Spark March 2022
Early Renewal Incentive pg. 4
Recognition Breakfast and Annual Meeting pg. 6
Letter from Rolinda Always take time to celebrate. In this edition of Spark, we have focused on a lot of ways to celebrate. Girl Scouts of the USA is celebrating 110 Years. That’s 110 years of building courage, confidence and character in girls, including you right here at Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland! We have a lot to celebrate locally. Our Girl Scouts are changing the world. We have 10 Gold Award recipients who will be featured at the Recognition Breakfast and Annual Meeting on April 2. I encourage you to attend in-person to make this a special celebration of our girls and adults. At the event, we will celebrate our Sandy Remsberg Scholarship Award and Gold Award Scholarship recipients. Girl Scout volunteers will be celebrated for the amazing time and talent given in dedication to helping our girls be successful. We will celebrate our volunteers who will be elected to serve as Delegates for the July 2023 National Session, Board Members, and Board Development Committee members. It is a celebration of the many ways each of us can be involved in Girl Scouts as we make the world a better place. April 1-6 is set as a designated time to take care of your girl, adult and lifetime memberships before you get busy with all those fun spring and summer activities. Those who renew during this early membership renewal time are the pacesetters for the new membership year. The girls will celebrate their successful product program season. with a celebration at the Top Seller event followed by the traditional Bridging Ceremony in May and all the camp opportunities. It has been so humbling to see the amazing Girl Scouts of all ages putting their best efforts together to make our council a wonderful place for sister Girl Scouts.
Table of Contents 3
Annual Report
4
Early Renewal
6
Annual Meeting
8
Gold Award Girl Scouts
10
Girl Scout Week
12
Cookie Goal Contest Winners
14
Upcoming Events
15
Council Info
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Connect Online
Rolinda Sample, CEO
facebook.com/ksgirlscouts
Spark Is All About You!
twitter.com/ksgirlscouts Instagram: @ksgirlscouts linkedin.com/ksgirlscouts
Send story ideas, photos, accomplishments, and comments to: Communications Department Phone: 888-686-MINT (6468) Email: communications@gskh.org Mail: 360 Lexington Rd. Wichita, KS 67218 Online: kansasgirlscouts.org/share
Published by the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland Council Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland serves girls and adults in 80 Kansas counties through its operational headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, and regional offices in Emporia, Garden City, Hays and Salina.
Please pass me on to a friend or recycle!
2 The United Way helps here.
GIRL SCOUTS OF KANSAS HEARTLAND • 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
Total Revenue & Support $6,298,085
42%
$2,627,864
Public Support 40%
$2,535,895
Product
Program Fees
2%
$109,015
Retail Sales
1%
$53,974
Other Income
15%
$971,337
1%
15% 42%
2% 40%
EXPENSES$4,516,044 ||
Net Assets
Program Services
83% $3,517,673
Administrative Support
$13,449, 074
9% $355,458
Net Assets, beginning of year
Fundraising Expense
8% $346,002
$15,528,026 Net Assets, end of year
Expenses $4,219,133
$2,078,952 Change in Net Assets Program Services Administrative Support Fundraising Expense
$3,742,562 $403,417 $370,065
83% 9% 8%
Impact What did a year of Girl Scouts accomplish? Our Girl Scouts accomplished...
In the financial year, our council served...
4,629
2,959
girls
adults
449
troops
11,459
12
Badges Earned
Gold Award Girl Scouts
(MY21 class Oct-Sept.)
Our council provided... $16,092 46 community based clubs
$49,160
in membership dues assistance
in assistance for camp, summer uniform, programs and book council wide components
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10,584 Cookie Shares Donated
$2,500
Awarded in Scholarships
Spark ☙ March 2022
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Renew Early! Get a jump start on the 2023 membership year (October 2022 - September 2023) and renew early to be eligible for this limited time t-shirt incentive available to both girls and volunteers who renew between April 1 - 6! Girl Scout membership renewal is $25 per girl/adult member. *Lifetime Members must renew membership role by April 6 in order to earn the early renewal t-shirt incentive. Follow the steps above to get renewed.
