Annual Report

Girl Scout Mission

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

The Girl Scout Program

Grounded in the Girl Scout Promise and Law, Girl Scouting is an experiential, cooperative education program that promotes girls’ personal growth and leadership development. Partnering with caring adults, girls design fun and challenging activities that empower them and raise their voices within a local, national, and global sisterhood.

Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try: to serve God* and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

*Members may substitute for the word God in accordance with their own spiritual beliefs.

Dear Girl Scout Friends,

With each new year, we at Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes (GSNWGL) are in the wonderful position to see our members grow and change as they learn to navigate the world and the Girl Scout Experience. And we as a Council have a duty to our youth to grow and evolve with them. In this time of change, we will rise to the occasion and meet our Girl Scouts where they are.

Our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, once said, “I realize that each year [Girl Scouts] has changed and grown until I know that a decade from now, what I might say of it would seem like an echo of what has been instead of what is.”

With our Girl Scouts in mind, we are reflecting and evolving—our program, properties, volunteer experience, training opportunities, and more. Our Council is poised and ready to make the changes necessary to meet our Girl Scouts and their needs. Change can be challenging, but it is also exciting.

It’s exciting to know that we are giving today’s youth experiences and opportunities that will change their lives. When we ground our decisions in the needs and desires of our Girl Scouts, a whole new world of possibility opens up before us. One that may look different but is still grounded in our values of inclusion and cooperation.

Again, our change-making founder, Juliette Gordon Low, sums up our Council’s purpose so eloquently, “My purpose…to go on with my heart and soul, devoting all my energies to Girl Scouts, and heart and hand with them, we will make our lives and the lives of the future girls happy.”

A special thank you to our dedicated volunteers, staff, partners, donors, and Girl Scout families. Because of you and your commitment to supporting the Girl Scouts of today and tomorrow, we can help them take the lead and find their place in this world. We can show them that their dreams can become a reality. And we can inspire them to make the world a better place.

“I love Girl Scouts because we do fun things, go on eld trips, and try new stuff. We help others.”

Daisy Girl Scout

“Girl Scouts is great! It’s a fun, safe place, and we get to do fun activities.”

Patti Shafto-Carlson Dr. Corey King Chief Executive Officer Board President

“In Girl Scouts, we learn about different things, be detectives, learn about different women in history, and have a good time.”

Junior Girl Scout

“Being a Girl Scout is the best thing I could ever choose. You can do a bunch of leadership stuff, go to camp, and sell cookies. You can also learn to be better with money, do STEM activities, and make new friends.”

“I’m in Girl Scouts because it’s a fun way to learn life skills like communication, team work, and survival skills. Plus, I can go on field trips and camp is an amazing experience.”

Senior Girl Scout

“Girl Scouts is a fun time with learning involved. We get to hang out, laugh and socialize, and go on cool trips. Girl Scouts teaches me to strive for better things.”

Ambassador Girl Scout

Current Board of Directors

Officers

Corey King, Chair

Kelly Steelman, Vice Chair

Barb Dulmes, Secretary

Patrice Pergolski, Treasurer

Directors-at-Large

Anne Treankler

Kellie Holmstrom

Kimberly Saffer

Krista Mayer

Lorraine Avery

Tammy Stadler

Heidi Zich

Linda Bockin

Sharon Kozicki

Pafoua Her

Ex-Officio Members

Ava Blackburn, Girl Member

Sandra Brierton, Girl Member

Patti Shafto-Carlson, CEO

Current Leadership Team

Patti Shafto-Carlson, Chief Executive Officer

Amy Schultz, Chief Operating Officer

Colleen Bennett, Chief Financial Officer

Jodi Dahlke, Chief Strategy Officer

Kate Corey, Chief Development Officer

Ally Clark Peterson, Customer Support Director

Gwen Taylor, Program & Inclusion Director

Missy Brozek, Brand & Communications Director

Rachel Swedberg, Property Director

Rebecca Sgarlotti, Membership Engagement Director facebook.com/GSNWGL @gsnwgl @gsnwgl gsnw.gl/linkedin

Our Council

400 miles East to West 300 miles North to South

Serving Girl Scouts in 58 counties across Wisconsin & the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

“Working in the Communications department, I get to take photos and videos of Girl Scouts as they take part in the Girl Scout experience. After nearly 30 years with Girl Scouts, 11 of them as a council staff member, I never tire of taking photos of kiddos in action. People of all ages are a little scared to be on camera and say things like, ‘I won’t look good,’ ‘My hair isn’t right,’ or ‘I’m not photogenic.’ But here’s the thing, when I reply with, ‘I don’t want you to look pretty or have perfect hair. I don’t want you to be photogenic. I want you to be yourself—fierce and strong and brave,’ those same shy, worried Girl Scouts light up and go back to exactly what they were doing. And that’s because Girl Scouting, at its core, is about giving kids (and 37-year-old adults like me) the space to be fierce, strong, brave, and so much more without needing to be perfect. Being a Girl Scout is about trying new things and when you do that, you get messy, and you make mistakes—but you also learn and have fun and that makes those messy mistakes less scary.”

Melissa Loest, Communications Manager