CitrusPeel_2019_Vol.12
Gold Award Edition Gold Award Edition
citrus peel 2018-2019 | Vol. 12
- Page 2: MARYANN’S INSPIRATION LETTER 3 TA
- Page 6: 6 GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS
- Page 10: Get ready for Fall Product Program!
- Page 14: 14 TROOP 1777 Over the holidays, Tr
- Page 18: With the purchase of our Go Green B
citrus peel<br />
2018-<strong>2019</strong> | Vol. 12
MARYANN’S INSPIRATION LETTER<br />
3<br />
TABLE OF<br />
CONTENTS<br />
03 | Maryann’s Inspiration<br />
Letter<br />
04 | National Young<br />
Women of Distinction<br />
06 | Gold Award Girl Scout<br />
Recipients<br />
11 | Get Ready for<br />
Fall Product Program<br />
12 | Troop Stories<br />
15 | G.I.R.L. 2020<br />
Convention Teaser<br />
16 | Camp Mah-Kah-Wee<br />
Update<br />
18 | Council Shop &<br />
GSC Social Media<br />
19 | Volunteer Spotlight<br />
Happy Summer Citrus Family!<br />
I hope that everyone had<br />
wonderful end of school year<br />
events and that you are enjoying<br />
a relaxing (though VERY hot!)<br />
summer! Many thanks to those<br />
who invited me to share in their<br />
bridging ceremonies…what a<br />
treat!<br />
I know I wasn’t able to attend<br />
all of them, but I wish I could hit<br />
every single one!! I do believe<br />
bridging ceremonies may be my<br />
all-time favorite Girl Scout activity<br />
to attend, the girls, leaders, and<br />
parents are always so proud!<br />
As the staff team prepares for<br />
the start of another traditional<br />
Girl Scout year, I believe it is<br />
important to take a few moments<br />
to reflect upon and count the<br />
many blessings we enjoy at<br />
Citrus Council. At the top of my<br />
very long blessings list is, as<br />
always, our girls! They are our<br />
inspiration, our guiding force,<br />
and at the core of everything we<br />
do. However, there is another<br />
blessing that shares that spot on<br />
my list and in my heart; it is the<br />
blessing of many of you who are<br />
reading this right now. We would<br />
be nothing without the dedicated,<br />
amazing, patient, and passionate<br />
volunteers who deliver Girl<br />
Scout programming and bring<br />
our mission to life everyday out<br />
in our communities. Without<br />
our volunteers and community<br />
partners, Citrus Council would<br />
simply not be the powerful force<br />
for girls that we are.<br />
YOU are building the future in<br />
partnership with and under the<br />
lead of the girls we serve. YOU<br />
are our secret sauce. I often<br />
refer to our Council as the Citrus<br />
Family, and I mean it. Our girls<br />
inspire us to bond together,<br />
amplifying our commitment<br />
and creating the unique and<br />
purposeful relationship we share.<br />
The girls draw us together as a<br />
family, and our caring volunteers<br />
feed and nurture that family,<br />
lifting us all up. I love our Citrus<br />
Family and could not be more<br />
grateful.<br />
Enjoy the last vestiges of<br />
summer, and may we have our<br />
girls have their best year yet!
4<br />
NATIONAL YOUNG<br />
WOMEN OF DISTINCTION<br />
Through their Gold Award projects, these women have exhibited the essence of<br />
what being a Girl Scout is all about. Whether it be demonstrating perseverance<br />
or working with the local community to further their cause, these women have<br />
successfully changed the community and the world for the better.<br />
5<br />
These two women have been nominated for the National Gold<br />
Award Girl Scout recognition, which honors Gold Award projects that<br />
demonstrate significant sustainable impact, astonishing leadership<br />
and tackle a local challenge related to a national issue.<br />
NADIA CURRI | MASS FOR CHILDREN<br />
BRIANNA BARRY | SELF GUIDED HIKING TRAIL<br />
Brianna Barry created QR code<br />
posts throughout the Wekiwa<br />
Springs State Park that allowed<br />
visitors to scan the code to<br />
reveal information about the<br />
different features the park<br />
has to offer. She made map<br />
dispensers throughout the trail<br />
that highlight the location of all<br />
the QR code posts for hikers<br />
to follow. Brianna wanted to<br />
create a way for technology<br />
to compliment a person’s<br />
experience with nature.<br />
“I would like to make people<br />
more interested in the park and<br />
encourage them to spend more<br />
time outdoors and possibly<br />
even take steps to help the<br />
environment,” said Brianna. “I<br />
love the idea of knowing that<br />
the posts of my trail will be<br />
there for years to come and<br />
will encourage people to have<br />
a greater appreciation of the<br />
environment.”<br />
Brianna hiked the trail several<br />
times with multiple people to<br />
determine which spots would<br />
be the best area to put the posts.<br />
She created extra markers for<br />
the posts and made extra maps<br />
so that the project could be<br />
sustained by the park rangers at<br />
Wekiwa Springs State Park. She<br />
believes everyone from frequent<br />
hikers to out-of-state visitors can<br />
use these codes to explore what<br />
nature has to offer.<br />
“My completion of this project<br />
demonstrates my growth in my<br />
ability to identify an issue within<br />
my community and take steps to<br />
resolve it,” said Brianna.<br />
She hopes other Girl Scouts can<br />
add to her project. Brianna also<br />
wants to encourage other girls<br />
to complete their Gold Award<br />