How to Renew: 1. Visit kansasgirlscouts.org 2. Click on "My GS" 3. Click "My Account" 4. Click "My Household" 5. Select all household members you want to renew
Special offer! Girls and volunteers renew between April 1 - April 6 to receive this free limited edition shirt!
6. Click "Renew" 7. Select Payment Method, including card, financial aid, or program credits (Cookie credit earners, who will receive their cookie credits on April 15, can still select "program credits" as payment when renewing by April 6 to be eligible for the t-shirt incentive. Credits will be applied to your renewal balance once the new credits are uploaded to your account.) 8. All members who renew between April 1-6 will receive a link to provide your shirt size.
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If you have any problems renewing, call us: 888-686-MINT (6468)
Mall Madness July 16-17, 2022 Towne East Square Mall Wichita Renew for the 2023 Girl Scout membership year by June 30 and receive a special invitation to register for this returning Girl Scout overnight favorite! Watch for more details on how to register for this exclusive event and receive the customized Mall Madness fun patch.
Get the special registration link once you renew!
Service Unit Incentive All service units that reach a goal of having at least 50 percent of their girl membership renewed by June 30 will earn one of the prizes listed below. Pick Your Prize: 1) $75 towards camping/outdoor equipment to the SU 2) Program activity in a box for up to 50 participants 3) $75 credit towards an Outside the Guide Partner Activity *Percentage based upon girl membership levels as of April 1, 2022.
Spark ☙ March 2022
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Girl Scouts
Recognition Breakfast & Annual Meeting April 2 | Time: 9:00 a.m. Emporia
Garden City
Hays
Wichita
Emporia State University, Memorial Union, Phi Kappa Phi Room 1331 Market Street
The Hadley Center Heritage Room 203 E. 8th Street
Members from across the council are invited to gather for the 2022 Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland's Recognition Breakfast & Annual Meeting. Attendees will enjoy a breakfast and have the opportunity to hear from the new CEO, Rolinda Sample. All members ages 14 and older are voting members in the annual business meeting. Registration is open on UltraCamp. As a member of the Girl Scout family, you know firsthand how Girl Scouts are creating our future. From climbing mountains to breaking through glass ceilings, Girl Scouts dream big and make our world better. Thank you for being a part of our history – and our future. Please join us as we celebrate 110 years of Girl Scouts throughout the Girl Scout movement. 6
Lee Richardson Zoo Finnup Center for Conservation Lecture Hall 312 E. Finnup Drive
Wichita State University Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex MS 180 - Multi-Purpose Room 5015 E. 29th Street N.
Keynote Speaker JUSTICE SARAH DEER
Annual
LEADERSHIP SOCIETY LUNCHEON
Saturday, April 9, 2022
University Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas and Chief Justice for the Prairie Island Indian Community Court of Appeals
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Luncheon & Program begin at noon Marriott Wichita - 9100 Corporate Hills Drive, Wichita, KS For tickets or more information, call (316) 684-6531 or visit www.kansasgirlscouts.org/JPLS INVEST Sponsor:
Emporia Community Foundation
Pictured left to right: Becky Nurnberg, Executive Director Emporia Community Foundation, Serena Randolph, Troop Engagement Specialist Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland, and Rolinda Sample, Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland.
Thank you to the Trusler Foundation and Emporia Community Foundation for sponsoring the purchase of a new vehicle for Emporiaarea Girl Scouts. Staff rely on vehicles daily to implement girl-led programming activities, sign-up events, and to support volunteers. This gift, purchased locally from an Emporia car dealership, helps council staff reach more girls, and provides Emporia-area Girl Scouts with experiences that allow them to develop career and life skills that propel them into successful futures as leaders, innovators, and change-makers. Spark ☙ March 2022
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Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good.
Gold Award Girl Scouts 2020-2021 Class
The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global challenges. Since 1916, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change.
Annabelle McLaughlin Annabelle noticed a growing number of youth lacking general cooking and nutritional skills, so she dedicated herself to closing this knowledge gap. She developed a curriculum and delivered in-person cooking classes, created instructional YouTube videos, and compiled a cookbook to address the issue. USD 259 students were invited to participate in a series of classes to learn about food safety, cooking, and nutrition.
