2020-2021
IMPACT Report FOCUSED
Endurance
Our Mission
Our Our Team Team
Girl Scout Law
Our Mission
Dear Friends and Supporters of GSHPA:
I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong and responsible for what I say and do and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.
When we look back over 2020 and 2021, years like no other, it seems appropriate to reflect in a small way on how it felt to withstand, and at times, triumph over this period of time that stretched every fiber of our incredible organization. Two words bubble to the top: Focused Endurance. By their very definitions – focus is concentration, a directed attention; endurance is the ability to remain active for a long period of time and resist fatigue – they aptly summarize Girls Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania’s approach to the challenges faced in 2020 – for sure – and throughout 2021. That focused endurance helped us to survive, and at times thrive, from the very early days of the pandemic and well into its ongoing difficult months thereafter. Please know that the strength of our membership and volunteers and your unwavering support helped to pull and guide us through. We all know that everything shifted in mid-March 2020. Days after two
Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
million boxes of cookies were delivered in our footprint, the state was literally shut down. Everything at GSHPA, the Cookie Program in particular, had to adapt quickly. Programs, membership and Girl Scout celebrations went virtual. Everything went virtual. We transitioned slowly back to in-person activities in 2021. Our camps opened again and we were able to celebrate Camp Archbald’s 100-year milestone in September 2021. We have been tested and stretched to our limits. Our leadership, our volunteers and most importantly, our girls remained focused on our goals. We endured. This Impact Report recaps the past two years of our triumphs and challenges, while keeping our eyes to the future. Your support, donations, time and resources have allowed us to move forward. We take pride in our accomplishments and are reminded again and again that the core of our mission has never resonated more than this past year: We build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.
Adrienne Vicari Board Chair Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
2020-21 Board of Directors
TABLE OF CONTENTS The Juliette Gordon Low Society.................................. 4 GSHPA Donors............................................................ 5-9 Camp Archbald Anniversary................................. 10-11 Our Outdoors........................................................... 12-14 Our Entrepreneurs...................................................15-17
2
Our Programs .........................................................18-20 Our Awards .............................................................21-22 Our Numbers ...............................................................23
Impact Report
Board Chair: Kathy W. McCorkle Vice Chair: Deborah A. Kolsovsky Secretary: Jeshanah Fox Treasurer: Bridget Casher
Impact Report
Janet Donovan RADM, JAGC, USN (Ret.) President and Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
2021-2022 Board of Directors Chair of the Board Adrienne Vicari Enola, PA Vice-Chair Alison L. Bernhardt Harrisburg, PA Secretary Jeshanah Fox Marysville, PA Treasurer Bridget Casher New Cumberland, PA
Members-at-Large Anthony Billet York, PA Barbara Green Palmerton, PA Jayne Huston Harrisburg, PA Stacey O. Irwin, Ph.D. Lancaster, PA Tena Maurer Hegins, PA Daren Russ Harrisburg, PA Daniel Sheaffer, Jr. Halifax, PA Gina Suydam Tunkhannock, PA Deborah D. Vereen New Cumberland, PA Judith Windom Camp Hill, PA
2020-21 Members-at-Large Alison Bernhardt Karen Best Anthony Billet Jayne Huston
Stacey O. Irwin Betsy Keefer Daren Russ Daniel Sheaffer, Jr.
