Volunteer Connections by Girl Scouts of Nassau County

Guest blogger James Langan is not a fan of television, movies or much of popular music, but he does love the Girl Scouts! – He reminds us here of the need for parents to be ever-vigilant when they allow mass media into their homes and before the eyes and ears of their children.  We encourage you to find ways to bring more “kulcha” to  our girls …What has your troop done with the arts lately? – peace, dc Mass culture can be somewhat disconcerting:  A flood of images and noises gushes forth from wide-screen TVs, drowning all in its path. Sarcasm and presumptuousness permeate the “dialogue” blurted out by one-dimensional characters smirking and sneering and conning and cheating and posing and threatening to get what they want.  And only when they are not punching and kicking and gouging and blowing things up.    A lot of movies – apparently devoted to redefining “box office gross” – offer nothing better; and most video games propose far worse, encouraging ...

For the past six years, we have been showing our appreciation and gratitude to the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces by sending them a “taste of home” in the form of donated Girl Scout Cookies® . On April 19, 2011, I had the pleasure of hosting this year’s send-off event. Together with our partners at DHL Express we shipped 45,000 boxes of cookies to our brave warriors. Here are a few highlights from the event. I hope you enjoy watching this video.

Communicating today is very different than what I experienced through the years. As long as I can remember personal contact was the cornerstone of my connecting to others. I love phone calling, letter writing and face to face conversations. My son calls me the “Queen of Chit Chat,” he knows how much I love to connect with people through conversation. As I reflect on my career, personal contact has been fundamental. I’ve always worked directly with people - from my early days at Allstate Insurance Company to my many years in social services. I was very comfortable with my style of "reaching out and touching." Then, in 2003 I came to Girl Scouts of Nassau County and technology was much further ahead than where I had been. Emails here were the primary way of communicating. I was in shock, I was used to walking from building to building (there were five on our campus) to talk to my colleagues or using the phone. While we had computers, they were mainly for data collection and r...

The proliferation of technology in the last several decades has left in its wake a plethora of gadgets – some useful, some not – and has induced among the citizenry some curious habits that would have left previous generations scratching their heads.  More than a few of us have purchased cell phones and faithfully lug them along in our travels so that we might “stay connected,” but then turn them off so we don’t drown in a deluge of unwanted calls.  Others may claim cell phones are only for emergencies; but if true, we should also be carrying around defibrillators, fire extinguishers, Tibetan-English phrase books, and C-Rations.  After all, you never know.  But technology is not just for yakking and hacking.  In fact, the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs use technology as one of its chief means to build girls of courage, confidence, and character.  Our FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Robotics Program, for ex...

In the fall of 2010 Girl Scouts of Nassau County began our Strategic Learning process to guide us in setting our priorities and direction for Girl Scouting in Nassau County for the next few years.  The Strategic Learning process was developed by Professor Willie Pietersen at Columbia University and has been adopted and adapted by Girl Scouts of the USA for all Girl Scout Councils across the country.  Board Vice President Diane White lead a Strategic Learning Task Group of 32 people that included Board Members, other Girl Scout volunteers, community leaders who were less familiar with Girl Scouting and staff.  Lori DiMaggio, GSNC’s Executive Coordinator, served as the project manager. The Task Group was broken into five separate teams that examined the needs of Girl Scouts’ CUSTOMERS [ the girls], our STAKEHOLDERS  [parents, volunteers, community organizations, etc.], our COMPETITORS, SECTOR TRENDS [what is happening in not-for-profit organizations, philanthropy, bu...

Parents once did actually raise their children mostly by themselves, acting as role-models – and playing the roles of coach, counselor, and protector. Of course, friends, school, and celebrities have always influenced the forging of values and identity within the child; but usually took a back seat to the examples set in the home, which remained the magnetic North on the life-compass children rely on to find their way to adulthood. For a long time, this was the dominant paradigm that served to form a society that at the very least struggled to be fair and just.  Though imperfect and boiling over with exceptions to the rule, a lot of good did come from it.  Today, however, the formation of a child’s values and identity is also influenced by a myriad of forces that may not always have the child’s best interest at heart. On the way to the bank, marketers figured out that a lot of money could be made by hijacking the value and identity formation process of the child and supplant...

When a Girl Scout has learned the five skills ( goal setting , decision making , money management, dealing with people, business ethics) of the Girl Scout Cookie Program she’ll be ready for success! Think about it. These skills will help a girl through her academic career and are also skills that employers seek –whether it’s a bank, a high tech company, a hospital, a publishing house, a car dealership, an accounting firm or even the local pet store.  Every teacher and every employer wants: Someone who sets goals and meets deadlines. Blowing a deadline can jeopardize a grade and it can mean blowing a deal.  Someone who works well with others. As a boss, I know that I don’t want to deal with strife and complaining amongst my team! Someone who understands about money. There is a real difference between earning your way and getting an “allowance.” People who understand the relationship between earning and buying make better decisions with their own money. And, they learn ...