The Lowdown Alum Newsletter // Winter-Spring 2021
New Study: The Girl Scout Alum Difference The Girl Scout Research Institute recently conducted an original study to learn how being a Girl Scout affects alums in their adult lives—and the findings are astounding! You won’t want to miss what respondents had to say about how the benefits of Girl Scouting extend beyond their childhoods and higher educations and into their careers, demonstrating their devotion to making the world a better place through a lifetime of volunteer work and civic engagement. The research shows that participating in Girl Scouts is a powerful factor for developing courage, confidence, and character—which in turn builds a foundation for success in education and careers, enables a lifetime of leadership, and provides high levels of life satisfaction. Alums assert that Girl Scouts set them on a path for achievement, connected them to something bigger than themselves, and helped them develop their passions and interests. The study also indicates that more than one in every three adult women in the U.S. were Girl Scouts at some point in their lives. Our alum community is over 50 million strong! This study confirms what Girl Scouts have known all along: Girl Scouting builds girls and women of courage, confidence, and character who lead in their lives, at work, and in their communities. Read more at girlscouts.org/alumdifference.
Dear Friends of Girl Scouting,
Torchbearer P
I hope this finds you well and seeing some light at the end of what has sometimes felt like a never-ending tunnel. As 2021 continues and we make our way through this “new normal,” I’d like to take a moment to offer condolences on behalf of our council to anyone who has lost a loved one during these challenging times. We know there are so many. We would also like to acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only challenge our nation faced in 2020, and as we continue to work toward racial justice. Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways and our Movement are committed to continuing to honor diversity, equity and inclusion/ racial justice for all. We’re dedicated to ongoing training for our staff, board and members as we look to the future. Last August, we were fortunate to hold a socially distanced grand opening of our Solar STEM Lab at Amahami Adventure Center in Deposit, NY. We’re grateful for the opportunity to publicly thank our donors and funders, many of whom braved the weather (tornado warnings!) to make the trip. We’re excited to have more members and the community make use of this amazing space. The annual Girl Scout Cookie Program was our focus from December 2019-March 2021. Thank you once again for helping our members have another successful season in light of continued challenges. Our girls, troops and volunteers could not hold this largest annual fundraiser without the support and generosity of our community. Hundreds of partners helped local Girl Scouts by opening their parking areas and storefronts to safely hold drive-up or socially distanced booths and/or provided a learning experience in marketing and sales, allowing girls to run their cookie businesses inside of their locations. In February, we held our first-ever virtual Gold Award Girl Scout celebration, recognizing the 29 girls who earned our Movement’s highest achievement during the 2019-20 member year. We also presented three scholarships totaling $12,000 thanks to our Women of Distinction Binghamton Chapter event and the generosity of alums and donors from across our council. We, unfortunately, have had to reschedule the Women of Distinction event honoring Diane L. Brown (Executive Director, Community Foundation for South Central New York) for a second time, but are tentatively planning for this fall. A decision will be made when we have more guidance from the CDC and state. If you want to be assured of an invitation, please reach out to me! Once again, our History & Archives Committee never disappoints. Our H&A Corner this issue reminds us how Girl Scouts faced challenging times of the past, to encourage us for the future. As the weather improves and we “open up,” troops are holding more in-person activities while practicing social distancing. We’re also looking forward to a “different”—but equally amazing— camp season. Our girls learned so much in 2020 to prepare them for the months ahead. (Haven’t we all?) And they continue to do what Girl Scouts do best—LEAD! I hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter for Girl Scout alums. We’ve been through a lot, but we’ve had many positives come out of 2020: a new appreciation for family and time spent together, our nation’s first female Vice President, and hopefully, a more inclusive and kinder world.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
JoAnne Morak Development Director GSNYPENN
JAMYRA YOUNG
s left the Bronx with a passion t and, instead, followed a path o advocating for Black and Brow colleges and universities. She i the Bronx after a decade to co a meaningful experience for a families and community mem affirmation and community p
Before joining the KIPP Affirm served as Assistant Dean of St of Intercultural Engagement a Keuka Park, NY, where she pro students of color and internat leading the colleges strategic d equity and inclusion.
Recognizing ‘C
Gold Award Girl Scouts chang tackling issues they’re passio learning essential skills that p aspects of life. The Gold Awar truly remarkable and while th to earn it are demanding—the The award recognizes Seniors (grades 9-12) who demonstrat leadership through sustainab take action projects.
We applaud the commitment required to earn this award an our 29 “Class of 2020” Gold A Each fall, we typically honor g recognition dinner. Due to the celebration was moved and re event. It was held on Zoom on February 27, 2021, with atten their families, council staff an speaker was Girl Scout alum A Wilke, a village trustee in Pot director of public relations at
Three girls were selected for s chosen by our award commit projects demonstrated the hig
Profile: Jamyra Young, M.A. Girl Scout alum and former GSNYPENN board member Jamyra Young, M.A., is the Founding Director of Operations for KIPP Affirm Middle School located in the Bronx, NY.
