Board Chair Letter

Letter from the Board Chair

Dear Girl Scout Families,

The time for celebration is upon us. Over the last two years, we have responded to life’s uncertainty by facing it together and ensuring our girls are safe, engaged, and inspired. We held on to our beliefs and used the Girl Scout Mission, Promise, and Law as guideposts for every hard decision. While we recognize significant events continue to impact our lives, volunteers and staff working together is the reason we have arrived at this place of hope. Today, we embrace a celebratory spirit that looks back at where we have been and how much we have overcome. Adopting this perspective allows me to look ahead with a great sense of optimism as we have plenty of reasons to celebrate who we are as an organization.

This year, we celebrate Girl Scouts’ 110th birthday. On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low registered the organization’s first 18 girl members in Savannah, Georgia. It is incredible that her actions, more than a century ago, created the path to how we uplift girls today. The good news is that we do not have to go back 100 years to find reasons to celebrate. We recently held an in-person dinner to honor our newest Gold Award Girl Scouts. Twenty-two extraordinary young women completed incredible Gold Award projects that greatly impact our community for years to come. A few months ago, 7,068 Girl Scouts across central and northern Arizona used entrepreneurial skills, innovation, and a can-do attitude to sell over 2.6 million packages of cookies. The support of remarkable Troop Leaders, Service Unit Leaders, caregivers, volunteers, and community supporters who crossed the finish line with grace despite the most unpredictable cookie season in our Council’s history is yet another reason to celebrate.

Speaking of finish lines, I truly enjoyed participating as a runner in the new celebration GSACPC introduced this year, The Bring Home the Cookies 5K, held at ASU Sundevil Stadium. An encouraging sign of hope was seeing the smiling faces of hundreds of our girls and their families supported by a community of sponsors, runners, walkers, vendors, and Arizona’s favorite mascots. When event planning began last year, we did not realize how important it would be to celebrate the final weekend of the 2022 Girl Scout Cookie Program with the community.

As we head into an exciting camp season, we look forward to empowering girls through the outdoors. We know that when girls spend quality time outdoors and increase their exposure to nature, they thrive physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Throughout the pandemic, we have learned how vital Girl Scouts is in our lives. We have learned how to take care of each other by being agile and flexible, and this is the reason we are still standing strong.

Last but certainly not least, this is a time to celebrate the legacy Tamara Woodbury created during her 29 years of leadership at Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council. We will continue to honor Tamara and share stories of her impact and influence at the local and national levels. During our Annual Meeting, you heard Tamara’s gracious remarks as CEO Emeritus and what this Council means to her. She also praised the Board of Director’s decision to officially appoint Mary Mitchell and Christina Spicer as CoCEOs for GSACPC effective at the start of the 2022-2023 membership year. Over the last 12 months, our Board has reflected on who we are and what we have learned from Tamara’s vision for this organization. One of the many takeaways is that our culture allows shared leadership to thrive. We have experienced Mary and Christina’s proven leadership during their interim roles and previously as Deputy Directors, and we know they are passionate about our future. Thank you, Tamara, for your groundbreaking leadership, and congratulations to Mary and Christina on moving us forward.

In Girl Scouting,

Lupe Camargo, GSACPC Board Chair