JULIETTE'S FOOTPRINTS A Publication of Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama
Summer 2021
Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama Partner with Ed Farm
Girl Scouts offers the best leadership development experience in the world for girls. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience engages and challenges girls to be the best versions of themselves. Through our girl-led and research-driven programs, girls can prepare for a lifetime of leadership and success. Over the summer, the Nehemiah Center, which serves at-risk children and families in the Chisholm community, formed a new Girl Scout troop. Troop 9778 met weekly and worked exclusively with Ed Farm, a nonprofit organization that partners with Apple to increase technology education in the youth. During this significant program, Troop 9778 learned all about the Girl Scout Leadership program and used iPads to discover the basics of coding and creating through Apple’s Everyone Can Code and Everyone Can Create curricula. “They have gotten a world of experience in coding and STEM. There are lots of educational and fun opportunities that they generally would not have”, says Karlyn Edmonds, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. To wrap up the program, Ed Farm and Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama hosted a Celebration of Learning to recognize the hard work of Troop 9778. During this celebration of learning, the girls received a certificate along with their first badge, Basics of Coding, and their first patch, Ed Farm Cultivate Change.
Beth Sanders, Director of Learning at Ed Farm says, “They have learned a lot of skills such as basics of coding which can be applied to math and science. They have also learned to be creative in using photo and video software to make content and share their work.”
From the CEO
Dear Friends of Girl Scouting,
Board of Directors
Officers:
Christine Prewitt Chair Elizabeth Citrin 1st Vice-Chair Elizabeth Braswell 2nd Vice-Chair Karen Mixon Secretary/Treasurer
Members at Large: Jerusha Adams Christy Crow Carlos Grant Cheryl Johnson Laura Searcy Lyn Thornton Tara Zieman Janie Corlee Michael Cuesta Anitra Henderson Katie Lovvorn Carrie Shaw Tabatha White
Nonvoting Member: Karlyn B. Edmonds
Welcome to a new year of Girl Scouting! GSSA has many exciting things planned, and we can’t wait to get started. Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama’s girls have done amazing things. We are excited about our new partnership with Ed Farm, which provided a wonderful summer coding program to Girl Scouts from Montgomery’s Nehemiah Center, and we plan to expand this STEM programming across the council soon. We also safely served more than 250 girls at (in-person!) resident camp this summer, and we had a great day of Camp Sunshine at Kamp Kiwanis for at-risk girls. It was wonderful to have girls at camp and learning in the outdoors again. We know you are ready to get back to Girl Scouts, and many other families are ready to begin this journey with you. In August, our day-long membership drive across the council led to the registration of more than 500 new Girl Scouts to GSSA! In other exciting news, Girl Scouts just debuted 28 new badges which focus on entrepreneurship, math in nature, and digital leadership. These badges embolden girls to navigate a changing society and build the futures they want for themselves and the world. And if this wasn’t enough, we even have a delicious new cookie this year, Adventurefuls. With chocolate, caramel, and a hint of sea salt, they are already a hit with everyone who has tried these new treats. We can’t wait for you to try them – and to support the cookie program on January 2, 2022. It’s a great time to be a Girl Scout. Join us in embracing a better world for our girls and helping them make it happen. Yours in Girl Scouting,
Karlyn B. Edmonds, MPA Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama
Camp Sunshine Due to COVID-19, we were unable to host Camp Sunshine for a full week. However, we made the best out of this situation by providing the girls at the Esperanza House and The Nehemiah Center with a fun-filled, adventure-packed day on July 16. The Nehemiah Center and Esperanza House serves at-risk children and families in Montgomery, AL. The Esperanza House is a nonprofit Christian organization that improves the quality of life for low income Hispanic children and families in the Auburn-Opelika area to ensure their successful integration into society. This day was made possible by our generous donors. During this tremendous day, girls ages 6-12 learned life lessons to help them dream big and work to achieve these dreams while making the world a better place. Girl Scout volunteers as well as volunteers from Ed Farm, the Esperanza House, and The Nehemiah Center also joined and helped the girls have an amazing day at Kamp Kiwanis.
