Linking Leaders May 2018

MAY 2018

We’d love to hear what you’re doing with your girls!

Send us an email or post on Facebook! Feel free to contact marcomm@gssef.org with comments, pictures or ideas. All of the Linking Leaders issues are archived on the Training page for easy reference.

IN THIS ISSUE SPOTLIGHT Volunteer Week........................................................................................2

ADULT & LEADER HIGHLIGHTS

PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

Only Five More Days to be an Early Bird....................................................7-8 VTK: Tips, Tricks & Sips ..............................................................................9 Empower Hour...........................................................................................9

MEMBERSHIP Mother’s Day Special Event .......................................................................10 Hot off the Press Daisy Dollars...................................................................10 Survey Says..............................................................................................10 Top Cookie Sellers......................................................................................11

PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

CALENDAR..........................................................................................12

S VOLUNTEER

Mark your Calendars!

JUNE S VOLUNTEER

CALENDAR

S VOLUNTEER

MEMBERSHIP

ADULT & LEADER HIGHLIGHTS

SPOTLIGHT

S.C.A.T. Program - Now Open to Brownies...................................................3 NU2U - Now Open to Brownies..................................................................3 Girl Scout Day at LEGOLAND.....................................................................4 Girl Scout Day at Rapids Water Park..........................................................4 Summer Funshine....................................................................................4 Outward Bound Costa Rica .......................................................................5 SeaWorld Reward Was Turtle-ly Awesome.................................................5 Busch Gardens Sleepover Adventure.........................................................5 Duffy’s Presents Cooking Fun....................................................................6 Fish like a Girl...........................................................................................6

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la r s l o D s Daisie

ll Submit Troop or Volunteer ies D oNews here!

Dais

MAY

SPOTLIGHTS

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Thank you for being a volunteer! You are a mentor, a champion, a confidant, a guide. You help create memories, plan adventures, and open eyes to discovering the world. YOU are a Girl Scout Volunteer.

You help shape and inspire thousands of girls every day. You make sure that every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) ™ has the space and support she needs to transform ideas into action, turn questions into adventure, and grow confidence through practice.

You’ve helped them develop skills and confidence that will last long after the meeting is over. Your investment in these girls has strengthened their foundation and your impact will stay with them their entire lives.

Happy National Volunteer month from Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida!

VOLUNTEERS

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PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE S.C.A.T. PROGRAM – NOW OPEN TO BROWNIES! Bring your troop and sharpen your detective skills for the all new S.C.A.T. (Sleuthing Critters and Tracks) program on Saturday May 12 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Camp Welaka. This day-long program for Juniors, Cadettes and now Brownies, transforms girls into animal detectives. They will learn all about animal habitat and behavior while studying what our furry, scaly and feathered friends leave behind - animal scat and tracks! A wildlife professional will be there to talk about the best ways to track an animal and leave no trace.

Afterward, girls will put their newly acquired detective skills to use in a fun game.

Brownies will earn components of the following badges: Girl Scout Way, Fair Play, and Outdoor Adventurer Juniors will earn components of the following badges: Eco Camper, and Animal Habitats Detective Cadettes will earn components of the following badges: Primitive Camper, Outdoor Art, Apprentice Trailblazing, and Special Agent For more information please contact Gracyn Boss, Outdoor Program & Education Manager, at gboss@gssef.org or Click here to register.

NU2U – NOW OPEN TO BROWNIES! Have you wanted to take your girls camping, but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you aren’t quite comfortable with the outdoors yet? Well here is your opportunity to give your girls the awesome experience of camping without all of the work! Our on-site outdoor volunteer team will provide your troop with meals, outdoor-themed programming, songs, laughter, and FUN!

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GSSEF GSSEF

COUNCIL-LED TROOP CAMPING

We originally opened this program to just Juniors and Cadettes, but we heard our Brownies loud and clear! We are so happy to open up NU2U on May 5-6 so more girls can explore the wonderful world of camp. And just a heads up, this program fulfills badge requirements for all three levels!

For questions contact Gracyn Boss, Outdoor Program & Education Manager at gboss@gssef.org or Click here to register.

