Now through Memorial Day, customers can donate online to send delicious Girl Scout cookies to men and women serving our country overseas in the U.S. Military.

Anyone who donates online to Operation: Sweet Appreciation can choose a specific Girl Scout troop or individually registered girl (also known as Indie Girls) to benefit from the donation, just as they would through the traditional Cookie Program.

Donations will be collected online now through Memorial Day, May 27, at gswpa.org/military.

Our goal is to send 50,000 boxes of cookies overseas on behalf of Girl Scouts from our council.

We know that Girl Scout cookies are a welcome treat for men and women serving our country. Please click here to help Girl Scouts send more cookies to them by donating today.

Yes!! We love Girl Scout cookies overseas!!
TSgt Kristin Taylor, US Air Force

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.

All girls ages 14 and older and adult members are encouraged to participate in Town Hall meetings. This important, interactive meeting is your chance to share your ideas and keep up with important council
issues. All meetings are 6:30-8:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Register now

Monday, March 4
Edinboro Office
5681 Route 6N
Edinboro, PA 16412

Tuesday, March 5
Canonsburg General Hospital
100 Medical Boulevard
Canonsburg, PA 15317

Wednesday, March 6
Greensburg Office
126 East Otterman Street
Greensburg, PA 15601

Tuesday, March 12
Johnstown Office
612 Locust Street
Johnstown, PA 15901

Wednesday, March 13
Brookville Borough Complex
18 Western Ave
Brookville, PA 15825

Thursday, March 14
Beulah Presbyterian Church
2500 McCrady Road
Churchill, PA 15235

Monday, March 18
Graystone Presbyterian
640 Church Street
Indiana, PA 15701

Tuesday, March 19
First United Methodist
Church of Aliquippa
2816 Brodhead Road
Aliquippa, PA 15001

Wednesday, March 20
Smethport Office
217 West Main Street
Smethport, PA 16749

Thursday, March 21
Allegheny Intermediate Unit
475 East Waterfront Drive
Homestead, PA 15120

Lisa Shade
Public Relations Manager
lshade@gswpa.org
1-800-248-3355 X 1472

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cookies Open Doors For Girl Scouts

For the first time since 1999, Girl Scout cookies have a new look.

Pittsburgh — For the first time since 1999, all boxes of Girl Scout Cookies have a new look and a new purpose: to elevate the significance of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, a $790-million girl-led business.

The iconic Girl Scout Cookie package showcases the five financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills that the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls, skills that will last them a lifetime: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

The decision to update the package came about in 2010 as part of an overall brand refresh in advance of the organization’s 100th anniversary on March 12, 2012. The package needed to be more contemporary to reflect the new brand identity and to embody the spirit of Girl Scouting, while showing customers how they can reconnect with the organization. GSUSA partnered with the New York office of Anthem Worldwide, the brand development division of Schawk Inc., to redesign the packaging to inspire consumers and engage them on the important role that Girl Scouts plays in girls’ lives.

The Girl Scout Cookie package also features the GreenPalm logo, which speaks to the organizational commitment to addressing conservation and sustainability concerns related to Girl Scout Cookies.

Cookie sales will begin January 4, 2013. In February, customers can use their iPhones or Android smartphones to find the booth sale closest to them. The Cookie Locator app is available in the App Store and Android Market.

• Cookie FAQ (148.89 KB)
  Frequently asked questions about the Girl Scout Cookie Program.
• Important Dates (136.85 KB)
  Mark your calendar!
• Cookie PSA (135.09 KB)
  Scripts for creating Cookie Program public service announcements.

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.

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.

PITTSBURGH, PA (May 26, 2012) — The White House announced today that President Obama is posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, recognizes individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

“Juliette Gordon Low was a visionary, whose legacy lives on in the 59 million American women who have participated in Girl Scouting at some point in their lives,” said Patricia Burkart, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania. “She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually, and in founding Girl Scouts in 1912, she made an indelible and enduring contribution to the lives of girls and to our nation. It is so fitting that during our 100th anniversary year, Juliette should be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

From the beginning, Girl Scouts has insisted on being a voice for all girls. Juliette Gordon Low's first 18 Girl Scouts included girls from influential Savannah families, and girls from the Female Orphan Asylum and Congregation Mickve Israel. As early as 1917, the first African American troops were established, as well as troops for disabled girls. One of the earliest Latina troops was formed in 1922, Girl Scout troops supported Japanese American girls in internment camps in the 1940s, and by the 1950s, Girl Scouts was leading the charge to fully integrate all of its troops. In 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called Girl Scouts "a force for desegregation."

Low’s exemplary life, work, and legacy have received many forms of recognition in the past. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill authorizing a stamp in honor of Low. On October 28, 1979, Low was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, and on December 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill naming a new federal building in Savannah in honor of her—the second federal building in history to be named after a woman. Additionally, a bust of Low is displayed in the state capitol of Georgia.

In receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Low joins the ranks of Frances Hesselbein, who in 1998 was awarded the medal for her work with Girl Scouts of the USA. Hesselbein served as Girl Scout CEO and is credited with increasing minority membership and establishing the Daisy Scout program for the youngest girls accepted into Girl Scouts.

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.

Join Girl Scouts for a night with the Arena Football League!

Pittsburgh Power VS Kansas City Command
Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

This special Scout night with Pittsburgh’s arena football team includes:
- Post-game on-field Meet the Power autograph session
- Scoreboard recognition
- Early entry – watch pre-game warm-ups, with greeting
by players and coaches
- Exclusive scout-themed promotions during the game

Troops ordering 25+ tickets (friends and family welcome) are entered into a drawing to have select members participate in halftime activities.

Cost is $15 per ticket. Place a single order or order with your troop to ensure you sit together and receive the best available group seating. (A portion of the ticket sales will support Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania.)

To find out more or to reserve your seats, contact Jacob Sullivan at 888.769.2011 ext. 207