Summer Camp 2021 This summer we welcomed more than 250 Girl Scouts for summer camp at our resident camps at Kamp Kiwanis and Scoutshire Woods! Out of home and into the camp world, each girl was equal to those around her. They made new friends and memories as they sat around the campfire, rode horses, threw axes, tried zip-lining, or even sailed for the first time. We know these girls went home with a sense of pride because they faced fears, learned new skills, and made new friends and memories. Follow the summer adventures from camp on the photo album on our Facebook page!
Introducing 2021-2022 Media Girls Congratulations to our 2021-2022 Media Girls! Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama’s Media Girl Program is a year-long commitment available to all ages. A Media Girl’s role is to share their personal experiences and skills learned through participation in Girl Scouts, as well as general information about Girl Scouts, in order to enhance the visibility and relevance of Girl Scouts. Elisabeth A. Emily A. Rosie A. Lauren B. Mattison B. Brooke C. Libby C. Lily C.
Lola C. Sloane D. Isabella F. Elsa G. Hadley H. Madelyn L. Trinity L. Madison M.
Virginia M. Elena O. Lydia P. Daisha T. Evelyn T. Sydney W.
Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others.
Alison Ammeter
For Alison’s project, she created a babysitting course for low-income caretakers. Alison came up with the acronym C.H.I.L.L. to help caretakers remember what to do with a crying child. C.H.I.L.L covers the different areas that the babysitter needs to check to see why a baby is crying.
Abigail Luster
When Abigail began brain-storming ideas for her Gold Award program, she immediately knew she wanted to do a mentorship program for beginner band students. After weeks of organizing, she was able to finally start her program called The Cogs Project. The Cogs Project is a mentorship program focused on preparing beginner band students for high school band.
Emma Claire Johnson
For Emma Claire’s project, she created a reading mentor program for students. In her program, she paired advanced students with the students in the Reading Studies programs or with students who are identified in other classes as needing assistance. The goal of her project was to help students improve their reading skills as well as their study habits.
Cailey Starkey
Erica Luckie
For Erica’s project, “Foster SelfEsteem in Foster Teens”, she focused on supplying foster teen girls with the hygiene items they need to inspire a higher selfconfidence and positive body image. After just a few months, Erica was able to pack over 170 kits that went directly to girls in the foster care system. She was also able to give some to foster care closets and group homes.
For Cailey’s project, she planned a girls weekend retreat called In-Depth and mentor groups called My Big Sister. The retreat focused on building self-confidence in girls as well as developing their faith through their self-image. The My Big Sister mentor groups were a chance for girls to mentor each other through their faith journey.
Hailey Starkey
For Hailey’s program, she created a retreat for girls and moms to help learn how to cope with the mental health effects of COVID-19. Hailey led activities and taught skills that helped teach the attendants different coping methods when dealing with mental health.
Introduced in 1980, the Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette can earn. It is symbolic of accomplishments in Girl Scouting and community activities as a girl becomes her best self and builds the world around her. The Girl Scout Silver Award represents a girl’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others.
8274 Brooke Castleberry
Jeanne Marie Castleberry Caroline Giardina Elsa Grow Eighmey Stewart Ansley Woodard
8418 MacKenzie Brackett Troop 8274 made improvements on the archery range at Scoutshire Woods for their Silver Award project.
Katey Brown Lexy Brown Alyssa Edwards Rylee Estes Adrienna Evans Evelyn Toler
The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior can earn. It requires a Girl Scout Junior to learn the leadership and planning skills necessary to follow through on a project that makes a positive impact on her community. Working toward this award demonstrates her commitment to helping others, improving her community and the world, and becoming the best she can be. 8363 Violet Borchert 9195 Susanna Duke Marley Conner Serenity Johnson Sarah Elizabeth Johnson Mary Sisson Maitre
9029 Emma Chaney
Norah Corindia M'Aliyah Cole Faith Ross
9052 Livia Johnson
9192 Megan Gargus
Grace Garrison Madelyn Lofton Katherine Mathieu Annalynn Owen Kyra Tolley
8363 Ria Amtha
Madeline Borchert Rachel Guillotte
9016 Reilyn Bates
Keeley Gaines Sophia Holmes Ella McCrory Kaylei Mixon
9327 Matti Bryan
Grace Jackson Addison Sexton Jennifer Stanton Sarah Stevens
9427 Shelby Barker
Madison Brannan Olivia Cooper Katherine Hughes Savannah McCrea
9327 Kayden Daniels Zoie Harris Claire Harrison Jo Elle Powe
Troop 9192 made bird houses to put in community parks for their Bronze Award project.
