You can purchase Girl Scout cookies that will be shipped directly from the baker to troops overseas. Your donation will give troops a taste of home as well as a welcome tasty treat.

You can donate cookies through Operation: Sweet Appreciation at Girl Scout booth sales around your community. To find a booth sale near you, click here.

Here are what some of the men and women who received cookies have said:

"I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for the cookies you sent us here in Afghanistan. The cookies are delicious and put a smile on my face; however, it is more important to know that complete strangers are willing to support us just because we are Soldiers in the United States Army."

"I just wanted to say thank you for taking time to send a box filled with delicious Girl Scout Cookies. It was one of the special moments on deployment that brightened our day."

"I just want to send you a thank you for the Girl Scout cookies! Boy, they are good and well appreciated from everyone here. You ladies are wonderful, and keep us motivated every day, you remind us of who we are fighting for and what makes us proud to be Americans!"

Give our troops a taste of home with Operation: Sweet Appreciation. It’s the perfect way to say “thank you” to the men and women who are serving our country!

If you have questions about Operation: Sweet Appreciation, please contact Susan Jenkins.

Troop 24186 from Greensburg talked about the Cookie Program on Pittsburgh Today Live.

Learn more about the Cookie Program in your region by clicking these links to local media coverage:

KDKA Pittsburgh Today Live

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

Warren Times-Observer

For more information about the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please click here.

Get ready for adventure this summer!

Horseback riding? Sailing? Backpacking? Adventure courses? Girl Scout camps offer a variety of activities to make summer 2013 your most memorable yet.

You can start on the path to awesome camp fun with three easy steps:

Step 1: Explore the Camp Edition of S'more magazine.

You can browse camp choices online here.

Step 2: Register early.

You can register for camps online at www.gswpa.org starting Monday, January 7 at 6 a.m. Our Help Desk will be available for extended hours that day to assist you with your registration, from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Step 3: Look forward to fun!

Ward off the winter blues by thinking of all the fun you'll have this summer with Girl Scouts!

Dear Girl Scouts,
What a week it was for the East Coast—and for Girl Scouting. Many people remain displaced and in shelters, while others are left to deal with damage to their homes and communities in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost loved ones during the storm and with those who continue to struggle in what will be a long road to recovery. Yet with each passing day, the region is getting back on its feet. I am so proud that throughout it all, Girl Scouts in even the worst hit areas have done what they do best: rolled up their sleeves and gone to work serving others in a time of need.

I can report that we at Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) are up and running after our facilities lost power last week. (Our apologies to those of you who tried to reach us.) Not only are we back, but we are supporting our Girl Scout councils in the affected areas and throughout the country. Eight councils bore the brunt of Hurricane Sandy, four councils in New Jersey and four in New York. Councils, like GSUSA, are still in the midst of assisting staff members who have been affected by the storm and assessing damage to their facilities. It has meant so much to us that many of our Girl Scout sisters and friends have taken the time to reach out to us from around the country and throughout the world to ask how they can help. In initial response to those inquiries, we are activating a plan based on prior regional disaster efforts that had an impact on girls and Girl Scouting.

To ensure that the councils are getting the kind of support that they need, we will be lifting fundraising restrictions to enable girls to raise money for Girl Scouting recovery efforts in the eight councils. We encourage you to give to Girl Scouting for recovery in these eight councils. Contributions may be directed to a specific council or councils through their online giving sites. GSUSA also will establish a Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund to help address the needs of councils affected by the storm, and these funds will be directed to those councils once they have assessed their needs. To give, go to donate.girlscouts.org/hurricanerecovery where you will find links to the online giving sites for all eight councils, as well as the giving form for the Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund.

We and the councils thank everyone for the outpouring of support. For now, the affected councils ask for time to assess and focus on their specific needs and to get back up and running. Although material donations and troop offers of assistance are appreciated, the councils are not currently in a position to process and organize them. Rest assured that you will hear very soon how you can further assist our councils in their recovery efforts. Girl Scouts have displayed tremendous courage, confidence, and character during this trying time, and I know they will continue to do so as the region continues to recover from Hurricane Sandy.

