Special Council Meeting

The Beat Goes On...

April 22, 2008

Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center
11200 E. Goodman Rd., Olive Branch, MS

(corner of Hacks Cross and Goodman roads)

6:00 p.m.
Reception
6:30- 8:30 p.m.
Seated Dinner, Entertainment, Business Meetings, and Awards

In addition to taking action on the plan to merge, we will be celebrating YOU�
Girl Scout volunteers and the wonderful ways you are making the world a better place.

No Charge; however, donations will be accepted for our Campership and Financial Assistance funds.

RSVP by April 11 to Dianne Burnette at 901-767-1440 or [email protected].

We will seat service units together unless otherwise requested.

Voters� Packets with documents pertaining to the merger will be mailed to Delegates on April 5. Delegates are expected to attend the council meeting, as a quorum is required for the vote.

Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani Open House

When: Monday, May 26, 2008 (Memorial Day Observed)
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where: Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani
Who: Parents/Guardians, Campers, and families interested in seeing and learning more about camping opportunities at Girl Scout Kamp Kiwani Resident Camp.

* Bring a picnic lunc
* Tour camp
* Ask Questions
* Meet camp staff

Please wear comfortable clothes, socks, and closed-toe/heel shoes.

Girl Scouts Go MTV

Girl Scouts of the USA�s newest partnership with MTV and the Simmons family on Run�s House focuses on daughters Vanessa and Angela, two young entrepreneurs in their own right, who will help Girl Scouts spread the leadership and financial fitness message. The partnership officially kicked off November 29th with a Girl Scout message from Vanessa and Angela Simmons during the airing of the weekly program and featured an appearance by Kathy Cloninger, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA.

The episode had over 1 million viewers, ages 12 � 18, and was one of the highest rated episodes off Run�s House. The Simmons sisters presented Girl Scouting as a fun and fascinating alternative. On average, teens 12-18 watch 13.6 hours of television each week and 78% of all girls spend a minimum of 3 hours watching MTV. Nationally, Run�s House is viewed by over 300,000 females 12-17. Locally, more than 100,000 homes view Runs House weekly. Which means, on average, the Girl Scouts message will be seen at least once by 300,000 teens each week and 100,000 within the Memphis area alone.

As the partnership develops, the Simmons sisters� messages will inspire girls to participate in entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs in Girl Scouting. �There is a real lack of people encouraging young ladies to be leaders,� said Vanessa Simmons, on her new role with the Girl Scouts.

�Promoting entrepreneurship and financial literacy is important. Girls need to be business-minded so we have more female leaders in the world,� added Angela Simmons. �And starting now is the best thing girls can do. Selling cookies is a business and you develop those entrepreneurial skills at a young age.�

The Simmons family partnership gives Girl Scouts an opportunity to reach thousands of girls with a positive Girl Scout message each week. It supports these Girl Scout priorities:

Volunteer outreach targeting 18-29 year olds

Multiculturalism

Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy

Building Girl Scouts relevance among the �MTV� generation

Run�s House star, �Rev. Run� Simmons, began his career with the legendary rap group Run DMC. Rev. Run is now a minister with an evangelical church and is the father of five. Run�s House is an MTV reality based show that offers an alternative to comedian Bill Cosby�s 1980�s sitcom, The Cosby Show, which focused on the lives of an affluent, professional African American family in New York. 

Vanessa 24, the oldest, is a graduate of St. John�s University and recently became a regular on the Daytime Soap Opera �The Guiding Light.� Angela recently graduated from the Fashion High School of NYC with an A average and is attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. This past May the sisters launched �Pastry Footwear,� a line of sneakers inspired by cakes and cookies. This fall the line expanded to include clothing and accessories.

The partnership with GSUSA is further supported by press releases to local and national print media; Public Service Announcements for both television and radio targeting young volunteer recruitment and older girl retention, and print ads that can be used for teen recruitment and young adult volunteer recruitment.

Visit www.girlscouts.org/vanessaandangela to view exclusive interviews, video components and other related features.

If you are interested in using of the materials, contact Janis Hightower at the Girl Scout Service Center.

Woman of Character Award

Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South annually presents the Woman of Character Award, to recognize women in the Mid-South who embody the principles of the Girl Scout Movement; demonstrate strength, confidence, motivation and leadership; and are role models for girls and young women. We are pleased to announce this year�s recipients Randi Guigui and Freddi Felt.

Randi Guigui

A driving force in Randi Guigui�s life is her religious doctrine to repair the world and make it better. She believes everyone is equal and should have a fair chance, and to stand up for what is right, not what is necessarily popular.