A Bronx native, Jamyra grew up in the Marble Hill section with her six siblings. She to study chemistry of supporting and wn students at is happy to return to ontribute to building all KIPP Affirm mbers through identity pride.
m team, Jamyra tudents & Director at Keuka College in omoted advocacy for tional students while direction for diversity,
Jamyra holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wells College in Aurora, NY. As a scholar, she has performed research focusing on investing in success for Black students, faculty and staff at predominately white institutions.
schools. This was a difficult time for twin sisters who spent all their time together, but Girl Scouts gave us a place to continue to be in activities together.
How long have you been involved with Girl Scouts?
I resonate most with risk-taker. After pursuing a career in higher education for six years, I came to realize I wanted to serve my home community in the Bronx and be closer to family while still working in an educational community. This led to a new opportunity to open KIPP Affirm Middle School as Founding Director of Operations. The last few months have been a whirlwind, but I’m happy to be back home with my family as I start this new chapter in my life—both personally and professionally.
My first experience was as a Girl Scout Brownie (with my twin sister) at the age of seven. My older sister was also involved with the Movement. Fast-forward to 2020, when I met a GSNYPENN board member in the You Can’t Fail Inc. women of color learning community and shortly thereafter joined the council’s Board of Directors. With years of experience and a passion for supporting racial justice, I felt embraced by the board. It’s the best board I’ve been a part of thus far. I loved that I was able to provide diversity and inclusion workshops for the board and staff. I hope to support another Girl Scout council in the future, perhaps even at the national level with Girl Scouts of the USA. What are your favorite Girl Scout memories? As Brownies, my twin sister and I enjoyed time with all of the girls in our troop, working on badges and selling cookies. I have fond memories of selling cookies at my mother’s workplace. During our time in Girl Scouts, my sister and I attended different
How are you a go-getter, innovator, risk-taker or leader?
What would you like future generations of Girl Scouts to know? I’d like them to know they are enough. They’re only competing with themselves. In a world where girls are constantly inundated with how they should be better, smarter, or prettier (sometimes by their peers in addition to the media), I hope they remember—they are enough!
Class of 2020’ Gold Award Girl Scouts in a New Way
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t and dedication nd are proud of Award Girl Scouts. girls at a special e pandemic, our eimagined as a virtual n the evening of nding recipients and nd board. Keynote Alexandra Jacobs tsdam, N.Y., and SUNY Potsdam.
scholarships, as ttee because their ghest levels of
leadership, sustainability, measurability and national/global links. Thanks to generous donors, we presented a total of $12,000 in memory of three Girl Scout sisters we lost in 2019 who helped build girls of courage, confidence and character and who each made the world a better place. • The Marie Hepworth Scholarship ($5,000) was presented to Adeline Whitmore of Barton, NY (Tioga County) for her project Nichols Veterans Memorial Park. Ms. Hepworth dedicated her life to supporting girl development through her 20-plus years serving as executive director of GSNYPENN legacy council Indian Hills and various volunteer activities in her community of Johnson City. • The Kelly Perkins Scholarship ($4,000) was presented to Elizabeth Serafin of Oneonta, NY (Otsego County) for her project Together We Grow, Fox Community Garden. Ms. Perkins, a lifelong Girl Scout and GSNYPENN summer camp staff member, impacted the lives of campers and younger Girl
Scouts in her community of Newark Valley. • The Kerrie Black Scholarship ($3,000) was presented to Dorothy (Dora) Donacik of Vestal, NY (Broome County) for her project Promoting Creative Thinking at Vestal. Ms. Black, a lifelong Girl Scout, was a GSNYPENN Regional Support Manager for Broome and Delaware counties who served her volunteers with excellence and was always willing to lend a hand to her colleagues.
A Note From GSNYPENN CEO Julie Dale Thank you for being there, when we needed you MOST! We’re so grateful for the Girl Scout alums and donors who supported us during the challenges of 2020. Our council was fortunate to experience an increase in gifts at a time when so many individuals, families and nonprofits were struggling. We cannot express what this has meant to us and to the support we provide our members. Your generous donations are helping us rebuild. We hope you’ll consider supporting us again as we work to bring our membership (which has dropped by 20 percent this member year) back to pre-pandemic numbers. While this has been tough, we’re extremely proud to share that our membership numbers are now steadily growing. A positive sign that things are looking brighter! Thank you in advance for your continued support, Julie
Grand Opening of Solar STEM Lab We were thrilled to officially open our new Solar STEM Lab/Classroom at Amahami Adventure Center in Deposit, NY, in August 2020—socially distanced and safely, despite the ongoing pandemic! We know that to be effective, STEM engagement needs to start early on. The STEM Lab helps us continue our mission of building tomorrow’s female leaders by preparing girls for careers in STEM through their Girl Scout experience. We can’t wait to share this experience with our members and community. If you’re interested in renting the space, reach out to Partnership Outreach Manager Maureen Dailey at mdailey@gsnypenn.org.