Sincerely,
Anna Maria Chávez
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of theUSA
© 2012 Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
All Rights Reserved. 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018

Visit our Things to Do calendar to register

October 3 — Greensburg
Greensburg Office
126 East Otterman St.
Greensburg, PA 15601

October 8 — Canonsburg
Southpointe Office
345 Southpointe Blvd.
Suite 125
Cannonsburg, PA 15137

October 10 — Kittanning
Kittanning Office
2359 Freeport Rd.
Kittanning, PA 16201

October 11 — Cranberry Twp.
Cranberry Community United Presbyterian Church
2662 Rochester Rd.
Cranberry Township, PA 16066

October 11 — Ebensburg
First United Church of Christ
217 High St.
Ebensburg, PA 15931

October 16 — Pleasant Hills
Pleasant Hills Borough Community Room
410 E. Bruceton Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15236

October17 — Brookville
Brookville Borough Complex
18 Western Ave.
Brookville, PA 15825

October 18 — Green Tree (7-9 p.m.)
Wallace Memorial Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
1146 Greentree Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15220

October 18 — Indiana
Graystone Presbyterian Church
640 Church St.
Indiana, PA 15701

October 23 — Edinboro
Edinboro Office
5681 Route 6N
Edinboro, PA 16412

October 24 — Kane
First United Methodist Church
112 Greeves St.
Kane, PA 16735

CONTACT:
Nancy Irwin
Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania
nirwin@gswpa.org
800-248-3355 ext. 1414

Adrienne Londino
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
adrienne.londino@highmark.com
412-544-4369

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 2, 2012) - Thanks to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania (GSWPA), more girls will be running, jumping, making friends and eating healthy this school year.

GSWPA recently received a $25,000 grant from Highmark in support of the organization’s Healthy Living Educational Programs for girls in kindergarten through eighth grade. In addition to traditional Girl Scout troops, GSWPA works with school districts and community centers to bring the program to girls during or after school, as well as the summer.
Healthy Living Educational Programs respond to the unmet needs of girls by providing supportive and fun programming that sparks an interest in learning. The programs are designed to teach girls the aspects of a healthy lifestyle while providing experiences related to exercise, self-esteem, positive thinking, team work and overall happiness and wellness. Girls who participate will receive a special Highmark patch for their vests or sashes when they complete the program.

“Motivating children to develop healthy habits has always been important to Highmark,” said Mary Anne Papale, Highmark’s director of community affairs. “We support Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania because it provides children with the education tools they need to make healthy choices, such as eating nutritious foods and increasing physical activity.”
The demand for this program is high, as it teaches program participants skills that parents, schools and other organizations want for their children, but may not have the time, resources or expertise to deliver. Healthy Living Educational Programs are core to Girl Scouts’ expertise of equipping girls with positive values and leadership skills.

“Girl Scouts recognizes that physical health, emotional health and self-esteem are all connected,” said Patricia A. Burkart, Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania CEO. “Thanks in part to Highmark, we’re able to present programming that combines self-esteem, nutrition and exercise in a cooperative, all-girl learning environment. These programs reach girls who are not currently in Girl Scout troops, and open the world of Girl Scouting to them.”

GSWPA offers Healthy Living Educational Programs in Allegheny, Beaver, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clearfield, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Johnstown, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Somerset, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland counties. The programs are expected to reach 6,500 girls.

About Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania
Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is the premier leadership development organization for girls, with more than 35,000 members ages 5-17. With the help of dedicated adult volunteers, the generosity of individual donors, corporations and foundations, and the popular Girl Scout Cookie Program, Girl Scouting helps build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts was founded in 1912 and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. For more information on how to join, volunteer or donate, visit www.gswpa.org.

About Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield serves approximately 3.1 million members through the company’s health care benefits business and employs more than 5,000 people in western Pennsylvania. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. For more information about Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, visit www.highmark.com.

Our annual fall program of magazines orders and nuts/candy gives each registered Girl Scout the chance to set a goal and earn proceeds.

Girl Scouts can earn 15% of their total sales through the MagNut Program. Last year alone, GSWPA Girl Scouts earned more than $410,000 for their troops, which they used for tons of activities including caring for animals at a shelter, visiting Washington, D.C. for the national singalong and attending programs listed in our S'more publication.

Check out the full line up of nuts and candy.