Leading Ladies Montgomery Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama (GSSA) held its 5th annual Leading Ladies Awards Brunch on Thursday, June 24. This year GSSA’s Leading Ladies Nominations Selections Committee selected two Leading Ladies, Stephanie Peavy and Michelle Browder. Stephanie is the Vice President of Treasury Management at River Bank & Trust where she delivers first class service to her clients and mentors young women seeking to enter the banking field. Stephanie is active in giving back to the local community. She is slated to become the first women president of the 102-year-old Montgomery Kiwanis Club. Leading Lady Michelle Browder owns and operates More Than Tours, an educational and interactive tour experience that dives into Montgomery’s rich history. Her business works to amplify Montgomery’s tourism opportunities. Michelle has mentored thousands of disadvantaged kids through her art, history lessons, and real conversations. Other nominees include, Beth Antoine, Assistant Principal, Auburn High School; Donna Beisel, Assistant Director, Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University; Maggie Brooks, Program Director, Girls on the Run – South Central Alabama; Cassandra Cavness, Development & Community Relations Coordinator, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; Tiffany Chaney, Chief Diversity Officer, Baptist Health; Krishula Edwards, Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Edwards Essentials, LLC & Family Sunshine Center; Kathleen Harrison, Chief Financial Officer, Palomar Insurance Corporation; Dr. Cristen Herring, Superintendent, Auburn City Schools; Phyllis Ingram, Partner, Carr, Riggs & Ingram; Ashley Jackson, Retired Military and CEO, Jamm Resources, LLC; Jade Jones, Senior Communications Officer, Montgomery Public Schools; Kate Asbury Larkin, Alumni Programs Coordinator, Auburn University; Ashley Minor, Territory Sales Manager, Colonial Life; Leslie Pescia, Principal, Consumer Protection, Business Litigation, Beasley Allen Law Firm; and Monica Virgil, Center Director/ Owner, Mathnasium of East Montgomery. GSSA also named Palomar Insurance Company as the Leading Workplace for Women Montgomery Award recipient for 2021. Sponsors for the Leading Ladies Montgomery event included: Presenting Sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama; Platinum Sponsor, Publix; and Silver Sponsor, Valley Bank.
Leading Ladies Mobile On Thursday, September 23, Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama (GSSA) hosted its annual Leading Ladies event in Mobile, Alabama. This year’s nominees include: Morrell Baxter, Career Coach, Baldwin County Board of Education and Washington County Board of Education; Susan Brigitha, Trials Master, Austal USA; Dr. Bobbie HoltRagler, Community Advocate; Sarah Bumgarner, President, Junior League of Mobile; Stacy Wellborn, Owner, Wellborn Strategies, The Container Yard, Professor, Spring Hill College; Amanda Gonzales, Development Director, Volunteers of America Southeast; Gayle Guthrie, Founder and Director, Stray Love Foundation; Amberly Harris, Co-Owner, Nspire U!; Adriel Brown, Grammar School Principal, Bayshore Christian School; Lyndsey Dixon, Manager, Wilkins Miller; Susan Shaw, President and CEO, IMMIX Strategic; Sabrina Alexander, Chief Amazement Officer, Proxi Public Relations; Miriam Fry, Government Relations, Poarch Band Creek of Indians; Victoria Blackmon, Gulf Coast Content Creator, Co-Owner, Cacti Palm Productions; and Trista Stout-Walker, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Southwest Alabama. GSSA named Evonik Corporation as the Leading Workplace for Women Mobile Award recipient for 2021. Sponsors for the Leading Ladies Mobile event included: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Iberia Bank | First Horizon, and SmithDukes.
28 New Badges! Girl Scouts released 28 new badges focused on entrepreneurship, math in nature, and digital leadership! The activities included in the new badges will spark your girl’s imagination while inspiring them to navigate a changing world. Math in Nature (grades K–5): This badge gets girls outdoors to explore and conserve the natural world as they learn math concepts. Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. Cookie Business (grades K–12): The badges progress from goal setting, working as a team, and effective salespitching in person and online to using market research and creating and implementing business plans and digital marketing campaigns. Digital Leadership (grades K–12): These forward-thinking badges are designed to prepare, support, and motivate girls as they explore the digital world. Sponsored by Instagram.