Deborah Vereen Adrienne Vicari Judith Windom
3
Our Friends The Juliette Gordon Low Society The Juliette Gordon Low Society is a special group of friends who have made the commitment to share their legacy with the next generation. You become part of this society when you leave a gift in your will, trust, or other account for Girl Scouts. Have you considered a legacy gift for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania? We welcome the opportunity to talk more and share the many ways you could become a member of the Juliette Gordon Low Society. As a member of the Juliette Gordon Low society, you will receive: • Recognition as a member of the Society and invitation to special events hosted by Girl Scouts • Updates about the work of Girl Scouts, nationwide and in your community • The joy of knowing that your gift will impact girls for future generations The Juliette Gordon Low Society recognizes these Girl Scout alumnae and friends who have made a commitment to the future of Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania through their legacy gift intentions. Through their commitment and vision, these individuals demonstrate a philanthropic expression of faith and confidence that enables Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania to fulfill its vital mission of growing girls of courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place. Erik & Eva Andersen Josephine Appell Joanne M. Bankos Carol Bartoe Vivian Beaston Susan J. Beittel Karen D. Best Sharon Blosser Beth Anne Bodtorf Louise Brown Martha L. Brown Nancy Bryant Dianne Belk & Lawrence Calder Linda Castagna Shirley Covert Kate Crowley Linda L. Davis Judith Doviak Carol Eberly Carol V. Freer Kristine Frey Jane L. Grim Sara L. Hannigan William Hoffmann Charmine Hoke Ed Hughes Carolyn Hunger Kyle F. Kauffman Marilyn D. Kauffman Betsy Keefer Carrol B. Kindel Patricia Kotchek Marguerite W. Leahy Gwen L. Loose
4
Barbara Mable Dr. David Maneval Maralyn Mazza Kathryn W. & David McCorkle Janie McKnight Dr. Martha E. Meadows L. Sue Morrison Joan L. & Keith Mummert Doris Myers Marianne S. Nolt Terry C. Novak Candy Poklembo Flora Poulos Donna & Robert Pullo Jane Ransom Susan Ross Chriss Schultz Joan S. Scott Susan E. Shetter Anne Marie Shuey Pamela Silar Sue Anne A. Snell Mary Noel Stenberg Linda F. Thum Milicent L. & Edward Treat Beth Tyson Rosalyn R. Ward Carolyn F. Warman Diana E. Weaver Laura Weber Cornelia M. Yoder Anonymous Ethel Bergdoll* Betty Jean Cannon*
Marilyn L. Crawford* George Delp* Katherine Didier* Miss M. Martha Foreman* Natalie S. Froehlich* Constance Gehman* Jeanne Gordon* Whyona Graver* Dorothy Heisey* Alice Wagner Hostetter* Robert Hostetter* Jean K. Hull* Carlos and Georgiana Leffler* Gilda Markoski* Rev. David Maugans* Edie O’Hara* Josephine Pederson* Anna Pryor* Florence Pyle* Clara Reinheimer* Sharron Ressler* Dr. and Wilhelm Reuning* Nancy Richardson* Karen G. Roethlein* Treva Sanders* Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Schildknecht* Josephine Smith* John Ward* Marie Williams* Jay Zarfos* Martha Zeller* *deceased
Impact Report
2020 Corporate and Foundation Partners • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Abram M. and Dorothy M. Snyder Foundation Aetna Foundation Alexander W. Dick Foundation Trust Bank of America Charitable Foundation Big Spring Area Community Chest Capital Blue Cross Centre Foundation Charles A. Robertson Trust Cole’s Hardware Coterra Energy - Cabot Oil and Gas Crull S. Kister Trust Dauphin County Community Fund Dauphin County Gaming Advisory Board Dr. Hermann & Mary J. Zwerling Community Trust • Exelon Generation • Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank • First National Bank
Impact Report
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Franklin H. and Ruth L. Wells Foundation Fulton Bank Gannett Fleming, Inc. Glatfelter Insurance Group Grace H. Hostetter Trust H.H. Knoebel Sons, Inc. Huntingdon County United Way Irene R. Weidman Charitable Trust James McBean Charitable Trust John Family Foundation Joseph T. & Helen M. Simpson Foundation Kingfisher Group, LLC Lancaster County Community Foundation Pennsylvania College of Technology Phoenix Contact PNC Bank PPL Corporation Rachel’s Cafe and Creperie
5
Our Friends 2020 Corporate & Foundation Partners (Con’t.) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Snayberger Memorial Foundation Southwestern Energy Supporters of Camp Archbald The Bishop Foundation The Blake and Linda Gall Family Foundation The Dime Bank The Elmer Naugle Foundation The Foundation for Enhancing Communities The G. Dewey & Mary J. Krumrine Foundation The GIANT Company, LLC. The Hershey Company The Magee Foundation The Middleswarth Foundation The Rite Aid Foundation The Ross Family Foundation
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
The York Water Company Travelers UGI Utilities, Inc United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties United Way of Lancaster County United Way of Lebanon County United Way of York County UPMC Health Plan W. Paul Fegley Community Trust Fund Weis Markets, Inc. White Rose Leadership Institute William E.C. & Mary Dearden Foundation Woodlands Bank Wyoming County United Way York Traditions Bank