The timing of this program gives girls revenue to start out their Girl Scout year before they benefit from their Cookie Program proceeds. They also earn fun recognitions -- and develop five skills they'll use throughout their lives:

• Goal Setting,
• Decision Making,
• Money Management,
• People Skills, and
• Business Ethics.

Want to order but don't know a Girl Scout? We can help!

Yes, we know many schools are also holding fundraising activities during the fall. But, Girl Scouts is offering some very unique items in our line-up. The popular chocolate covered pretzels in an adorable Library Tin, Dark Chocolate Mint Penguins – great for our hockey fans — and our Cranberry Nut Mix make great teacher gifts or stocking stuffers. This year’s unique Juliette Low’s Mailbox Tin filled with Carmel Treasures is a must have keepsake for all current and former Girl Scouts – and magazine subscriptions are a great gift that lasts all year and is perfect for faraway relatives.

This year's unique Juliette Gordon Low malibox tin filled with Caramel Treasures is a must-have keepsake for current and former Girl Scouts -- and magazine subscriptions are great gifts that last all year (perfect for faraway relatives).

Learn more about the MagNut Program

We're adding additional events daily so if there's not one in your area, check back soon or contact your area's membership manager.

Registration Events

Our annual MagNut Program starts Oct. 1, and it's a great way for troops to earn revenue to start the Girl Scout year, or for Individually Registered Girl Scouts to earn Program Reward Certificates to attend exclusive Girl Scout events, pay for membership or purchase items in our Girl Scout Shops.

Hard at work during our Spring Camp Work Weekend

Fall is beautiful at camp! Here’s your chance to spend a day or the weekend in a beautiful camp setting at no charge – while giving your favorite camp a little TLC.

Team up with other *girls and registered adults while working on projects at GSWPA camp properties, October 5-7, from 7 p.m. Friday until 11 a.m. on Sunday. Bring your Girl Scouts and join the Camp Volunteer Site Teams while they repair and refresh the camp properties.

Choose where and how long you stay

Camp work weekends are also a great time to explore a new camp. Choose from the following camps: Conshawtawba (Cambria County), Curry Creek (Jefferson County), Elliott (Venango County), Hawthorne Ridge (Erie County), Singing Hills (Venango County), Skymeadow (Armstrong County), Redwing (Butler County), Resting Waters (McKean County) or Roy Weller (Preston County, WV).

Can’t stay all weekend? No problem! Pick the weekend schedule that works best for you:

• Friday evening (overnight) and Saturday
• Saturday only (including program activities)
• Saturday-Sunday, or
• all weekend.

Register right now!

All meals will be served on Saturday, with a continental breakfast on Sunday. After you get your hands dirty with a variety of projects, enjoy free time at the camp each late afternoon and evening. Program activities will also include an evening campfire.

Another Volunteer Camp Work Weekend is scheduled for May 3-5, 2013, so mark your calendar today!

Important Details
_
* All volunteers are required to complete a volunteer application, disclosure, background check and interview. Troops attending must meet the girl/adult ratio as outlined inGSWPA’s Volunteer Essentials. All Girl Scouts attending must either register with their troop or an approved registered adult. _

For more information, contact Pam Balas or Tom Benoit.

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania is assembling two teams of 15 girls aged 14-17 to work collaboratively with each other and with their WAGGGS sister team in Australia to develop and implement a Forever Green Take Action project. (This will be an 18 month partnership.)

You, with your global team, will decide what your project will be within the three Forever Green take action categories (Waste Reduction, Reducing our Carbon Footprint through activities like Earth Hour or Increasing Green Spaces and Wildlife Habitats through Rain Gardens), develop your budget, plan of action and with the aid of Alcoa volunteers, see your project through its completion.

Applications are due to forevergreen@gswpa.org by May 25, 2012.

All girls ages 14-17 are eligible to apply for this opportunity, regardless of previous girl scouting experience. Travel opportunities abroad may be a possibility through this experience but is not guaranteed. Please note: this experience is girl led, so many details will be determined out as the program evolves. This includes the actual project, meeting dates, etc. If you have more questions, please contact Andrea Kelly at forevergreen@gswpa.org or call 800-248-3355 ext. 1417.

This project is powered by Alcoa.