change: Challenge Yourself, Change the World strengthens rural communities. Girls become change-makers through such programs as they envision and start long-term community service projects in their very own communities. Girls begin with an initial day long training where they learn leadership, problem solving and entrepreneurial skills through a comprehensive curriculum. Led by trained facilitators, the girls discover what effective leadership looks like, connect with local experts and take action by digging into issues affecting their communities. After the training, girls recruit a community action team, including an adult who serves as their community champion, to turn their good idea into a sustainable, long-term project.

Pontoon Beach- Girls in SU 102 are excited to work with leaders to create a community park or garden in the Pontoon Beach area.  They have met with the mayor and have secured a plot of land and are meeting with community members to determine needs and resources.

Roxana- Girls in SU 101 are creating a Heritage Garden in Roxana which will highlight different plants and natural features of So IL.  They will be partnering with the Parks and Recreation to offer learning experiences for schools to bring students as well as encouraging participation from community members of all ages. 

Anna- Homework Pals is a continued project which offers a tutoring program to Elementary students in Anna IL.  This past school year, the tutoring program has moved locations from the local library to the Elementary school which now houses a new library funded by this grant.  Starting in July, a summer reading program is being implemented so that students can continue their learning throughout the summer as well.

Dalaney Plott Nominated for Girl Scouts' National Young Woman of Distinction Honor

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Dalaney Plott from Anna has been nominated for Girl Scouts of the USA’s 2014 National Young Woman of Distinction (NYWOD) honor.

              

Each Girl Scout council can submit up to three applicants for the NYWOD honor.  This prestigious honor is conferred by Girl Scouts of the USA on Girl Scout Gold Award recipients whose final projects demonstrated extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact and addressed a local challenge that related to a national and/or global issue.  Only ten girls throughout the country receive this special honor each year.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Dalaney wanted to honor the men and women who make up the U.S. military.  She dedicated one part of her project to sharing veterans’ stories and another part to collecting needed supplies for active duty soldiers stationed overseas. “My goal was to make our troops feel special while educating the public about those who serve,” she said.  To accomplish her goals, Dalaney dedicated 210 hours to her project – far more than 80 hours of service that is suggested to complete a Girl Scout Gold Award project.

To give the public a glimpse into military life, she interviewed 17 veterans and wrote an article for each one, which she arranged to be published in the Gazette-Democrat newspaper.   The series was a huge success in the community and also deeply impacted Dalaney personally.   

“I learned a lot about history through the eyes of men and women who lived it,” she said.  “Every veteran I interviewed changed my views on the world.  I am grateful that I had the opportunity to meet such amazing people.”

Dalaney also organized a drive to collect supplies for care packages to be sent to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.  First, she rallied the Anna-Jonesboro Community High School Beta Club to help collect supplies from the community.  Next, the Anna Veterans Home helped connect her to a unit serving in Afghanistan.  Veterans Home employee John Reeves, who Dalaney had interviewed for her Soldier’s Spotlight newspaper feature, generously donated the funds for shipping. 

“Men and women have been in Afghanistan and away from their homes – some of them for months,” she said. “Being away from homes, and in some cases, in constant battle, can lower morale.  I wanted to remind them that their country supports them.”

While working to make sure U.S. Service Members got the respect they deserved, Dalaney also developed a greater sense of self-confidence and belief in her ability to make a difference in the world.  

“Through my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I learned how to feel empowered and how to inspire that feeling in others,” she said.  “When I started this project I was 15 and did not have a strong sense of self. I am no longer afraid to talk to new people.  I know that I can be a leader in my community because I already have been.  This project has given me the confidence to go out into the world and be the best than I can be.”

If selected as a National Young Woman of Distinction, Dalaney will receive a $5,000 academic scholarship made possible by the Kappa Delta Foundation and will be nationally recognized at the 2014 National Council Session/53^rd National Convention of Girl Scouts of the USA.

Dalaney is the daughter of Juanita Plott and Billie Plott.  She is currently a senior at Anna-Jonesboro Community High School and plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University to major in History this fall.   