2020 Circle of Friends Diamond • Mimi Barash Coppersmith • Betsy Keefer • Cornelia M. Yoder
Emerald • Virginia L. John • Karen & Michael Leader • Hon. Patricia Vance
Tourmaline • • • • • • • • • •
6
Impact Report
William and Marion C. Alexander Kristie Aurience E. L. Beard Karen D. Best Anthony Billet Janice R. Black June Brown Bridget Casher Linda L. Davis Janet Donovan
Impact Report
Tourmaline (con’t.) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lutricia Eberly John and Eleanor Fogerty Anthony & Jennifer Foster Jeshanah Fox Blake & Linda Gall William Hoffmann Ed Hughes Deborah Kolsovsky Kathryn W. & David McCorkle William M. & Jane E. Murray Heidi Nicholas & Bruce Fleischer Neal & Linda Rhoads Nancy Rooney Daren Russ Mr. & Mrs. Robert Sibert Jack F. Snider Dianne C. Steimling Milicent L. Treat Deborah D. Vereen Adrienne Vicari Valda Witt Coni Wolf Hattie Woods Martha H. Zeller (deceased) Anonymous
7
Our Friends 2021 Corporate and Foundation Partners • Abram M. and Dorothy M. Snyder Foundation • ACME Markets • Airie Knipel, Harry V. and J. William Warehime Foundation • Alexander W. Dick Foundation Trust • American International Group (AIG) • Apex Advertising, Inc. • Bank of America Charitable Foundation • Big Spring Area Community Chest • Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz • Bruch Family Fund • Chambersburg (Springdale) Energy, LLC • Charles A. Robertson Trust • Citizens’ Electric Company • Conagra Brands Foundation Matching Gifts Program • Coterra Energy - Cabot Oil and Gas • Crull S. Kister Trust • Dauphin County Community Fund • Dauphin County Gaming Advisory Board • Donegal Insurance Group • Dr. Hermann & Mary J. Zwerling Community Trust • Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank • First Community Foundation Partnership • Fulton Bank • Galen and Nancy Dreibelbis Charitable Gift Fund • Gannett Fleming, Inc. • Geisinger Health System • Glatfelter Insurance Group • Highmark Blue Shield • Huntingdon County United Way • Huntingdon Rotary Club • Irene R. Weidman Charitable Trust • Joseph T. & Helen M. Simpson Foundation • Kenneth Bankert Foundation, Inc. • Kiwanis Club of Lebanon • Lancaster County Community Foundation • LeTort Trust • LINKBANK • Lobar Associates, Inc. • M&T Charitable Foundation • Marion A. Dunlavy Trust • Masland & Barrick, INC.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
McKonly & Asbury CPAs & Business Advisors Paul Revere Leber, PA Post 372 Pennian Bank Pfizer Foundation Matching Gifts Program PNC Bank Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation Prismworks Technology, Inc Robinson/Jensen Giving Fund RS Mowery & Sons Scranton Area Community Foundation Shippensburg Moose Lodge #2500 Snayberger Memorial Foundation Target - Hanover The Anne Brossman Sweigart Charitable Foundation The Dime Bank The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation The Donley Foundation The Elmer Naugle Foundation The Foundation for Enhancing Communities The G. Dewey & Mary J. Krumrine Foundation The GIANT Company, LLC. The Hershey Company The Palmer Foundation, Inc. The Powder Mill Foundation The Ross Family Foundation The York Water Company Tri-Valley Charities, Inc. UGI Utilities, Inc United Way of Columbia and Montour County United Way of Lebanon County United Way of York County Verizon Foundation W. Paul Fegley Community Trust Fund Weis Markets, Inc. White Rose Leadership Institute Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins William E.C. & Mary Dearden Foundation William H. Young Charitable Trust Woodlands Bank Wyoming County United Way York College of Pennsylvania
2021 Circle of Friends Diamond • • • • • • • •
Ann B. Barshinger Anthony Billet Katherine Bishop Mimi Barash Coppersmith Betsy Keefer Deborah Kolsovsky Cornelia M. Yoder Anonymous
Emerald • • • •
Charlene Friedman Blake & Linda Gall Virginia L. John Hon. Patricia Vance
Because of our GSHPA donors like you, we can build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.
Tourmaline • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
William & Marion C. Alexander James & Patricia Apple Kristie Aurience Karen D. Best Janice R. Black June Brown Bridget Casher Linda L. Davis Janet Donovan Lutricia Eberly Jennifer E. Frank Daniel R. Hawbaker William Hoffman Megan C. Huff Jayne Huston Jeshanah Fox Tom & Mary Jane Kistler Kathryn W. & David McCorkle William M. & Jane E. Murray Heidi Nicholas Kristine & Brian Parkes Patricia & Paul L. Querry Danna Rich-Collins Bruce & Ruth Rudderow Daren Russ Daniel Sheaffer Robert Sibert Dianne C. Steimling Deborah D. Vereen Adrienne Vicari Judy & Paul Ware Judith Windom Paul & Dana Witt Coni Wolf Hattie Woods Anonymous
GSHPA would also like to recognize donors who gave generously and anonymously. 8
Impact Report
Impact Report
9
Our Milestone
Camp Archbald: 100 years strong!
