Volunteer Connections by Girl Scouts of Nassau County

Every Girl Scout is amazing, and when we come together for fun, friendship and purpose in the Girl Scout Cookie Program® we are unstoppable! This year, we’re celebrating the strength, value and spirt of teamwork powered by the Girl Scout Cookie Program ®. As the country’s largest girl-led business, it’s a unique, hands-on way for girls to develop essential skills that will help them grow into leaders in all aspects of life. Many successful businesswomen and community leaders say they got their start selling Girl Scout Cookies. The Cookie Program also funds your Troop’s activities, and it helps support our council’s financial assistance, girl programs, Volunteer training and facilities maintenance – including our newly renovated Service Center and our beautiful Camp Blue Bay . All proceeds stay here in Nassau County. Best of all, our girls look forward to the Cookie Program every year because of the fun activities, exciting opportunities…and the chance to take charge. 

The Girl Scouts of Nassau County Board of Directors is proud to announce the appointment of Randell (Rande) Marie Bynum as the new Chief Executive Officer! Rande joins Girl Scouts of Nassau County with experience as an independent contractor working with non-profits, corporations and media entities, most recently with the PwC Charitable Foundation. Prior to her consulting work, she was the Publishing Director of Family and Community Engagement at Scholastic Inc. She was also the Senior Director, Outreach and Partnerships at Sesame Workshop where she managed all engagement activities for Sesame Workshop’s The Electric Company. Earlier in her career, Rande was the Director, Program and Adult Development at Girl Scouts of Nassau County. She also worked at the Girl Scouts of the USA , where she was responsible for the implementation of The Dove Self-Esteem Fund corporate partnership and the development of the Girl Scout/Dove Self-Esteem Program. She is the co-author of Dove’s T

Girl Scout Troop 1254 recently received their Silver Award at the Garden City Association of Girl Scouts Awards Ceremony. Together, the girls developed programs to help shelter animals. Ella, Mary and Deanna, created a reading program entitled “Reading to the Rescue” for Pets 4 Luv.  The girls donated a bookshelf that they personally painted with animals and bright colors to be placed at the main entrance of the center. The girls filled the bookshelf with books they collected throughout the year. The program helps young readers gain confidence as they read to a non-judgmental audience and it calms the animals and gives them the attention they need while they are waiting to be adopted. Riley, Simran and Colleen instituted a field trip program that invites sister Girl Scouts, senior citizens and all members of the community to visit Pets 4 Luv.  Visitors are encouraged to bring much needed supplies to the shelter. The Troop visited The Bristol assisted living residence to make

Girl Scout Junior Troop 3404 of the Plainedge Association received recognition for having earned their Bronze Award. They learned the value of public service announcements while working through the Agent of Change Journey. The Troop named their project Kind Kids Count because though memories may fade; they all agreed that they remember being treated with kindness in kindergarten.   The girls created a PSA virtual tour of their school that included everything they wish they knew when they entered kindergarten; like how to use a lunch card, playground rules and what to do when you are not feeling well. Their virtual tour was added to the school website so that new students could view it repeatedly over the summer months. It was also shown at the kindergarten parent orientation meeting. The girls also created a coloring book that depicted the kindergarten experience. A copy of the book was mailed home by Principal Thearle of Charles E. Schwarting Elementary School, to every incomin

Reach for the Stars By Madison S. Do you find yourself staring up at the night sky wondering about the stars and the planets? Do you love learning about the Universe and dream of becoming an astronaut? Two Senior Girl Scouts with a passion for astronomy were selected to represent Girl Scouts of Nassau County (GSNC) during a weeklong Leadership Training Summit at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The experience was out of this world. It was a combination of lectures given by NASA’s best and brightest, hands on laboratory activities, fun and friendship. At NASA Goddard, hundreds of scientists are making the latest discoveries each day. NASA launched a partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA to educate and excite girls about astronomy. As you can imagine, there was a lot of competition, and only 10 councils were chosen to participate in the Leadership Training at Goddard! GSNC compiled a team of four individuals, an amateur astronomer, a council r

It’s hard to believe that GSNC girls have been competing in US First Robotic Challenges for 10 years, but we reached that milestone this past season! The program we participate in is the FIRST Program.  In the US teams from 50 states, and worldwide teams from 80+ countries, participate in this program. FIRST combines the engineering challenge of a robotic competition with real-world problem solving and inventing. Girls who participate in GSNC’s Robotics Program, develop and expand their organizational and problem solving skills, learn teamwork and cooperation and become involved in their local and global community.  They gain hands-on experience in applying real-world math, engineering, coding and science concepts while adhering to the philosophy of “Gracious Professionalism,” exhibiting helpfulness, kindness, and respect as they work, play, and share with others. We have had three program levels throughout the years.  We started out with the FIRST® LEGO® League FLL) level, 9