Alyssa Counts Alyssa created a program to reach elementary students to educate them on leadership skills. Leaders are: loving, encouraging, accepting, determined, empowered, and respectful. The program included a video series teaching leadership lessons with a bracelet-making activity to connect the ideas presented with a physical reminder of the concepts in the program. A lesson plan was also made available to teachers wishing to include the program in their classroom.
Elizabeth Hunt Focused on building community, Elizabeth worked with Vagabond Missions to identify place making efforts for local teenagers. Her project tackled multiple objectives. First, she installed a produce garden on Vagabond's grounds so youth members can use the food grown to prepare meals. Next, Elizabeth created a fire pit so teens could gather around and build community with one another. Her leadership and organizational skills resulted in a communal space for the youth members to enjoy.
Haylee Nicholas
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Haylee's dedication to sustainability and the environment led to her creating an educational program and two flower beds for Andale High School. For the educational program, Haylee created a website with information about sustainability so students could learn and adapt those practices to their every day life. The website not only reached her high school, but more than 30 surrounding schools as well. She also started "Earth Day Week" at her school where students took part in games, activities, and a scavenger hunt which taught them about the environment.
Keeley Ropp Keeley's passion for helping others culminated in teaching sewing skills in a way that also raised awareness of the issue of hunger in the Wichita community. Keeley created a YouTube tutorial and hosted sewing classes to teach the community to create bowl cozies which can be used at local food banks and shelters. Keeley's curriculum will be used annually in North High School's sewing class.
Savannah Athy-Sedbrook Savannah's Gold Award focused on her passion for the environment and educating others about greenhouse gases. By creating a mini-series on YouTube, she shared the information with community members as well as third grade students at Robinson Middle School. Savannah also created tree sculptures from recycled materials that has a QR Code on them linking to the educational videos. She then distributed the trees to her friends and family, and they even went overseas so the education can continue worldwide.
Myria Connet As a member of the Wichita East High School Lion Dance team, Myria wanted her Gold Award to revolve around education about the history and culture of the Lion Dance. Myria created a website which houses information on the history behind the Chinese Lion Dance, educational lessons, and videos of the teams performances. She also held multiple practices, lessons, and performances so she could not only educate about the dance, but show how it is done as well.
Hannah Hecox Wanting to create more camping opportunities for older Girl Scouts, Hannah centered her Gold Award around Camp Four Winds. She created Hannah's Hammock's, which is a space that allows older girls to do more primitive camping. The space was constructed with telephone poles and the hammocks can be taken down and set back up. She also added a pallet garden with native Kansas perennials and a composting system so girls can maintain a garden and learn about "leave no trace" practices.
Nicole Sayler Dedicated to helping her church community, Nicole's Gold Award was grounded in creating an upgraded prayer labyrinth for the church. The labyrinth was created by laying limestone screenings and placing new bricks in the labyrinth pattern. Nicole also created a prayer guide which can be utilized by church members during group or solo prayer at the labyrinth.
Grace Kelso Grace has always been passionate about helping others, so her Gold Award focused on helping those in need. With "Socks for Cold Feet" Grace educated more than 100 youth members on homelessness and taught them ways to help others. She also created a sock drive to collect donations for the homeless community in Wichita. The drive will be an annual event continued by her church.
Spark ☙ March 2022
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Girl Scout Week
SUNDAY 3/6
MONDAY 3/7
TUESDAY 3/8
WEDNESDAY 3/9
Girl Scout Sunday
Be a Go-getter
Be an Innovator
Be a Risk-taker
Wear your uniform to your place of worship. Consider earning the My Promise, My Faith award this weekend. #girlscoutsunday
A Girl Scout leaves a place better than she found it. Leave little acts of kindness wherever you go today. #gsgetinvolved
STEAM is more than coding and slime! Explore a new type of art or a new musical instrument or style. Also join in on our Virtual Gathering: Girl Scout Proud to celebrate Girl Scout Week with your fellow sisters! #girlsinSTEAM
Explore the new Outdoor High Adventure Badges and begin planning your outdoor venture! #gsOutdoors
THURSDAY 3/10
FRIDAY 3/11
SATURDAY 3/12
Be a Leader
Friend Friday
Girl Scout Birthday
Girl Scout Week celebrates the founding of Girl Scouts in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low registered the first 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia. Girl Scouts of all ages can celebrate by taking action in their communities—make the world a better place!
