In 2024, we made dreams come true and provided Girl Scouts with the environment and spaces to unlock their potential and discover new skills. Because of YOU, our girls grew in a number of ways.
Our girls showed us exactly how big they were dreaming through their Highest Award Take Action projects. We celebrated 129 girls earning their Bronze Award, 40 girls earning their Silver Award, and 13 girls earning their Gold Award. We are so proud of every girl who achieves this honor during their time as a Girl Scout.
Girls showed us Girl Scouts is cookies and so much more. As our girls continued to dream big, our overall membership continued to climb. We welcomed a total of 14,165 Girl Scouts in 2024.
Our Girl Scouts showed us just how much they “grow” at our Resident and Day Camps. We were thrilled to welcome 619 Girl Scouts at Resident Camp, and 1,973 Girl Scouts at Day Camp. We saw record breaking attendance at our Mad Mud (1,253) and Mall Lock-In (1,290) events.
Girl Scouts has been doing STEM for 113 years and it’s still an integral part of our programming today. We implemented an innovative new Wetland Ecosystem Exploration app with our partners at Battelle that will teach girls how to identify different animal and plant species in our wetlands at Camp Ken-Jockety.
In October, a five-year vision was realized as we cut the ribbon on our AEP Foundation STEM Leadership Center and Nationwide Foundation Environmental Center! We welcomed girls onto the new Battelle Science and Innovation Campus at Camp Ken-Jockety where they will have life-changing opportunities and experiences! Because of this, the STEM Center is being filled with exciting new STEM Programs like Build It, Design It and Camp to Table! With your help, we showed girls that they belong in Girl Scouts and wherever they want to be.
We are so grateful for our girls, volunteers, staff, and donors for helping us make our dreams come true and allowing Girl Scouts to dream big!
6,786
STEM Badges Earned
WHAT GIRL SCOUTS DO
What’s in a Badge?
12,630
Life Skills Badges Earned
8,426
Outdoors Badges Earned
Program Spotlight
Girl Scouts Grow
6,063
Entrepreneurship Badges Earned
Girl Scouts Grow is a special program that our partner The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company provides to girls free of cost. We send girls packets of seeds that they plant in their gardens and tend throughout the season. Then, at harvest time they collect their homegrown produce and are asked to donate it to a local food pantry near them!
Through the past six years we have had 8,299 participants in the program, with 2,000 girls participating in 2024. In 2024, over 2,088 pounds of produce were donated from Girl Scouts Grow at-home gardens. Over 255 pounds were donated from our community garden at Camp Ken-Jockety. Thank you to Scotts Miracle-Gro Company for helping girls grow, eat, and share.
Girl Scouts learn new skills by earning Proficiency Badges created by Girl Scouts of the USA. Each badge has five steps that are designed to help girls explore subjects like STEM, life skills, the outdoors and entrepreneurship. As they progress thorugh our grade levels and complete more badges, they gain a deeper understanding of not only the world around them but also of themselves.
CAMPS AND THE OUTDOORS
The Place You’ll Grow
Our summer at Resident Camp was full of friendship and fireflies. We welcomed back Resident Camp Director Megan “Willow” Reardon as well as counselors from around the world including Germany, England, and Ireland! Our campers participated in swimming, cookouts, as well as environmental education programming from our Nature Specialist! Some of our most popular camp sessions were Eco Chic, Wonder Women, and Artrageous.
Our outdoor fun didn’t stop there!
• 249 Girl Scouts showed their love for the outdoors through our Girl Scouts Love State Parks programs around the council.
• 24 girls joined us for our annual Outreach program Camp Amigas at Camp Ken-Jockety.
• 804 participants came out for our annual Halloween Hike at Camp Ken-Jockety for some spooky fun.
• 357 attendees came to our Tree Tappers Festival to learn all about our maple syrup operation at Camp Ken-Jockety and to enjoy some sweet maple syrup!
• 356 Girl Scouts joined us for some fall fun at Camp Crooked Lane for our revival of our annual Fall Festival.
Under the Sea
Across our 30 county district, day camp made a splash in 2024! From the ocean shore to the depths below, Girl Scouts practiced outdoor skills and explored all kinds of parks and places. Thanks to the tireless help of our day camp volunteers, 1,973 Girl Scouts found new friends and experienced camp memories that will last their whole lives.
• 463 girls put their survival skills to the test at our Zombie Bash at Camp Ken-Jockety. Can you believe that:
Learned some sweet science at Tree Tappers
girls joined us for Fall Festival
DREAMS DO COME TRUE
Cutting the Ribbon
On October 29, 2024, we cut the ribbon on our AEP Foundation STEM Leadership Center!
Our Co-Chairs and major donors joined us on the Battelle Science and Innovation Campus at Camp Ken-Jockety to celebrate the opening of our new innovative building that will help girls foster their STEM skills!
We can’t wait to see the community and our Girl Scouts alike taking advantage of this gorgeous space and discovering their potential!
Thank you to Battelle, AEP Foundation, CK Construction Group, Nationwide Foundation and all of our donors who helped make this dream become a reality. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Our YouTube Story
The process of building our dream STEM Center was fascinating, exciting and collaborative! We were fortunate enough to be able to document the construction journey through a web series on YouTube titled “Building a Dream”. This series was hosted by our own Girl Scout Jasmine who interviewed key people in the process like our Dream Big Honorary Co-Chairs, CK Construction Group CEO Lori Gillet, CEO of Battelle Lou Von Thaer, and First Black Ohio Supreme Court Judge Yvette McGee Brown.
You can watch the entire six-part series on our YouTube channel by scanning the QR code below.
EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION
Battelle’s Commitment to Girls in STEM
As a global research and development organization committed to science and technology for the greater good, Battelle understands the importance of teaching girls about STEM in their formative years. Studies show that while women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, they hold only 28% of STEM jobs, highlighting the critical need to foster STEM interest early. With girls’ STEM identity formed as early as third grade and their confidence peaking by age nine, reaching them in these formative years is essential. Battelle recognizes this need and has been an integral partner with Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland (GSOH) in supporting girls through hands-on STEM learning.
For more than 30 years, Battelle has invested in girls to empower and inspire them. With their support, GSOH has been able to launch innovative programs such as:
• The Maple Syrup Program, teaching girls the science behind maple syrup production.
• The Make Zone at the GSOH Zanesville Service Center.
• A Model Rocketry and Drone Program to engage girls in aerospace and engineering.
• Science Kits provided to troops to encourage hands-on experimentation.
• The Ecosystem Wetlands Exploration Program, fostering environmental science education.
• The Dream Big Transformational Initiative, where Battelle made the lead gift to the $16 million campaign.
Beyond financial support, Battelle leaders have personally invested their time and expertise. Lou Von Thaer, CEO, served as an Honorary Co-Chair of the Dream Big Initiative, while Wes Hall, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Education, served on the Champion Committee.
“It’s all about investing in the future of girls who will become tomorrow’s leaders,” said Von Thaer.
“We are so grateful to Battelle for their investment in girls. With their help, we have been able to make big things happen,” said Tammy Wharton, President and CEO of GSOH.
As Battelle says, “It can be done,” and with their support and partnership, great things continue to be achieved!
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