Not sure what resources you need make your year as a Troop Leader strong? Here are all of the basics to get you started: TIP #1: Know the staff people that represent your area. Our GSNC staff is here for you! Our customer care staff are here to answer your questions. A Volunteer Experience staff person will make sure you are provided with all of the information you need including training, background checks, etc. Our Membership Engagement and Community Engagement staff will guide you with registering all of the girls in your Troop, etc. To find out which staff members are assigned to you, call 516.741.2550. TIP #2: Know who your Service Team is . A Service Team is a group of Volunteers in your community trained to help all Leaders in an Association (group of towns that are close to each other). Your Service Team is comprised of Volunteers with many different roles to help you in your new leadership role. To find out who the members of your Service Team are call 516.741.2550.

We are so excited to welcome you to our newly renovated Service Center! Girl Scouts of Nassau County has waited over a year and now proudly shares some of the new features and improvements to our home. If you have passed by 110 Ring Road West over the last year you may have noticed some of the changes. Yes, the building has been expanded; we have increased the square footage by 2400 feet. We have redesigned the main entrance and enlarged the GSNC Shop and Cookie Cupboard with their own entrances making it easier to manage a stroller or cart loaded with cookies! We added larger windows and redesigned the entire lower floor to better serve our members. The curb appeal has been modernized with LED lighting, new signage and new awnings. The landscaping has been redesigned to accent the architectural changes and newly paved parking lot. Inside the building you will be greeted by a bright and open design, full of vibrant colors and images. The GSNC Shop is larger and has more floor sp

Dear Girl Scouts, Thank you for the amazing opportunities that you have given me allowing me to live and pursue the Girl Scout Mission - for the girls in Nassau County and girls across the country. For sixteen+ years I have been blessed and privileged to serve as the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. I have truly had the very best job in the world, and I have been honored to lead alongside wonderful volunteers and smart committed staff members who share my love of Girl Scouting and who understand the potential for greatness available to any girl touched by Girl Scouts. The time has come to announce my retirement, effective the end of July. Girl Scouts of Nassau County continues to support our girls and volunteers, while offering a variety of outstanding programming at the Council level meeting the needs of our girls for STEM awareness, addressing the Critical Issues affecting their lives, and encouraging them to explore the outdoors and

2017 Girl Scout Cookie Program 500+ Club Girl Scouts of Nassau County would like to thank all families who participated in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. You have given your children an opportunity to learn about goal setting, decision making, people skills, money management and business ethics, which are known as “The 5 Skills”, a key element of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Congratulations to our 2017 Girl Scout Cookie Program 500+ Club 5000+ Boxes                       Isabella I.             Massapequa Association                              2000+ Boxes                       Lily M.                   Bay Association Maya T.                  Hardscrabble Association Shayla M.               Massapequa Association Isabella R.              Valley Stream/Five Towns Association Jessica D.               Valley Stream/Five Towns Association Alexa S.                 Valley Stream/Five Towns Association                   1000+ Boxes                  

As always, with much gratitude we thank the coaches and mentors for their dedication and for the example they set for the girls. Because of them, the girls had another wonderful season! Here are the results of our recently completed 2016 – 2017 season: FIRST LEGO League Junior (FLL Jr.) 6-9 years old: The Robotic Rock Stars won the OUTSTANDING TEAMWORK Award at the School Business Partnership of Long Island’s (SBPLI) FLL Jr. EXPO where the girls showcased their LEGO robot design and their research. The Science Superstars will host their own EXPO where they will present their LEGO robot design and research to family & friends. FIRST LEGO League (FLL) 9-14 years old: All of these teams competed in the SBPLI. Inc. FLL Qualifying Tournaments, here the girls showcased their LEGO robot design, their research and invention. Our four FLL teams that competed were the Soaring Rockettes, Tech Time Girls, LEGO Lovelies who won the TEAMWORK Award, and the Smart Cookies who won the STRATEGY &

November 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of New York women gaining the right to vote—three years before the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women nationwide the right to vote. The New York victory represented the culmination of the dedication and hard work of dozens of New York women over many years. In 2020 the Centennial of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote will be celebrated across the nation. This year our state is celebrating the role it played in advancing the right of women to vote. Teach your Troop about the strides women made toward the right to vote with the Centennial Women’s Suffrage in New York Girl Scout Patch Program! Reserve 1950’s Fun and Games Box from the VRC to complete step number 6 in the patch program. Reserve the kit by emailing customercare@gsnc.org or by following these steps: 1. Go to gsnc.org 2. Click on Volunteers 3. Click on Volunteer Resource Center 4. Click on VRC Materials Request Form 5. Type 1950’s Fu