The second-oldest operating Girl Scout camp in the world is within Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania’s footprint. Our camp has had a lot to celebrate recently. Camp Archbald, like GSHPA’s other camps, re-opened in 2021 as Pennsylvania started easing its way out of COVID and the regulations surrounding outdoor activities. While providing a safe environment, girls and their families were once again able to enjoy what the Girl Scout Outdoor Experience had to offer. In September 2020, Camp Archbald marked a major milestone: 100 years of Girl Scouts camping on property. According to the Supporters of Camp Archbald (SOCA) website, the camp was founded in 1920 by the Scranton Pocono Girl Scout Council. The site noted that the Scranton council initially started in 1918 at Lake Coxton, but the location was not right for a permanent home. In 1920, Mrs. Thomas Archbald, the chairwoman of a committee tasked to find land, visited the Ely Lake site in Susquehanna Township and eventually made it the permanent home. It’s named after Archbald. SOCA initially planned to host the 100-year anniversary in September 2020, but the global pandemic forced the anniversary celebration to be held a year later on Sept. 18, 2021. Participants included girls from every decade of Girl Scouting since the 1940s.
10
Impact Report
Impact Report
11
Our Outdoors
Recommitted growth in 2020
Highlights of our GSHPA camp properties
The outdoor team offered new opportunities to engage with girls from the comfort of their home.
Camp Archbald
In a year of social distancing, the importance of the outdoors was clearer than ever. Celebrating the great outdoors has always been at the forefront of Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, but 2020 challenged us to further recommit to our properties and outdoor programming. While the global pandemic forced us to temporarily close the gates at all four of our camp properties, GSHPA staff and board members worked diligently to assess each property and the activities offered. In July 2020, nearly three years after
the benchmark process for Camp Happy Valley, Camp Furnace Hills and Camp Archbald began, the Board of Directors of GHSPA voted to retain the properties; moving forward with a viable business plan with measurable outcomes in support of each unique property. Unsure what the future would look like post-pandemic, this threw yet another challenge at our staff. How could we transform the outdoor experience without being able to bring people to our properties physically? This was a challenge our staff was eager to accept. “Even during a pandemic, the outdoor team offered new opportunities to engage girls with the outdoors from the safety of their own
home, and made plans for returning to in-person activities,” said Lutricia Eberly, Director of Outdoor and Program Experiences. “We are on the cusp of great momentum in GSHPA’s ability to impact girls through outdoor programming.” GSHPA hosted virtual events to encourage our members to get outdoors such as Virtual Camp, Camp in Campout, the Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors Challenge and so much more. We also were able to hold socially distanced work days on our camp properties to prepare them for reopening.
Camp Archbald is the second-oldest Girl Scout camp in the United States and sits less than 30 miles from the New York state line. Camp Archbald features Ely Lake, with access to boating and swimming, as well as a climbing wall, facilitated low ropes, hiking trails and archery.
Camp Furnace Hills Camp Furnace Hills, located in Lancaster County, offers the full range of Girl Scout progressive outdoor overnight experiences. Camp Furnace Hills presents the opportunity for historical programming centered around an 18th-century German bank house known as Foxfire House. The volunteer-led Foxfire programming team leads scheduled activities and is available for small group events.
Camp Small Valley Camp Small Valley is located in Dauphin County and features a climbing wall, low ropes, high ropes, a pool and a full range of camping experiences ranging from rustic to modern. Camp Small Valley is the largest GSHPA property and also includes yurts available for rental. Yurts are popular rentals. The simple circular structure functions like a home, protecting visitors from the elements. Camp Small Valley’s land is in a conservancy agreement with Manada Conservancy.
Camp Happy Valley Camp Happy Valley is located near Gettysburg and Liberty Mountain Resort with year-round overnight options for groups ranging from 10-30 in four different heated units. Camp Happy Valley is ideal for groups wanting a convenient place to stay while exploring southcentral Pennsylvania.
12
Impact Report
Impact Report
13
Our Outdoors
Our Entrepreneurs
Back together and outside in 2021
Girls participating in world’s largest girl-led entrepreneurship program adapt.
After a year of COVID-lockdown, it was a welcome relief to enjoy all four of our summer camp properties in-person in 2021. It was a year of emergence, transition and fun. Safety was always a priority. We were excited to host what would amount to 403 campers from across 25 counties in our 30-county footprint.