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PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

GIRL SCOUT DAY AT LEGOLAND The LEGOLAND Florida Resort in Winter Haven is hosting Girl Scout Day on May 19, 2018. They are offering special pricing for all Girl Scouts: one day admission to LEGOLAND Florida Resort $34.00 (plus tax) or one day admission to LEGOLAND Florida Resort and Waterpark $56.50 (plus tax). Click here to get your tickets.

GIRL SCOUT DAY AT RAPIDS WATER PARK Girl Scouts and their families are invited to spend the day on Saturday May 19, 2018 at Rapids Water Park. The Park is opening one hour early at 9:00 a.m. exclusively for Girl Scouts! The cost is $29.96 per person. For more information and to register, click here.

SUMMER FUNSHINE Girl Scouting does not have to stop when school is out! Troops can continue Girl Scout activities throughout the summer, even if it’s just once a month. SUMMER FUNSHINE provides an opportunity to do things your troop didn’t have the time or resources to do during the school year and it is an excellent opportunity to introduce bridging Girl Scouts to the rest of the troop.

To earn the SUMMER FUNSHINE patch or bar, troops must complete the following requirements:

1 Participate in three activities (one per month) during June, July, and August.

Your activities must include a community service project (e.g. host a school supply drive, start a recycling project or participate in a beach clean-up), a family activity (e.g. family-friendly movie outing, year-end picnic, canoeing or attend Council-sponsored family activity together), and a troop choice activity (e.g. begin work towards a new badge, start a Journey, go to the water park or attend a Councilsponsored summer program together)

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It is not necessary for every girl to attend each activity, but each girl must participate in at least one activity to be eligible for the patch/bar.

Be sure to check out the GSSEF activity calendar to see what events we are offering that will qualify as part of the Summer Funshine patch/bar! Click here for the calendar A patch and year bar will be available for first time participants. Girls who have already earned the patch will only need the year bar. Patches and year bars can be purchased at the Retail Store. Fill out the Summer Funshine form once all requirements have been met. For the form, click here.

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PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE OUTWARD BOUND COSTA RICA Want your girls to go on the ultimate summer adventure with fellow Girl Scouts from across the United States? Outward Bound Costa Rica is accepting applications for its Girl Scout Destination courses in Costa Rica and Panama! Their various courses will give girls the opportunity to visit remote rainforest villages with family homestays, serve local indigenous communities, scuba dive among the colorful coral reefs of the Caribbean Ocean, protect the region’s fragile ecosystem, or even catch some waves! Girls will become immersed in a new language and culture, discover their inner strengths, build leadership skills and create life-long friendships along the way. Find more information here.

Please send all applicable Girl Scout Applications to GirlScouts@OutwardBoundCR.org Have questions? Email GirlScouts@OutwardBoundCR.org or call (1.800.676.2018) Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MDT.

SEAWORLD REWARD WAS TURTLE-Y AWESOME This year, over 90 hard working Girl Scouts who reached the 1000+ box selling level attended a fabulous sleepover event at SeaWorld, Orlando! Next year... we will see what fun adventure we can find for our Extreme Team Girl Scouts to help them discover, connect, and inspire them to take action! As you know, Girl Scout cookies make all the fun happen! We can’t wait to find out what next year’s theme will be because this year’s was TURTLE-y awesome.

BUSCH GARDENS SLEEPOVER ADVENTURE Pack your sleeping gear and comfy shoes to get ready for this wild adventure! Join us May 5 - 6 at Busch Gardens, Tampa for a wild sleepover. Enjoy a full day admission to the park on Saturday, but save your energy because the best is yet to come! You get to spend the night inside the park, but you may be sleeping with one eye open if you hear a rustle!

This sleepover will be packed with so much fun; trek through the zoo at night to observe Africa’s fiercest predators, largest herbivores, and get face-to-face with a few of the animal ambassadors. In the morning, you will go on an exclusive animal encounter experience you won’t forget! $199 per person includes: transportation to and from park, Saturday evening youth program with pizza dinner and evening snack, Sunday full-day park admission, morning animal encounter, breakfast, t-shirt, water bottle, and patch.

For more information and to register, click here.

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PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

DUFFY’S PRESENTS: COOKING FUN Duffy’s has partnered with our council to provide girls the opportunity to earn their Cooking Fun Badge in a real restaurant test kitchen! Participants will receive a Cooking Fun Badge, an exclusive Duffy’s Foundation Cooking Patch, apron, measuring cup, pizza cutter, can opener, gift card, and more!