SAVE THE DATE Camp Blue Bay Fall Adult Weekend “Craft, Laugh and Learn” October 13-15, 2017 Looking for something fun to do on a fall weekend? We have something very special planned for you at Camp Blue Bay! A chance to gather with adult Girl Scout friends old and new, take a walk on the beach or just enjoy relaxing outdoors. A variety of workshops are being planned for you to choose from throughout the day Saturday; some might be just for you, others will give you ideas for your Troop. Choose to arrive Friday night or Saturday morning for the weekend or join us for the day Saturday. Accommodations indoors in a Troop House or tents available on a first come, first served basis at time of registration. This event will not be offered again until Fall 2019, so be sure to put it on your calendar.  Click here to register!  

Every year GSUSA selects ten exceptionally inspiring Girl Scout Gold Award recipients as National Young Women of Distinction (NYWOD). This honor is given to Girl Scouts whose Gold Award projects demonstrated extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact, and addressed a local challenge related to a national and/or global issue. These young women are taking matters into their own hands, generating much-needed change and serve as incredible examples of what it means to be a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker and Leader.)™  This year’s GSNC nominees are:  Anna DiGuseppe   Bianca Liriano  Leila Osman Let’s wish them the best of luck! GSUSA releases the honorees on July 1, 2017. Great News: GSUSA recently received a generous $1 million pledge from Susan Bulkeley Butler to provide academic scholarships for NYWOD over the next 10 years, this year through 2026, honorees will each re

Troop 2223 recently participated in JetBlue’s “Fly Like a Girl” event. The girls learned that women can do those male dominated jobs. They spoke with female Airline Mechanics and female Pilots. What a fun and inspirational experience! Working together with the Huntington Oyster Bay Audubon Society, Cadette Troop 3570 from Syosset learned about endangered shore birds. We made signs to help protect their fragile habitats. Special thank you to Birds Unlimited in Syosset for hosting our evening!

Got an idea about a Gold Award Project? Not sure if your Gold Award project is Gold worthy? Come chat with the Gold Award Team! You need to attend the Take Action for the Gold Award seminar and read through the Gold Standard first, so you understand what is expected in the Gold Award process. Strike Gold is not a training; it will help you develop the project idea you have.  Here are some ways we can help you: -         What is your goal? -         Who can be your Project Advisor? -         How do you build your team? -         What’s the Global connection? -         How do you sustain your project? -         Will it reach 80 hours? -         How do you measure the impact?  Look for new dates on the www.gsnc.org website, under “Programs.”

Junior Troop 917 from Bellmore recently participated in a sign contest sponsored by Hofstra University and won an opportunity to have a Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sale at one of their basketball games. They had a wonderful time!

Our friends on the Advisory Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association’s WE CARE Fund have chosen to support our Girl Scouts Where You Live (GSWYL) Program. GSWYL makes Girl Scouting possible for girls who live in low income housing or homeless shelters to participate in Staff-led Troops; earning badges, having fun, making friends and growing in self-confidence. “This gracious donation benefits and affects the GSWYL Program significantly,” said Girl Scouts of Nassau County Executive Director and CEO Donna Ceravolo. “Girl Scouting offers amazing programs and opportunities to girls. WE CARE has made it possible to reach and offer opportunities to all girls in Hempstead.” The Nassau County Bar Association’s WE CARE Fund assists GSWYL in arranging exciting opportunities for girls; Aladdin on Broadway, roller skating, Long Island Children’s Museum sleepover, the circus, and the Liberty Science Museum. GSWYL makes it possible to deliver activities in or near home or neighboring schoo

Would you like our generation to be known for breaking down obstacles and barriers? These were some of the many questions posed to a group of Girl Scouts by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. Girl Scouts from all over the state of New York gathered at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in New York. Girl Scouts is commemorating this milestone with the release of a new badge, which will allow girls to learn more about the Women's Suffrage Movement. Girl Scout Vests filled with patches packed the museum, and there was much excited chatter as we awaited the beginning of the event. Finally, the lights dimmed, and a video clip about the achievements women have made, and the obstacles we are still overcoming, played. The video was extremely inspiring, and encouraged all of the young girls in attendance to stand up for their beliefs. After a few quick introductions by Girl Sco