Introducing Adventurefuls! Girl Scouts and Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama recently announced the new Adventurefuls cookie that will join the nationwide lineup for the 2022 Girl Scout Cookie season. An indulgent brownie-inspired cookie with caramel-flavored crème and a hint of sea salt, Adventurefuls take cookie lovers on a delicious taste adventure just like Girl Scouts go on their own amazing adventures through the program. Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama cookie season will begin on January 2, 2022.
Save the Date! Upcoming Programs October 8 - October 10: Sail Away October 16: High Adventure Day October 23: Dig In for Daisies and Brownies October 23: Dig In for Juniors, Cadettes, Ambassadors, and Seniors October 30: Girl Scout Day at Auburn Football Game vs Ole Miss October 30: Older Girl Glow Paddle November 13: Girl Scout Day at Troy University Football Game November 13: Girl Scout Day at Auburn Football Game vs Mississippi State November 13: Winter Wonderland
Check out our events calendar for more information.
Membership Drive Success! On August 19, GSSA held its membership drive and welcomed more than 500 new girls into our Girl Scout Family! Our membership team has been working to place these girls into their new troops. We are always looking for more girls to join and more volunteers to help out. All those interested in joining Girl Scouts or becoming a Girl Scout volunteer are welcome to join on our website at www.girlscoutssa.org/join.
Girl Scouts Change the World Join us on October 9 for Girl Scouts Change the World! This virtual event will give you the chance to see what it takes to become a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award Girl Scout, and celebrate 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts and the upcoming Day of the Girl! You’ll discover how you and your friends can make the world a better place for girls everywhere. You won’t want to miss this! A special thank you to our event sponsor, LEGO, and to our scholarship funders, Kappa Delta and the Arconic Foundation, for making it all possible.
Invest in Girls
Help ensure that Girl Scouts continues to impact our community today while developing our leaders of tomorrow! Make a secure gift at www.girlscoutssa.org! See what your gift can do: $1.22 a day will provide one at-risk girl with a year of leadership skillbuilding, academic support, and mentoring. $25 will provide a Girl Scout membership for one girl in need. $50 will provide Girl Scout basics - membership dues, books, and uniform for one girl. $100 will provide training and certification for a volunteer in First Aid and CPR. $250 will support outreach programming to girls who need us most. $340 will provide a week-long summer resident camp experience to one girl. For more information on giving a gift, please email Chief Development Officer, Alicia Schneider at aschneider@girlscoutssa.org. GSSA serves more than 5,000 volunteers and girls in 30 counties, including Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Tallapoosa, Washington, and Wilcox.
Gold Award Girl Scout Jordan Sampson Receives Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship The Girl Scout Gold Award is the pinnacle of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, and it's available exclusively to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors (9-12 grade). Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama (GSSA) would like to recognize Daphne High School graduate Jordan Sampson for receiving the Gold Award and the Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship. Through the Gold Award, girls engage in a rigorous leadership process, as they tackle issues they're passionate about to create long-term, sustainable change. To earn the Gold Award, girls typically spend one to two years exploring the root cause of a local or global issue and partner with the community to create lasting solutions. The Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout per council whose project exemplifies the core components of the Gold Award. Jordan’s outstanding Gold Award project demonstrated measurable and sustainable impact and addressed an issue of national and global significance, proving that Girl Scouts of courage, confidence, and character truly do make the world a better place. As a scholarship recipient, Jordan will receive special recognition during our 2021 Girl Scouts Change the World celebration on October 9, 2021, a promotion that will help her reach a broad audience while highlighting the impact of her Gold Award, and a total of $2,000 in academic scholarships.