For Juniors (Saturday, June 16 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and another session from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.): There’s steam and bubbles, interesting tools, amazing smells...and lots of room for experiments! We are not describing a laboratory - it’s actually your own kitchen! Follow along with a professional Chef to make amazing meals and learn to create a whole meal of your own.

For Cadettes (Saturday, June 23 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.): Culinary possibilities are as diverse as the globe of people who cook them. Wherever you go in the world, a version of pocket bread holds something delicious, and your sweet tooth can be satisfied with everything from date syrup to lingonberry jam. In this badge program, you will cook up four dishes from across time and distance, and find out where your taste buds want to travel.

For Seniors and Ambassadors (Saturday, September 15 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.): Learn about being committed to eating locally grown, seasonal foods. These efforts can be important—and delicious—steps toward healthful eating, helping the environment, and supporting local farmers.

All programs are held at the Duffy’s Culinary Arts Studio located at 1100 Barnett Drive, #38, Lake Worth, FL 33461. For questions contact Lisa Poe at lpoe@gssef.org or check out our Actvities Calendar here.

FISH LIKE A GIRL This is an opportunity for Daisies and Brownies to get hooked on fishing! Inspired by the #LikeAGirl movement, we know that there are lots of things that we can proudly do like a girl. Join us on May 19 at the River Center in Jupiter where girls will learn the basics of fishing - including knot tying, tackle, and casting. Other topics that will be covered are conservation, regulations and fish identification, anatomy and dissection. And, of course, we will be fishing!

Cost is $8.00 per girl. For more information, contact Mica Minor at mminor@gssef.org or head to our event calendar to register here.

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ADULT & LEADER HIGHLIGHTS

IVE ONLY F EFT DAYS L A N T O B E RD EARLY

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WHICH G.I.R.L. WILL I BE? Just a few more days until the egg timer expires. You have until April 30 to re-register your troop for another awesome year of Girl Scouting – and earn some great incentives too! Re-register Now

HOW DOES MY TROOP EARN EARLY BIRD INCENTIVES?

• All individually registered girls and troops must submit their online re-registration with payment by 11:59 p.m. on April 30 to be considered an Early Bird.

• Troops must re-register 80% of their currently registered girls AND two Leaders to be eligible for the 2018-2019 Early Bird troop incentives and prize drawings.

• Can’t remember your MyGS login? That’s ok…just email customercare@gssef.org and a member support specialist will follow up with you!

WHAT EARLY BIRD INCENTIVES CAN MY TROOP EARN? All participating Troops who re-register 80% of eligible girls and two Leaders, within the Early Bird period (April 1 to April 30 at 11:59 p.m.) will earn:

• $.03 additional proceeds on each box of cookies sold in the 2019 sale.

• The exclusive Early Bird patch!

• E veryone (girls and adults) who re-register uring Early Bird will receive complimentary admission to GSSEF’s G.I.R.L.s of Summer event at Roger Dean Stadium on Saturday, June 9.

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ADULT & LEADER HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT EARLY BIRD INCENTIVES CAN MY TROOP EARN? (CONT.) Plus, each Wednesday during Early Bird, at 12:00 p.m. on Facebook LIVE, we’ll be drawing for one of the following fabulous G.I.R.L. prizes:

• • • •

G – Go-getter: Double Proceeds on Fall Product I – Innovator: Mall Madness Pre-VIP Access R – Risk-taker: Sleep Under the Stars L – Leader: Power Lunch with the CEO

On Wednesday, May 9 we will conduct the G.I.R.L. Grand Prize Drawing for multiple troops to receive a Win-vitation to an exclusive preview party for our new Welaka Wibit!

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hat’s a Wibit, you ask? Is it a playground? Is it an obstacle course? Is it the newest, coolest Girl Scout W activity at Camp Welaka? YES, YES, and YES!

• A Welaka Wibit Win-vitation is the lucky slippery ticket that will let your troop slip, slide and splash around on our Welaka Wibit at a Private Preview Party on May 19 before anyone else!

Click here for all the incentive details.