History and Archives Corner: Girl Scouts Together “Girls Scouts together, that is our song, Winding the old trail, rocky and long…” This past year has been a trail, rocky and long for everyone, everywhere. History shows that Girl Scouts have always known in challenging times, “We will get through this together.” During World War I, Girl Scouts demonstrated their ability to mobilize around a cause. Not only rolling bandages for the war effort but also spreading the word to conserve food and observe rationing. Girl Scouts gained personal strength by service to others in a time of need. The stock market crash of 1929 threw America into a severe economic crisis. Many parents had extreme difficulties trying to feed and care for their families. Girl Scouting offered girls a positive focus and consistent community, a beacon in an anxious and challenging time. World War II required every citizen to make personal sacrifices which changed almost all of what they could daily have or do. Girl Scouts helped by planting Victory Gardens and selling Liberty Bonds. It took courage helping to care for others, while also trying to take care of themselves. In more recent times, communities everywhere have faced devastating and disheartening challenges. In those times, too, Girl Scouts focused and committed, stood strong together to help in leading the way. In the 1950s when a fire burned our Binghamton, NY, Girl Scout headquarters and all its contents to the ground, Girl Scouts rebuilt. In 2010 when floodwaters decimated homes and families in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York, Girl Scouts joined with Habitat for Humanity and rebuilt homes. The list of examples of Girl Scouts’ courage, confidence, and character in times of great challenge and disruption could fill pages. Indeed, this past year has been a trail, rocky and long. Girl Scouts know that trails do lead to somewhere. If it does not, Girl Scouts know how to chart a new course, and many times blaze a new and better trail. Girl Scout alums know we can come through this… together. “…learning our motto, living our creed, Girl Scouts together in every good deed.” (“Girl Scouts Together” music and lyrics by Glyady Cornwall Goff; this song won Honorable Mention in the Girl Scout National Song Contest in 1941)
Cornell Students Assist With New Design Project at Comstock Sophomores in the Department of Design & Environmental Analysis at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY—under the leadership of Rhonda Gilmore, Weiss Teaching Fellow & Senior Lecturer— began work on the design of a new sustainable building at our Comstock Adventure Center property located in Ithaca this March. We’re thrilled to be working with these talented students and their instructor!
Join Friends of Comstock Interested in becoming part of our newly formed volunteer group, Friends of Comstock? This group includes generations of Girl Scouts who have come together to support our Comstock Adventure Center as we look to the future. We’re already working on a project! We’re creating a private Facebook group and other ways to connect, participate and share memories. Reach out to JoAnne at jmorak@gsnypenn.org or 315.698.9400 x2052 for further information. We hope you’ll join us!
About GSNYPENN
We are dedicated to serving our council membership. Your support stays local and gives girls across our region the opportunity to experience the magic of Girl Scouting.
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Building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.
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Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways is chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA to administer the Girl Scout program in 24 counties of New York and two in Pennsylvania. We’re the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. We offer every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.
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Meet Nicki Barnard, Customer Engagement Manager Nicki grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA, where Girl Scouts fostered her love of the outdoors during her time at summer camp and made her brave enough to venture far from home to Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT. It was there that she met her sweetie, Jeremiah. They settled in Vestal, NY, where they currently live with their daughter, Miah (a 17-year-old high school senior), and son, Rowan (a 13-year-old middle schooler). In her spare time, Nicki loves to garden and search for unusual native plants to fill her yard. She loves to hike with her two dogs, a Mastiff named Angus and a Corgi named Lola. Most of all, Nicki loves to scour antique and thrift shops for curiosities and little treasures that make her happy.
Juliette Gordon Low Society Have you made a planned gift to Girl Scouts to become part of the Juliette Gordon Low National Society? Please let us know so that we can honor you with this beautiful pin! If you haven’t yet, it’s easy. You can leave any amount or percent of your life insurance or estate to Girl Scouts—a small bequest can make a huge difference for our girls’ future! Did You Know? In 2018, GSUSA and Dianne Belk, Founding Chair of the Juliette Gordon Low National Society, raised a challenge for each council across the nation to acquire four planned gifts. In return, each council would receive a planned gift of $10,000 from Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder. GSNYPENN accepted and met this challenge! During the 2020-21 member year, we received two realized Legacy Gifts and two Planned Gifts in support of our Mission. We hope you’ll consider making a gift and joining the Juliette Gordon Low Society! Contact JoAnne to discuss your options. Membership ensures you remain connected to GSNYPENN now and in the future.
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