Camp property preservations In 2021, we began repairs that were needed to sustain our camp properties. A future Small Activity Pavilion at Camp Happy Valley, near Skyloft, will provide covered space for girls to have free time or participate in a variety of camp activities. A new roof for the Morning Star Pavilion at Camp Furnace Hills, provides needed canopy coverage so girls can still be outside in high-noon heat or when it’s raining. A new Small Activity Pavilion at Camp Small Valley will replace the current temporary tent structure that has more than outlived its years of service. We are confident that these improvements will help ensure that the properties remain part of Girl Scouts’ future outdoor programming needs, allowing our girls to socialize, have fun and continue to explore the world!
Camp Property utilization is vital Before 2021, we may have taken for granted the welcoming sights and sounds of summer camp:
14
Pivoting our time, resources in 2020
the laughter and splashing while swimming, the catchy nighttime campfire songs and the lifelong friendships developed. Now, more than ever, connecting outside seems sweeter, part of a fresh new beginning. Reservations for all four GSHPA camp properties matched reservations for FY19, the last full year prior to COVID. Although this is a promising sign, it is still critical that our properties are being fully utilized.
The top five units in-order of most rented across our four camps is: Friendship, Treetops, Skyloft-Sunrise, Aspen and Gobbler’s Glen. Additional property tours, outdoor trainings and programming were held at each of our four properties to bring our members to camp. The use of our camp properties is essential to our future success.
Impact Report
In a March 2020 Facebook video clip, 9-year-old Emily, a Girl Scout from Lackawanna County, balances a case of Girl Scout cookies on her right knee. Placed atop the case is a single roll of toilet paper. “I have a special for you,” she said in the video. “Every time you buy one case of cookies, you will get a free roll of toilet paper.” COVID’s impact was on everyone’s doorstep then. The state was shutting down, literally. Panic shopping emptied store shelves -- toilet paper included -- and every business deemed non-essential had to close. A week prior to that shutdown, staff, volunteers and members at Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, handed out 1.5 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies at several large cookie-drop-off locations across the state. Because of the state shutdown, GSHPA no longer had the use of outdoor booth or inperson sales— a major driving force for selling much of that product inventory.
Before Mega-Drop Prior to the pandemic, GSHPA’s retail and product programs were humming along at a normal pace. From October to December 2019, Girl Scouts hosted its Fall Product Fundraiser campaign
Impact Report
The Cookie Program builds 5 skills: Goal setting Decision making Money management People skills Business ethics
where Girl Scouts sold assorted candy, snacks and magazines. GSHPA partnered with a Lancaster restaurant during it’s ExtraGive fundraising event to highlight some of the Fall Product Fundraiser choices. Initial Cookie Program sales were at the same level to prior years in early 2020, even though fewer girls were participating. In fact, the S’more’s Executive Club had 139 participants, an increase of 94 from the prior year. The S’more’s Executive Club recognizes Girl Scouts who go above and beyond their Girl Scout Product Program efforts. Facebook Live announcements, Instagram and day-long tastings assisted the council in introducing LemonUps, Girl Scouts’ newest cookie.
The Cookie Program Pivot After March 13, everything changed for GSHPA’s product teams, and the the innovative actions of Girl Scouts like Emily proved to be key. In normal times, Emily regularly exceeds her Cookie Program goals. She, like many other Girl Scouts, adapted in COVID. After posting that Continued on page 16
15
Our Entrepreneurs Continued from page 15
Facebook video, Emily eventually sold more than 3,200 boxes of cookies and parted with 24 rolls of toilet paper from her family’s stash. Others followed. Girl Scouts immediately moved to online sales, produced digital marketing material and websites, and depended heavily on their digital cookie booth options. They mapped out the logistics for deliveries and payment and creative collaborations ensued. In one such partnership, GSHPA worked closely with Karns Quality Foods in the Harrisburg area by moving those sales inside. During Cookie Season, Karns worked with several local troops to help them benefit from the grocery store traffic. “The Girl Scout cookies — it was a piece of normalcy that we all needed at the time,” said Andrea Karns, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. The entire season included many one-time sale extensions and although the council fell just short of its goal, it was proud of the accomplishments made during such an unprecedented time. It was a successful season. We sold 1.96 million boxes of cookies with a goal of 2 million boxes. It was truly remarkable!
16
2021: Finding success in our product programs
Our girls work hard to sell cookies to support their activities like travel, camping and programs, but we also have troops that use their cookie funds to support the community. Troop 10286 made a product donation to the Bethesda Mission Men’s Shelter in Harrisburg, PA using their Cookie earnings. The girls purchased items off of the shelter’s wish list, including men’s t-shirts, trash bags, shaving cream, dental floss, hand sanitizer and more. Cookie Season was not the only success for Product Program in 2021 year. The Fall Product Fundraiser
Heading into the second Girl Scout Cookie Season during a global pandemic was not something anyone expected to happen but our Girl Scouts felt more prepared this time around. Our cookie entrepreneurs were working diligently on their online stores, their cookie pitches and on their COVID-conscious, inperson booths. The community rallied around our girls and showed up! Junior Troop 20868 was approached by a gentleman at one of their booths and he purchased every box of cookies, over 100 packages! He told the girls to pay it forward and handout the cookies to those who passed by their booth until they were out of cookies.