WHICH G.I.R.L. WILL I BE? HATCH PATCH CONTEST All girls who are re-registered during Early Bird are invited to participate in our Hatch Patch contest! We want to know… which G.I.R.L. will they be? Using the G.I.R.L. descriptions, girls can design a patch about who they are or who they aspire to be. Are they a G. an I. an R. or an L. or a combination of two or more?

Click here for the contest details Need help with re-registration, your MyGS community information or assistance with a background check?

Email customercare@gssef.org and a member support specialist will follow up with you!

No need to crack under the pressure… it’s not too late!

Early Bird re-registration ends on April 30!

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ADULT & LEADER HIGHLIGHTS

VTK: TIPS, TRICKS & SIPS Hola, voluntarios! VTK: Tips, Tricks & Sips is back for May, Olé!!

VTK: Tips, Tricks & Sips started with a bang and we love all the great feedback and seeing volunteers learn the benefits of the Volunteer-Tool-Kit. If you don’t know, these are casual get-togethers for Leaders at all grade-levels to network and dive into the VTK alongside a volunteer super-user! The online Volunteer Toolkit (a.k.a. VTK) is a great tool - but if you have 100 other things to do, we understand that getting “into it” just hasn’t been a priority. That’s why we want you to set aside 90 minutes to meet other volunteers, see the “MyGS” community and check out the awesome Year Plans that align perfectly to the National Badges and Journeys.

Saturday afternoon sessions include a variety of iced tea, soda, chips, dips and veggies. Evening sessions will include a red and white wine with cheese and fruit – and non-alcoholic beverage options too. All sessions are reserved for adult volunteers only; children and/or Tag-alongs are not permitted. All participants will receive a return-and-shop coupon for 15% off your entire future purchase.

Saturday, April 28, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Register Now! Saturday, May 5, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (Special Cinco de Mayo Theme! Olé!) Register Now! Saturday, May 19, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Register Now! All of the sessions will be held at the GSSEF Palm Beach Retail Store located at 1232 W. Indiantown Road Suite 105 Jupiter, FL 33458. Questions?

EMPOWER HOUR Join Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida CEO, Lisa Johnson, for a series of one-hour webinars designed to empower you with information and serve as a place to ask questions and share your ideas to make our Girl Scout Council an even better place for all of our girls. This webinar is open to volunteers and parents of registered Girl Scouts and each session is designed to provide about 15 minutes of information followed by a Q&A for up to 45 minutes.

Be sure to save the dates for our next Empower Hour sessions on May 14 and June 11, each session will be from 6 - 7p.m. Questions? Contact Lisa Johnson, CEO at ljohnson@gssef.org and to register for May 14, click here.

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MEMBERSHIP

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MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL EVENT

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Need to get something for that special lady in your life? We can help! Grab your favorite Girl Scout and stop by the Palm Beach Retail Store thing . Need to get some te 13 ay M is y Da r’s ori during our special shopping hours just for you on Hey Guys! Mothe your life – we can help! Grab your fav ring il Store du ta t special lady in Re tha h for ac Be Tuesday, ou May 8 sto from – 7:00 p.m.

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MOTHER’S DAY

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– 7:00 p.m.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: DAISY DOLLARS Retail Store Palm Beach County k Shoppes of Jupiter Cree Rd. Suite 105 1232 West Indiantown Jupiter, FL 33458 561.427.0197

This just in! Next time you shop at either of our retail stores be sure ! of this flyer to pick up a Daisy Dollar punch These nifty new additions are a copycard. giving him Dad out by lp at He … er s tt Po Mom di Jo ey H t: ac nt our way of giving back to ?our Co frequent rg shoppers! For every $10 you Questions 7 or jpotter@gssef.o n 27.019 , you ca orries w o N spend you will get 56 aMis1.4punch on the card (up to two punches per ? /shop sed us gssef.org e 24/7 at shop onlin purchase) that will lead to $10 off in store! Restrictions apply, for use in store only. Have questions? Contact: Jodi Potter at 561.427.0197 or jpotter@gssef.org

SURVEY SAYS…WAHT S SUCCESS! Thanks to everyone that participated in the recent Product Sale survey. We loved seeing so many positive comments and we value and appreciate your suggestions for improvement. We are already in the planning stages for the 2018 Fall Product Sale and Cookie Sale planning starts shortly. We will definitely take your feedback into account as we make plans for the biggest and best product sale season ever!