Dalaney Plott and Shelby Wratchford Named GSSI's 2014 Outstanding Graduating Girl Scouts

(left to right): GSSI Board Chair Dixie Travelstead,
Shelby Wratchford, Dalaney Plott

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Dalaney Plott from Anna, Illinois and Shelby Wratchford from Fults, Illinois have been selected as its 2014 Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarship winners.  The girls were recognized April 5 at GSSI’s annual All That Glitters Ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn in O’Fallon.    In addition to earning this prestigious award, each girl receives a $500 scholarship for the college or university she will attend this fall. 

Dalaney is the daughter of Juanita and Billie Plott from Anna.  She is a member of Troop #8542 and has been a Girl Scout for 13 years.  She has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest award for girls in Girl Scouting and recognizes leadership, effort, and impact that Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors have on their community.  Only about 6% of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.  Currently, Dalaney attends Anna-Jonesboro Community High School and plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University upon graduation where she will pursue a bachelors degree in History. 

“Girl Scouting is an extraordinary way of life,” said Plott.  “Girl Scouts provided me with incredible opportunities to discover more about myself, establish leadership skills, and give back to my community.”  As part of her Girl Scout community service, Dalaney helped plan and implement a Homework Pals Tutoring Program in 2013 which helps younger students with their homework by providing them a high school tutor.  

  

Shelby is the daughter of Jamie and Phillip Wratchford from Fults and has been a Girl Scout for 13 years.  She currently attends University of Missouri “MU High” and wants to attend college to pursue a degree in Art Conservation.  Shelby earned her Girl Scout Bronze Award in 2007 and is currently working on her Girl Scout Gold Award. 

“The most memorable part of Girl Scouting has been the opportunity to travel both domestically and internationally,” Wratchford said.  “I attended a Camporee in Wisconsin and most recently spent 10 amazing days in Paris, France as part of the Girl Scout’s Destination Program.”  Shelby added that she has also learned leadership skills in Girl Scouting and believes the best leaders lead by example with kindness, patience and sincerity.

“We are so pleased to honor Dalaney and Shelby with our Outstanding Graduating Girl Scouts Scholarship,” said Villie M. Appoo, GSSI Chief Executive Officer.  “Both of these exceptional young women have done amazing things in their Girl Scout journey and have been very active in providing community service to people in their communities.  They both are great examples of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois’ mission of Building Leaders for America,” Appoo added. 

The Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarships are funded from proceeds from the annual Brownie Haunted Camp, which is planned, organized and conducted by Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois older Girl Scouts.   The Outstanding Graduating Girl Scout Scholarships are a great example of girls working together to make the world a better place.

GSSI Hosts Southwestern Illinois Jr FIRST LEGO League Expo

 

 

 

GSSI held it’s second annual Southwestern Illinois JrFLL Expo on Saturday, March 8, 2014. Thirteens teams from throughout southern Illinois participated in the Expo. All ten of the GSSI teams that participated displayed exceptional work. These teams of kindergarten – 3rd grade girls spent several weeks studying natural disasters and simple machines. They then displayed their work at the Expo through creating a "Show Me" science-fair type poster and a LEGO model with a simple machine and a motorized part.

Congratulations to the following teams and coaches:

The Lego Girls of Washington Park coached by Aleta Placide

The Pink Tigers of Effingham coached by Derek Hudson and Mindy Jenkins

The Flood Girls of Mascoutah coached by Dawn Waller and Jessica Silvia

The Tornado Girls of Mascoutah coached by Dawn Waller and Jessica Silvia

The Blizzard Busters of Maryville/Collinsville coached by Lisa Ferguson

Team LEGO of Charleston coached by Diane Ratliff

8548 Earthquakes of Anna coached by Betsy Back

The Blue Robot Cat Machines of Highland coached by Yumi Hohm

The Knights of the Round Lego of O’Fallon coached by Winnie Kenney

The Creative Kitties of O’Fallon coached by Megan Terrell

 

See Event Photos

For more information about encouraging a love of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math through GSSI robotics teams contact Mary Buchanan at mbuchanan@gsofsi.org.