Impact Report
Impact Report
Program is a fun and engaging program where Girl Scouts get their first taste of leadership and success by selling delicious nuts, candy and magazine subscriptions. As Girl Scouts do, we persevered. Our council finished just under the previous year’s sales!
Cookie Season by the Numbers (COVID Year 2) 1,723,975 Packages sold 7,450 Cookie entrepreneurs 46,066 Packages of cookies donated to United States military.
17
Our Programs Programs thrive before and during COVID Along with the entire country, program coordinators at Girl Scouts at the Heart of Pennsylvania adapted their jobs to a virtual world after March 2020. Virtual programming allows girls in not only our footprint to come together at the same event, but also to join with girls across the country and world. With travel time eliminated, the program and outdoor teams were able to deliver more programs than ever before. GSUSA provided pointers on how to create an engaging virtual program, from keeping cameras on to giving specific tips for each age group. GSHPA implemented the best practices to ensure a good experience for all ages. The GSHPA team focused on four areas to increase and maintain virtual engagement: variety, flexibility, girl-led and fun. We have found success not only in virtual program attendance, but also in the number of girls wanting to return for future programming. Here are the highlights for fiscal year 2020:
By the numbers GSHPA Virtual Camp • 5 weeks, 5 themes (Crafty Camper, Myths & Legends, Potions & Wands, Splash Spectacular, Survival Games); 172 participants GSHPA Camp In Campout • 3 sessions, 586 girls registered (537 Girl Scouts, 49 non-Girl Scouts) • GSHPA Outdoor Challenge, 581 participants Very Involved Camper program • 65 participants Fall 2019/Winter 2020 In-Person Girl
Programming • 338 girls served through in-person Badge Days. Fall 2019 Volunteer-Led In-Person Girl Programming • 25 girls served by Nature Explorers • 47 girls served by Foxfire Team Adult Enrichment • 27 adults served through in-person and virtual training opportunities
October 2019-March 2020
• Four STEAM Mobiles visited 130 troops and Service Units serving 2,866 girls. The most popular STEAM Mobile Topics were Robotics and Science of Escape. • Academic Edge programming was conducted in 18 schools and organizations serving 475 girls. Girls learned about Girl Scout traditions, explored robots and all aspects of STEAM.
A New Leader Training program launched in Fall 2019, was a component for new leaders to complete as part of their onboarding. It focuses on the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, the Outcomes of the GSLE and the Pillars of the GSLE. The training was rolled out to new volunteers for the 2019-2020 membership year and, interestingly enough, were all virtual before the world went virtual. We also offered Zoom licenses for troops, which made it possible to stay in contact and maintain continuity during the pandemic. In March 2020, after the pandemic closed schools and shut down community events, we pivoted to make sure we were still able to reach new girls and volunteers. We held interactive virtual recruitment events for the Daisy Launch campaign during the spring, and virtual meet-and-greets for adults interested in volunteering. We opened some of our virtual programming to non-members and started a Bring a Friend campaign. We focused on a grass roots recruitment model that empowered our members to share information virtually with their communities, and made new connections with schools, businesses and community organizations willing to help share our information.
Positive public reaction for camp-property decisions
No decision in GSHPA history has been celebrated more definitively than the July 2020 board decision to continue outdoor programming on all four GSHPA camp properties. Since that time, friends groups at Camp Archbald and Camp Furnace Hills conducted work days throughout the fall totaling more than 800 hours of volunteer time working at the camps. The GSHPA Fund Development
April-September 2020
The Program Team delivered 127 virtual events, serving 3,748 girls, including the Virtual STEAM Mobile, STEAM with the Program Team, Career Chats, Virtual Journey Series, Badge Workshops and Juliette Virtual Troop Meetings
18
Online before online was the norm
Impact Report
Impact Report
team applied for grants to assist with infrastructure improvements, necessary maintenance repairs and programming enhancements on all four properties. The GSHPA Outdoor Program team created new resources to assist leaders in planning for their overnight trips, and updated the property tours, maps, inventory lists and photos to assist leaders in making reservations. Webpages were
created for the three volunteer-led program teams: Backpacking, Nature Explorers and Foxfire. GSHPA-led summer camp experiences were held at all four properties in summer 2021.