Daisies D ol la rs

Speaking of biggest and best, we are so excited to be the first to share the news with you; thanks to the hard work of our troop leaders, product sale volunteers, parents and especially the girls, GSSEF had a record setting 2018 Cookie Sale! We thought last year’s numbers were going to be hard to beat, but we did it... 1,609,980 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies – a 1.5% increase over 2017! If you think that’s awesome, check out this number: girls earned $1,173,119 in troop proceeds.

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We can’t wait to hear about all the awesome and inspiring things you are going to be doing with your cookie money.

And our service women and men will also be thrilled to know that we received enough donations to send a record setting 65,679 boxes of cookies through our Cookies for the Military program.

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MEMBERSHIP TOP COOKIE SELLERS Drum Roll Please! We are excited to announce the top sellers for the 2018 Girl Scout Cookie Sale Program.

Congratulations to Amanda K. who sold 5,553 boxes and is our top seller for the FIFTH year in a row, congrats to Saya G. who sold 4,216 boxes and has been a Top Seller for the last THREE years, and major kudos to Skilyn N. who sold 4,056 boxes!

This year we had a record number of 50 girls who reached the CEO Extreme Team level and sold at least 2,018 boxes of cookies. Collectively, this group of super sellers sold 120,048 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies!

Great job Girl Scouts!

The 2018 Cookie Captains Congratulations to the Service Unit Cookie Captains. These are all of the top sellers in each of our Service Units, great job everyone!

SU NAME

TROOP

FIRST NAME

LAST INITIAL

TOTAL

Atikah 10442 Amanda K. 5553 Blazing Star 10322 Bailey H. 2325 Everglades 10932 Elizabeth S. 1500 Gemini 42021 Marysue S. 2021 Hibiscus 10507 Cireh C. 1578 Indian Treasure 50337 Ember L. 2183 Jupiter 20163 Asha F. 2532 Kowechobe 75400 Gracie C. 2164 Leo 21125 Madilyn B. 2163 Luna 20603 Margarita L. 2094 Magnolia 10733 Julia C. 2176 Orange Blossom 10010 Tiana R. 1506 Pegasus 60509 Cassie P. 535 Phoenix 20867 Lydia W. 2889 Royal Palm 10247 Elizabeth F. 2264 Sandy Beaches 10708 Saya G. 4216 Sea Star 30724 Ashley B. 2175 Sunchariot 20589 Alexis B. 3259 Sunny River 11110 Amanda W. 3633 Tri Star 20699 Skilyn N. 3718 Wildflower 10514 Jayna B. 1324

We want to take a moment to thank all of the volunteers and parents that helped make this year’s sale a success for every Girl Scout in our Council. Without your help none of this would be possible, Thank You!

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CALENDAR 2018

MAY

FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY JANUARY

S S

M M

T T

6

7

W W

T T

F F

S S

1

2

3

4

8

9

10

11

CEO Extreme Team Luncheon

5

VTK: Tips, Tricks & Sips Busch Garden Sleepover Adventure 5 - 6 NU2U Troop Camping 5 - 6

Gold Award Ceremony

12

S.C.A.T. (Camp Welaka)

13

Empower Hour

20

14

15

16

21

22

23

17 Last Day of School Indian River 24 County

18

VTK: Tips, Tricks & Sips

Fish like a Girl 19

LEGOLAND Girl Scout Day Rapids Water Park Girl Scout Day

Last Day of School Okeechobee 25 County

26

Last Day of School Martin County

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GSSEF HQ CLOSED for Memorial Day

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29

30

Last Day of School St. Lucie 31 County

JUNE S

M

T

W

T

F

Last Day of School Palm Beach 1 County

4

5

Last Day of School Broward County 6

7

11

12

13

14

17

18

19

20

21

22

24

25

26

27

28

29

3

10

Empower Hour

8

Summer Funshine Family Move 15 Night: The Incredibles

S

Welaka Water Wars

2

9 Duffy’s Presents: Junior 16 Cooking Fun

S.C.A.T. (Camp Welaka)

23

Duffy’s Presents: Cadette Cooking Fun

30

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