For Jordan’s project, she educated high school students on the legal documents they agree to when clicking “I Agree” when signing up for a social media platform. Most teens fail to read the legal documents they are agreeing to, so she created a 6-minute educational video regarding those documents and their contents. She also included a pre and post-quiz within the video. Jordan’s video is now a part of the Baldwin County Public School System’s Internet Safety curriculum and has been widely spread across the county to inform high school students of the danger of not knowing social media laws. Jordan is a social media curator and designer and noticed that many people did not quite understand or even know what they were agreeing to when signing up for social media accounts. Since Jordan started her social media career at a young age, she wanted to be able to educate people of all ages on the legal aspects of social media. Jordan is now a sophomore at Savannah State University where she is majoring in Global Logistics and International Business while also obtaining a minor in Spanish. Thank you for supporting Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. Your investment helps us bring the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more girls. This is a listing of gifts received from businesses and organizations from October 1, 2020-May 1, 2021. If we have inadvertently misspelled or omitted your name, please accept our apologies. We invite you to notify the Fund Development Team at (800) 2396636, ext. 2803 or aschneider@girlscoutssa.org with your corrections.
Jerusha Adams Joshua Agee Alabama Association of RC&D Councils Alabama Humanities Foundation Alabama Power Service Organization Southeast- Farley Division Alabama Trucking Association AmazonSmile Foundation American Apparel Janet Asher AT&T Alabama David Bagwell Jannah Bailey Beasley Allen Melanie Beasley Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Justin Bogie Don & Cheryl Bogie Boswell Tree Service Stacey Brandon Elizabeth Braswell Elizabeth Brent Henry & Barbara Brewster Martha Britton Keisha Brockington Cathy Brown Carmen Brown-Bender Whitney Califf Elizabeth Carnahan Central Alabama Community Foundation The Cheesecake Emporium Charles Cleveland Meghan Cochrane Trish Coglan Shelia Collier Corey Conner Elizabeth Cook Janie Corlee Beverly Crews Christina Crow
Tracy Daniel Madison Darling Dollar General Foundation Dow Corning Robert & Karlyn Edmonds Phyllis Feibelman Kiri Fields Rhonda Fields Four Star Freightliner Carlos Gant Barbara Gilewicz Sheryl Gordon Mary Beth Griswold Theresa Griswold Gulf Coast RC&D Pat Hall Elizabeth Hayes Brenda Hedstrom Harriet Hessam Elizabeth Hill Inge Hill Angela Hope I am More Than Tours International Paper Employee Giving Program Jinks, Crow and Dickinson, P.C. Cheryl Johnson Jenelle Jones Junior League of Lee County Barbara Kelly Kristen Kemphues Kiwanis Club of Montgomery Foundation Kroger Community Rewards Lake Martin Area United Way Peter Land Milt Livingson Vivian L. Martin Maggie Martin Kathleen Mink Karen Mixon
Maxwell-Gunter Officer's Spouses Club Chrispin Montgomery Bradley Moody Bill & Jeannie Napper Judy Neil Carol & Dave Norris Palomar Insurance Barbara Patton Heather Phillips Christine Prewitt Publix Charities Foundation Danette Richards River Region United Way Nicolas Sasser Kathy Sawyer Steve Schloss Laura Searcy Karen Sellers Service Unit 831 ServPro Montgomery Martha Sims Smith, Dukes, and Buckalew Southeast Alabama Community Foundation St. John's Episcopal Church State of Alabama Combined Campaign Eddie Stewart Kristen Stuart The Benevity Community Impact Fund The Community Foundation of South Alabama The Daniel Foundation of Alabama The Shoppes at EastChase Lyn Thornton Larry & Susan Turner Trustmark National Bank Montgomery United Way of Acadiana
United Way of Baldwin County United Way of Selma and Dallas Co. Anne Waldo Commissioner Rhonda Walker Walmart Foundation Beatrice Walton Priscilla Warren Reagan Washington Mary Weidler Andy & Lisa Weil Dr. Laurie Weil & Dr. Tommy Wool Wells Fargo Foundation Cathy Whigham Tabatha White Diane Williams Wind Creek Hospitality Winn Dixie Wiregrass Foundation Troop 7012 Troop 7372 Troop 7716 Troop 7725 Troop 8003 Troop 8062 Troop 8138 Troop 8295 Troop 8393 Troop 8491 Troop 9029 Troop 9052 Troop 9114 Troop 9327 Troop 9731 Troop 9750 In Memory of Vida Albert: Donna Hamilton In Memory of Terry Myers Berg: Jill Oliver In Memory of Beatrice Walton: Jane and Allen Greg Ellen Cooper Mary Cousar Sara Haas