A self-described, �bulldog,� Randi strongly advocates for children�s rights because they are our future. Through her work at the Shelby County Division of Corrections, she sees the need for women, children, and men to have strong mentors and direction to keep their lives on the right path.

Randi�s persistence has secured millions of dollars of grant funds to provide programs and services, including life-skills programs for female prisoners and the Memphis Mentoring Partnership to identify and address the needs of children who have a family member incarcerated.

She was part of the founding members of Mothers of the NILE (National Institute for Law and Equity) to reduce the number of children in the juvenile justice system. She also provides leadership to the local and statewide Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force, Memphis and Shelby County Community Services, and the Shelby County Relative Caregivers Agency. A 2004 graduate of Leadership Memphis, Randi has served on the board for Porter-Leath Children�s Center and Knowledge Quest School Age Academy.

Through Randi�s leadership, strength and courage, she has helped numerous children and women, and has set the foundation to help others for years to come. She demonstrates perseverance and conviction in one�s beliefs. Randi is doing her part to repair the world and make it better � for all.

Freddi Felt

In 1958, Freddi Felt was young and a new mother looking for something to do with her time. She went to the Memphis Jewish Community Center to volunteer. After a few ideas were eliminated, it was mentioned that a Brownie Girl Scout troop was in need of a leader. Freddi thought it sounded like fun and agreed to help. That was nearly 50 years ago.

Under her guidance, over 1,000 girls have learned skills and participated in activities they never would have had the opportunity to do. They went canoeing, sailing and skiing, crawled through a cave and attended an international Jamboree in Israel. At the girls� request, Freddi became a certified swim instructor.

To this day, she is still a swim instructor at Memphis Jewish Community Center and accompanies Girl Scouts on their adventures. Freddi is also a Girl Scout trainer for courses in first aid, canoeing, camping and sailing, and mentors volunteers whenever needed.

Along with her volunteer work for Girl Scouts, Freddi has been a volunteer at Lichterman Nature Center for more years than people there can remember. She has been on the board of the Memphis Jewish Community Center, the Children�s Museum and Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South. Freddi also oversees her family�s philanthropic efforts through the Lichterman Loewenberg Foundation, which has been helping the community since 1948.

Freddi equips children and adults with skills necessary to build confidence, be better citizens and possibly save their own life or someone else�s. Her confidence, leadership and commitment are an inspiration!

Outcomes Survey - Helping Girl Scouts Succeed

Some of the Brownie and Junior Girl Scout troops in Shelby County have been randomly selected to participate in a community outcomes study that is designed to measure how the Girl Scouts and other youth serving organizations are helping youth succeed. The study, that is being coordinated by United Way of the Mid-South, includes annual surveys the girls complete. They will be asked to fill out a written survey at one of her next Girl Scout meetings. The girls' answers to the questions will be held confidential. She will only be asked to put her birth date, current grade in school and home zip code. This is what will link her first survey and the follow-up survey to measure any changes that may have occurred.

Click here to take a look at the survey in PDF format.

If you would like to learn more about this survey contact Chryl McCoy at 901-767-1440, ext. 204 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Girl Scout Leadership Development Program

Key Messages

• The mission of Girl Scouts of the USA is Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. To honor this commitment to girls, Girl Scouting is moving forward with a strengthened leadership experience, referred to as the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program.

• The Girl Scout leadership model is the new design for what girls do in Girl Scouting and how adult support can strengthen their experience. It is the road map for determining what a girl will learn and how she will be impacted. The model defines and displays all the elements that must be in place to positively impact girls� lives. The Girl Scout Leadership Development Program, then, is the model in action.

• Through the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program, girls will discover their personal best and prepare for a positive future, connect with others in an increasingly diverse world, and take action to solve problems and improve their communities. Girls have told us that these opportunities matter very much to girls�both in their daily lives and as they prepare for their futures. And, with our unique focus on a By Girls, for Girls approach and cooperative and experiential learning, girls will continue to have fun, friendships, and exciting adventures.

• The Girl Scout approach to leadership is based on the three principles�Discover, Connect, and Take Action.

