Spotlight on Girl Scouts of Nassau County

We’re the Girl Scouts of Nassau County

We’re almost 16,000 strong with 11,472 girls and 4,319 adults who believe in the power of every girl from Nassau County to change the world.

For over 103 years, girls and adults in Nassau County have come together to make friends and serve the community and the world. The values found in the Girl Scout Promise and Law serve as a life-long road map to guide girls’ behavior and attitudes. Through activities in science and technology, business and financial literacy, and outdoor and environmental awareness, Girl Scouting provides girls with opportunities for fun and friendship while fostering the development of leadership skills and self-esteem in an all-girl environment.

Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s Response to the Pandemic

The coronavirus continued to impact troop meetings, council events, fundraising, and limited participation in summer camp throughout 2021. At the same time, as COVID-19 precautions and restrictions remained in effect, our council’s primary source of revenue Girl Scout cookie pro gram required us to rely on innovative sell ing techniques to succeed. Within a week of the stay-at-home order and throughout 2021, we recognized that we needed to reshape our program offerings and provide new or unique opportunities for girls and their families to participate in as Girl Scouts. GSNC began providing virtual program for our girls. We designed patch programs, cooking classes, arts programs, STEM activities and re-envisioned our summer camp program to be virtual. Once the restrictions were eased, we encouraged our troops to look for outdoor meeting places and activities resulting in hybrid programs options for girls. In 2022, as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, we slowly began to return to more in-person activities, offering girls the opportunity to come together in a variety of modified program settings.

The lack of access to transportation and technology combined with limited finances and language/cultural barriers have limited

participation for some girls in Nassau County. To help expand our reach to these girls and their families, Girl Scouts of Nassau County went mobile. In October of 2021, we received a grant from the Town of Hempstead to purchase a mobile programming unit

The Traveling Trefoil. Using this mobile programming unit, we began to take Girl Scout activities and staff directly to our girls and their families in their local communities.

Advocacy

We work with policymakers at all levels to advance public policies that champion all-girl safe spaces and honor the unique develop mental needs of girls through extracurricular activities like Girl Scouting. To build tomor row’s leaders, we’re prioritizing the following public policy goals in 2022. To advance the cause of girls, Girl Scouts is prioritizing the following public policy issues:

Inspire Greater Civic Engagement and Civic Education

Expand girls’ access to civic education and improve girls’ practical understanding of the systems, laws, and processes that govern society at the local, state, and federal levels

Fuel Girls’ Passion for STEM

Expand out-of-school STEM programming to girls and traditionally underrepresented groups including English language learners, racial minorities, and other students served by Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Strengthen Girls’ Financial Literacy and Business Skills

Ensure all girls gain financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills.

Expand Girls’ Access to Outdoor Adventure

Ensure all girls can participate in transfor mative outdoor experiences regularly and in varied ways.

Uphold a Strong Nonprofit Community

Protect and expand nonprofit exemptions from state and local property, sales, and use taxes, and from collecting sales and use taxes.

GSNC Board of Directors

OFFICERS

Andrea Elder-Howell, Esq.

President and Chief Volunteer Officer

PSEG Long Island

Eileen Baker Executive Vice President

TD Bank

Tonia Bottoms, Esq. Vice President Pershing–BNY Mellon

Valerie Terzano Vice President NYU Langone Hospital

Allison Bishop White Vice President Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Lisa Gardner, Esq. Treasurer Donohoe Talbert LLP

Lisa Burke Secretary A Business Contracting Corp. Randell M. Bynum CEO

Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Inc.

MEMBERSAT-LARGE

Lisa Arning Admission Technician, LLC

Florence Barbour Harbor Child Care, Inc.

Natalie Borneo Dress for Success Worldwide

Kevin Boston-Hill Educational Consultant

Barbara Brudie, Esq. PSEG Long Island

Michele Cusack Northwell Health

Vikki Ernst-Chang TV Producer

Brigette DaSilva Bethpage Federal Credit Union

Susan Ganz Ganz Strategic Solutions

Julie Strachan Haiber, Esq. Thomson Reuters Steven Lindo SpringBoard Incubators Inc.

Susan MacDonald Daniel Gale Sotheby’s Realty

Alexandra McCormick Student

Lasherelle Morgan, Esq. Amazon Studios

Anne Marie Spensieri-Fidis Brussels Airlines

Melanie Pavlidis Wix

Melanie Sinesi Suffolk County Executive

Steve Bellone

Madison Spanodemos Student

Lauren Summa Northwell Health

Leah Watson

A Better You Consulting Services LLC

Pawel Zagaja DHL

John Zhao Bloomberg BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Angela Stanley, ex-officio Chair Board Development Committee

Kevin Boston- Hill Raven Brewington Deandra Denton

Janet Nina Esagroff, Esq. Clara Giustino

Julie StrachanHaiber, Esq. Jason Hembrey

Anne Marie Spensieri-Fidis

How we can work together

• Look for community service projects that you can partner on with local Girl Scouts

• Recognize the Girl Scouts who earn their highest award, Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards (https://www.gsnc.org/content/ dam/girlscouts-gsnc/documents/GSNC_ Gold-Award-Toolkit.pdf )

• Attend local Girl Scout events such as Gold Award Ceremonies.

• Keep us informed of new policies, legislation or funding opportunities or legislation that might impact our ability to provide Girl Scouting throughout the communities in Nassau County.

• Consider including Girl Scouts in events or programs you host…they can help with flag ceremonies, say the Pledge of Allegiance or assist at your event.

• Provide opportunities for Girl Scouts to learn about how our government works through workplace tours or invitation to attend County, Town or City meetings. Ring Road Garden CIty, NY 11530 741-2550