Lead others by example. Carry out a Take Action project that will impact your community! #LikeaGirlScout
Take a look back at all you've done! Acknowledge your hard work with a post to encourage others. #KSGirlScouts
Wear green or your Girl Scout uniform and throw a birthday party with girls that aren't yet Girl Scouts. #hbdgirlscouts
Go to kansasgirlscouts.org for more inspiration and tag us on social @KSGirlScouts.
Bridging Day Heartland Bridging Ceremony When: 5/14 from 2-4:30 p.m. Where: Keeper of the Plains (339 Veterans Pkwy, Wichita) All Grades K-12 Registration deadline: 5/2 Cost: $0 for everyone
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Bridge to the next Girl Scout level in a big way, over the Arkansas River at the Keeper of the Plains! Celebrate the achievements of your troop and fellow Girl Scout sisters throughout Kansas Heartland at this free, council-wide ceremony. There will be plenty of fun for the whole troop and family: make a bridging SWAP to add to your collection and bring old SWAPS to exchange with fellow Girl Scouts in the Make New Friends area, renew your membership, try out our adventure zone, and more! Check in and activities begin at 2 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. Fun patch provided.
Chase the Sun! Chase the sun, surf the waves, and get ready for the ultimate camp experience! During their time at camp, campers develop confidence, self-esteem, and social skills with new friends. Campers can attend one of our "girls only" sessions or invite the Girl Scout's caregiver(s) to join in the fun for a You & Me Camp, Family Camp, or Troop/Family Camp. From day camps to overnights, life skills to STEM, cabin camping to primitive, we’ve got something for everyone! Select camp registration is now open. Save your camper's spot in popular council-led camp sessions by registering her today with a $25 deposit. Help your Girl Scout meet her cookie business goals and then when Cookie Credits drop on April 15, they’ll be applied to her camp balance. Remaining balances are due May 1. Volunteer-led and partner-led sessions open for registration on April 15 with full balance due at registration.
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Troop 50314 Troop 11220 Troop 11135
Troop Cookie Goal Photo Contest Winners Troop 40874
Troop 40036
This year, Girl Scout troops who entered the Troop Cookie Goal Photo Contest won a 5-foot folding table! These troops, along with other goal-setters, showed what they've learned from the Cookie Program to become successful cookie entrepreneurs by utilizing their 5-skills! Congratulations to the contest winners and all of the cookie bosses across Kansas for your efforts during this year's Cookie Program!
Troop 10425
Troop 70108
Troop 20911
Troop 70103
Troop 20903 Troop 10607 12
Troop 42905
Top Seller April 30, 2022
April 30, 2022
Fall: 135+ Units or Cookies: 750+ Packages
Fall: 50+ Shares or Cookies: 100+ Shares Golden Ticket for lounge with invitation to Day Experience
Fun for the whole family! Day Experience
April 30 & May 1, 2022
May or June 2022 Day with the CEO
Fall: 220+Units or Cookies: 1200+ Packages
Fall: 280+Units or Cookies: 1500+ Packages
Overnight Experience
Day with the CEO Spark ☙ March 2022 13
Council Events at a Glance F(em)Powered Girls can do anything! Come meet women who are breaking barriers in professions that make the world a better place. These leaders are making changes both big and small in areas of engineering, flight, outdoors, athletics, manufacturing, science, medicine, and business. They will share about their experiences, invite you to do activities with them and inspire you to dream big. Fun patch provided. Event Info: April 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Starwoods
IGNITE: The World Awaits Put on your seatbelt, it’s gonna be a great ride! Your passport should be ready for another volunteer retreat weekend at IGNITE: The World Awaits! At IGNITE, we’ll have a chance to “travel” to places we’ve never been, connect with others both new and old, and experience our individual worlds in new ways! Excursions along the way could include zip-lining, kayaking, shooting a gun, or creating something beautiful! Event Info: June 10 at 6 p.m. to June 12 at 3 p.m. at Starwoods
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Planet Protectors Planet Protectors unite! Explore and learn how your can help the environment at your local nature centers, recycling facilities, and botanical oasis’. Have fun with a GooseChase virtual scavenger hunt. All participating environment-promoting organizations are offering discounts or special experiences for our Girl Scouts families. Go to kansasgirlscouts.org to find a list of participating organization and their hours of operation, learn more about what’s being offered, and access the GooseChase log in information. Event Info: April 23, time varies per partner organization
Adult Training - NSC First Aid/CPR/AED This course provides you with the skills needed to successfully perform First Aid and CPR. At the conclusion of this course, you will be First-Aid and CPR certified by the National Safety Council. This course includes a home-study portion, and then skills and written testing with a certified instructor. Event Info: Multiple class options available, locations vary (Abilene, Camp Double E, Garden City, Parsons, and Wichita).