Discover

As a Girl Scout discovers her world, she:

• Develops a strong sense of self

• Gains practical and healthy life skills

• Strengthens her values

Connect

As a Girl Scout connects with others in a global community, she:

• Forms caring relationships

• Promotes cooperation and team building

• Embraces diversity

Take Action

As a Girl Scout takes action in the world, she:

• Feels empowered to make a difference

• Identifies and solves problems she cares about

• Advocates for herself and others

• The Girl Scout Leadership Development principles represent cycles of activities that engage girls in practicing leadership skills, based on the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. These activities are directly tied to specific outcomes such as: valuing cultural diversity and individual uniqueness; educating and inspiring others; and making a difference through community service and action. The outcomes indicated in the Girl Scout leadership development model will allow us to measure the impact Girl Scouting has on girls� lives.

• The Girl Scout leadership model consists of three processes, which include By Girls, for Girls, experiential learning and cooperative learning. These processes, intentionally combined, make Girl Scouting unique, determine the quality of experience, and create fun and friendship for girls. Girls will have the opportunities to create their own experiences, reflect on them and apply what they learn to new situations.

• Girl Scout staples, like books, badges, and websites, exist to engage girls in leadership skill building in fun ways. GSUSA will begin to phase in new and updated resources to support the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program in October 2008.

• Decisions about the Girl Scout Leadership Development Program are based on input and ideas gathered from all members of the Girl Scout community including councils, volunteers, members, non-Girl Scouts, and experts in the youth development field. As the program continues to evolve, additional ideas and input will be elicited.

• Girl Scouts has a long-standing tradition of change. Since 1912, Girl Scouting has risen to the challenge of meeting the unique needs of each generation of girls.

We don�t have all the answers right now, but we can give you answers to these Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact Shante Avant or Lee Morriss-Mueller at the Girl Scout Service Center, 901-767-1440.

Girl Scout Realignment

Key Messages

Over the last two years, the Girl Scout organization has conducted a comprehensive review of our business with a team of council CEOs, volunteers, GSUSA staff, and girls nationwide. Through that extensive review, we determined that realigning our councils will allow us to provide a consistent Girl Scout experience that builds courage, confidence, and character in girls, so that they may make the world a better place. The Girl Scout organization is very proud of the work we are doing in a diverse environment committed to meeting the needs of girls-the hallmark of the Girl Scout organization for nearly 95 years.

Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South joins Girl Scouts of the USA in this exciting evolution to better meet the needs of girls in today�s fast-changing world. Girl Scout Council of the Mid-South is joining together with Girl Scout Council of Northwest Mississippi, Inc. (Greenwood, MS), Girl Scouts of Northeast Mississippi (Tupelo, MS) and Girl Scouts of Reelfoot Council (Jackson, TN) to form one high-capacity Girl Scout council that will result in activity offerings to 22,000 girls by 2008. Realignment will begin in April 2007, and it is anticipated to take up to 12 months to complete.

The location of the central office has not yet been determined; however, we anticipate multiple service centers throughout the new council jurisdiction. Ensuring that volunteers, girls, and parents have services available to them in close proximity is key to our commitment to improving services. These regional locations will provide a variety of services to volunteers and girls.

Membership

Girl Scouts is revitalizing the ways we serve girls to enable the largest number of girls and volunteers to participate. To achieve this goal, we are making three key changes: First, we are updating activity options into shorter cycles; second, we are offering more flexible time commitments for volunteers; and third, we are ensuring that Girl Scouting is a very full and consistent experience for girls and adults nationwide.

Girl Scouts is one option for today�s girls, who have many options. The good news is that Girl Scouting offers activities that already are the favorite hobbies, sports, and interests of girls while also providing a unique personal growth and leadership development experience.

Property Management

When our councils realign, we will be in a better position to modernize properties and to offer even stronger outdoor education experiences to meet the needs of today�s girls. While the details will emerge after the realignment process, we will continue our rich tradition of offering girls an unmatched opportunity to learn respect for and fully enjoy the environment.

Girl Scout Cookie Sale Program

Girl Scouts of the USA is retooling so that all Girl Scout activities, including the Girl Scout Cookie Program, can offer the highest quality experience for girls and be managed in the most efficient manner. Our community will still be able to enjoy America�s favorite cookies while supporting the leadership potential of our girls.

Eventually, one baker will be chosen for this area, uniform selling dates and price will be determined, and details of how the sale is managed will be established. We do not anticipate any changes until after the 2008 sale, and will seek input from our girls and volunteers throughout the process.

All of the proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program stay within the local area. Girls benefit girls directly through the portion shared with troop/groups, and indirectly by subsidizing the cost of providing the Girl Scout program in our area.

We don�t have all the answers right now, but we can give you answers to these Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact Lee Morriss-Mueller at the Girl Scout Service Center, 901-767-1440.