19
Our Programs
Our Highest Awards
Volunteer training remains a priority
2020 Going for Gold At Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, 40 to 50 Girl Scouts each year complete their Gold Award. More than 200 Girl Scouts have earned their Bronze Award and just more than 140 have earned their Silver Award. Only 5 to 6 percent of Girl Scouts worldwide each year earn their Gold Award. These exceptional Girl Scouts are the dreamers and the doers who take “make the world a better place” to the next level. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable—proof that not only can she make a difference, but that she already has. On these next two pages, we have provided a cross-sampling of our honorees.
Training continued to be an important effort by our team in 2021 with over 800 hours of training being provided to volunteers in FY21. While many of the trainings provided to volunteers were virtual or on-demand, many in-person trainings resumed, such as our Volunteer Orientation. To further spread the training initiative, Girl Scouts at the Heart of Pennsylvania held the inaugural Virtual Volunteer Conference on February 20, 2021. The 114 staff and volunteer attendees participated in multiple different workshop options, including topics such as Challenging Conversations, Keeping Girls Engaged Virtually and Girl Scout Traditions and Ceremonies. The event offered multiple networking opportunities for volunteers to virtually mix and mingle. The opening and closing remarks were led by GSHPA CEO Janet Donovan and COO, Deb Bogdanski.
Kailey Bridgeman
Kailey Defina
Clifford Township, PA • Susquehanna County STEM & Education • Intro to Computer Programming Course Kailey designed and implemented a week-long computer programming course for middle and high school students. Her project provided students with a unique opportunity to learn computer science and worked to generate interest in the field.
Scranton, PA • Lackawanna County Arts, Culture, & Heritage • Scranton’s Music Mentors Kailey created a free music program for students in the Scranton area to learn the joys of music. By providing a free opportunity, Kailey eliminated the obstacle of cost that many students face when trying to learn a musical instrument. This program will be continued by Kailey’s classmates.
Eirinn Flanagan
Hummelstown, PA • Dauphin County Life Skills • Book Club for Dyslexic Children Eirinn wanted to address the issue of dyslexia in her community. She conceived and ran a book club for children who were struggling to read. By using graphic novels, she was able to engage with children who might normally be opposed to reading.
Jenna Prestianni
Recruitment champions for the win In the wake of COVID, it is a critical time to involve new girls and adults with GSHPA, which is why our team developed an innovative way to recruit. Our hybrid approach to recruitment featured virtual events hosted by GSHPA staff and small in-person events hosted by local volunteers serving as Recruitment Champions to give girls a chance to experience the fun and friendship of Girl Scouts. This strategy brought in 1,585 new girls and 645 new adults.
20
Lords Valley, PA • Pike County STEM & Education • Mobile Makerspace and STEM Station Jenna created a mobile makerspace for kids and teachers to have access to STEM materials during the school day. Lesson plans accompanied the makerspace so that teachers could easily implement the programs in their classes.
Chloe Wegrzynowicz
Catawissa, PA • Columbia County Mental Health • Believe After two of her student peers passed away due to ongoing battles with depression, Chloe spent nearly 110 hours creating a documentary, mural and website on the relationship between confidence and high school. She was able to show her documentary that includes three individuals and their stories of bravery to the school she attends.
Impact Report
Impact Report
Jasmine Moss
Windsor, PA • York County Mental Health • Expressions Workshop Jasmine taught classes to children in her local community about how to manage conflict in a respectful way. She introduced the kids to art therapy as a healthy way to handle emotions.
Melody Sharp
Port Matilda, PA • Centre County Education • Teach American Sign Language Melody increased awareness about the importance of learning ASL and the certification process to members of her community. By creating an informational document and other educational materials, she encouraged educators and students to become ASL certified.
Sarah Rosenberger
Albrightsville, PA • Carbon County Outdoors • Prayer & Pollination Garden Sarah designed a raised plant bed garden with a sitting area, decorations and much more at her local church in Jim Thorpe. This area is an essential place for pollinators to flourish and for others to learn and admire them.
21
MEMBERSHIP Our 2021 Numbers
Our Highest Awards
2021 Going for Gold
Anna Lumsargis
Nicole Schafer
York, PA ∙ York County Arts, Culture & Heritage, Education ∙ York County Women’s History: Trailblazers of the Past and Leaders of the Present Anna saw a need in her community to update and expand the women’s history archives at the York History Center. She noticed that throughout the county there was a lack of documentation and accessibility in regards to women’s history. She wanted to bring awareness to the role of women in leadership, cultural awareness and service.