Council Information Southwest Region
South Central Region
North Region Salina Regional Office ( (888) 686-6468 St. John's Lutheran Church 302 S. 7th St. Salina, KS 67401
Garden City Regional Office ( (888) 686-6468 114 Grant Ave. Garden City, KS 67846 Garden City Little House 108 Hackberry St. Garden City, KS 67846
Wichita Office ( (888) 686-6468 360 Lexington Road Wichita, KS 67218 Augusta Little House 928 E. Kelly Ave. Augusta, KS 67010
East Region
Northwest Region
Newton Little House 715 Washington Road Newton, KS 67114
Emporia Regional Office Camp Double E ( (888) 686-6468 794 Road 200 Emporia, KS 66801
Hays Regional Office ( (888) 686-6468 2707 Vine St., Suite 8 Hays, KS 67601
Camp Four Winds 9236 SE Quivera Road Leon, KS 67074 Camp Starwoods 7800 S. 103rd St. West Clearwater, KS 67026
Rawlins
Decatur
Norton
Phillips
Smith
Jewell
Republic
Regional Office
x Camp Property
Cloud Sherman
Thomas
Sheridan
Graham
Rooks
Osborne
Northwest Logan
Gove
Lincoln
Trego
Ellis
Scott
Lane
Rush
Ness
North
Russell
Hays Wichita
State Park Ottawa
Wallace
Greeley
Mitchell
Dickinson
Saline Ellsworth
Morris
Barton McPherson
Marion
Lyon
Double-E
Reno
Garden City Stanton
Grant
Haskell
Gray
Stevens
Seward
State Park Camping
Meade
Greenwood
Woodson
Allen
Edwards Pratt Kingman
Kiowa
Southwest Morton
Harvey Butler
Ford
Emporia Coffey
Stafford
Hodgeman
Finney
x
Chase
Pawnee Kearny
Osage
Salina Rice
Hamilton
Key
Cheyenne
Starwoods Clark Comanche
Barber
Sedgwick
x
Wichita Sumner
Cowley
Harper
South Central
Girl Scout members get FREE access to basic/primitive campsites at 26 Kansas State Parks, thanks to the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland Council’s partnership with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Contact the State Park to set up a service
x
Four Winds
Wilson Neosho
East Elk Chautauqua
Montgomery
Labette
project during your visit and complete your reservation with them directly. Provide your receipt along with your Travel Application and eligible campsite fees will be reimbursed. For more information, go to: kansasgirlscouts.org > About Girl Scouts > Our Program > GSKH Travel
Spark ☙ March 2022 15
New Cookie Credits Available on April 15! Right in time for early renewal.
A Biannual Publication of the Girl Scouts Of Kansas Heartland Council
Shop Talk Money Pouch: $3 Table cloth: $10 Yard Sign: $6.95
Hours
Available by phone
M 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tu-Th 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fri 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Hays Hours M (shop) 12 - 6 p.m. M (offices) 12 - 5 p.m. Tu-Th 12 - 5 p.m. Fri 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. (Emporia, Garden City, and Salina) Open by appointment only
Wichita Hours M (shop) 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. M (offices) 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tu-Th 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fri 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Shop Saturdays Third Saturday each Month 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Shop 24/7 online at kansasgirlscouts.org > Shop
Customer Care 1 (888) 686-MINT