Cresco, PA ∙ Monroe County Arts, Culture, Heritage ∙ Preservation of History Nicole initiated and organized the relocation of a beloved 66-year-old statue, “Our Lady of the Poconos,” when the property the statue sat on was being sold. Once the statue was moved, Nicole landscaped the area so it could be a place of serenity for visitors.
Katie Mussett Bellefonte, PA ∙ Centre County Life Skills, Environment & Sustainability, Human Rights ∙ Say No to Fast Fashion Katie wanted to bring awareness to the negative impacts of fast fashion in her local community and throughout the world. She centered her project on teenagers and young adults to provide them with information about fast fashion and more environmentally friendly options.
Alyssa Hoffman Watson, PA ∙ Northumberland County Civic Engagement, Public Safety, Sports ∙ Cross Country Bridge Alyssa replaced a bridge that is part of a cross country course at her school, Warrior Run High School. She worked with the school board, engineers and members of her community to make her vision a reality.
Lauren Braught Mechanicsburg, PA ∙ Cumberland County Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors, Children’s Issues ∙ Camp Small Valley Tree Planting Lauren wanted to target climate control and the sustainability of one of GSHPA’s camp properties. She researched tree planting and how it was linked to biodiversity and worked with GSHPA staff and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to find the best types of trees to plant. Lauren led volunteers in planting 50 trees and also created a training on tree planting.
22
Allyson Deihl Lancaster, PA ∙ Lancaster County Health ∙ HOPE Garden Allison’s project addressed the issue of mental health still being stigmatized and decided to create a safe space in her community for anyone struggling with their own mental health. She created a garden that had different sensory objects that would promote calm and peace for those using the park and even chose plants that were known for their calming properties.
Samiya Henry Harrisburg, PA · Dauphin County STEM, Human Rights, Civic Engagement, Health and Education · One Small Step towards Life on Mars Samiya combined her love of space, law and civics to create a Space Bill of Rights. She created a survey to gather thoughts and ideas of those around the world reaching people from the USA, Africa, Spain, Italy and the Philippines. She identified constitutional concepts to create a framework for future life in space.
Girl Scouts awarded GSHPA scholarships Six Gold Award Girl Scouts, representing Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania (GSHPA), were named recipients of the annual GSHPA Gold Award Girl Scout Scholarship. Rosa Azzato, of Harrisburg; Ally Byrne, of Chambersburg; and Megan Gouldy, of Mechanicsburg, were the recipients in 2020 and Samiya Henry and Anne Castellano, both of Harrisburg and Sarah Mahoney of Lewisburg, were the scholarship recipients in 2021.
Here is a brief description of their projects: Azzato’s project focused on Arts, Culture & Heritage, titled “Expressions Art Camp.” Azzato organized an art-themed day camp for young children with special needs to help them develop a sense of self-expression and problem-solving skills. Byrne completed a project addressing healthy relationships, titled “Teen Depression and Suicide.” Byrne connected with her school district, community agencies and a teen center to raise awareness about depression and suicide. Gouldy developed a project focused on Education, titled, “Children’s Reading Corner.” Gouldy created a reading corner at a local elementary school to help underprivileged children develop stronger reading and writing skills. Henry combined her love of space, law and civics to create
a Space Bill of Rights in her project “One Small Step (Towards Life on Mars).” She surveyed 100 people from around the world, and used their responses to craft the document. She also built a website that provides access to constitutions from across the globe, her survey questions and the history and purpose of her project. Castellano not only brought in young volunteers to Ecumenical Retirement Community, but she also was able to throw different events and activities to complete her Gold Award project “The Arts Through the Generations: Afternoons with Anne.” Castellano was inspired by her personal experiences – she visited her great-grandmother at the retirement community and noticed the lack of young volunteers. Mahoney honored veterans by reinstalling her high school’s World War II Veterans Memorial to complete her project “Veterans Remembered: Past, Present and Future.” She hosted a Veterans Memorial Rededication Ceremony and over 200 community members attended the ceremony, some attendees had served in World War II and attended the initial 1946 memorial dedication.
2021 Membership Numbers 17,283
7,020
3,071
Total membership
Adult members
Volunteers
10,263
2,380
Girl members
Troops
Program Numbers
Sarah Deckinger
Outdoor Team
Lords Valley, PA ∙ Pike County Environment & Sustainability, Outdoors, Health, Education, Animals ∙ Pollinator Garden Sarah planted a garden at her community center, using perennial flowers that are known to attract pollinators. Each year, these plants will come back after the winter months and attract bees, butterflies and other insects.
Impact Report
Program Team
46
940
Adults participated in an adult enrichment
People registered for an event
48
Total events offered
Impact Report
172 Total events offered
403
5,778
Summer campers
People registered
23