because of her own personal<br />
experience. She feels the journey<br />
to earning her Gold Award has<br />
given her confidence in her ability<br />
to lead and make changes in the<br />
community.<br />
Nadia Curri created a missal<br />
guide book to place in the pews<br />
at her church so that children<br />
could follow along during Mass.<br />
With the guidance of her pastor,<br />
Nadia wrote the entire book and<br />
created the graphics so children<br />
could visually understand what<br />
was taking place. Nadia realized<br />
that the church did not offer any<br />
books or guides that catered<br />
to children and helped in this<br />
area. During the service she<br />
would often notice that several<br />
children were unable to follow<br />
along with the service and<br />
would get distracted as a result.<br />
While attending several different<br />
churches, she also realized that<br />
this was a problem for other<br />
churches as well.<br />
In preparing for this endeavor,<br />
Nadia wanted to make sure that<br />
these books were kid-friendly<br />
so children could have fun while<br />
learning about the service. Her<br />
goal was to help children and<br />
families get the most out of their<br />
church experience. She initially<br />
set out to produce 200 copies<br />
of the book. However the books<br />
worked so well that the church<br />
had to order an additional 200<br />
copies to keep up with demand.<br />
After the books went into<br />
circulation, the level of distracted<br />
children dropped significantly.<br />
“In 5 years, I hope to see my<br />
book in other churches across<br />
the county and even across the<br />
state,” Nadia said. Nadia believes<br />
the most meaningful benefit this<br />
project gave her, has been the<br />
ability to see the children and<br />
adults in her community use the<br />
books to enhance their experience.<br />
“It has been so rewarding seeing<br />
so many people learning from my<br />
books after all the hard work that<br />
was put into the project,” Nadia<br />
said. Nadia has been a Girl Scout<br />
for eleven years and regards the<br />
completion of her Gold Award as<br />
one of her great accomplishments.<br />
Throughout this process, Nadia<br />
has been able to improve her<br />
communication skills, advocate<br />
for children, work with adults<br />
and has executed a solution that<br />
made a significant impact on the<br />
children and families in the church<br />
community.<br />
“I would describe my journey<br />
to getting my Gold Award as a<br />
learning experience to prepare<br />
me for my career. Now I feel like I<br />
can do anything I put my mind to”<br />
expressed Nadia.
6<br />
GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS<br />
These <strong>2019</strong> Gold Award Recipients will be joining the legacy of more<br />
than 1 million girls who have earned their Gold Award since 1916.<br />
7<br />
BRIANNA BARRY<br />
Self Guided Hiking Trail<br />
ABBY BIGGS<br />
Mural for Munchkins<br />
ELENA BRACE<br />
Environmental Education<br />
Program in Haiti<br />
ANNELISE CURTIN<br />
Mindfulness Garden<br />
SARAH DAVIS<br />
Guitar Club<br />
JE’DION DUMAS<br />
100 Bras for a Cause<br />
MIA BRUNE<br />
Canine Companion<br />
Room Rehab<br />
ERICA CHASAR<br />
De-Lightful Bird<br />
Geocaching<br />
HANNAH COLLINS<br />
Breast Cancer<br />
Awareness 5K<br />
KATIE FARELL<br />
Volunteering 101 Video<br />
KATE FILLENFARTH<br />
Peer Meditation Club at<br />
Bay Meadows Elementary<br />
HOLLY GATES<br />
North Orange Animal Hospital<br />
Memorial Cemetery<br />
LAYTON CORLESS<br />
Beach Volley Ball Court @<br />
Red Bug Lake Park<br />
NICOLE COURTENAY<br />
Music Library<br />
NADIA CURRI<br />
Mass for Children<br />
AMANDA HURST<br />
Feline Enrichment<br />
ALIANA KAHN<br />
Inspiration Boards at One<br />
Heart<br />
CHLOE KIERNAN<br />
Blankner Aid
8<br />
GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS<br />
9<br />
EMMA KLIEM<br />
American Flag Etiquette<br />
RACHELLE KOOKEN<br />
S.T.A.N.D. the Movement<br />
ANNABELLE LAWTON<br />
You’re Going to Camp Book<br />
RACHEL STEINKE<br />
Aware 101<br />
ELEANOR STETTNER<br />
Life Jacket Station<br />
LEXI TETER<br />
Gotha Middle School Band Room<br />
Improvements & Trophy Case<br />
ISIS MASTERPALO<br />
New Beginnings Mural<br />
ADELLE MITCHELL<br />
Frame Your Future<br />
Career Fair<br />
CHLOE OAKES<br />
Readily Available<br />
NATALIE TRIO<br />
Reforestation of Haiti<br />
ISABELLA VALDIVIA<br />
Emotional Behavior Disability<br />
Reinforcement Survey & Store<br />
JESSICA VAZQUEZ<br />
Food Allergy Awareness Week<br />
REAGAN POMP<br />
Sensational Science<br />
Station<br />
ANNE SCHWEITZER<br />
Connecting Youth Caregivers<br />
(w/Relay for Life)<br />
MEREDITH SHAW<br />
Saint Luke’s Clothing<br />
Racks<br />
EMILY WHITE<br />
Sensory Room on a Budget<br />
KATIE WILLIAMS<br />
Ready for Recruitment<br />
KARINA WILSON<br />
In & Out of Bullying<br />
Comic Book
Get ready for<br />
Fall Product<br />
Program!<br />
Girl Scouts Celebrate<br />
Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthday<br />
Sat Oct 26 • 1pm | DJ Dance Party at 11:45am<br />
Come celebrate Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday with some of your closest friends here at<br />
Medieval Times! Birthday party complete with balloons, cake, meet and greet with some of<br />
the show characters and DJ dance party before the show! Also includes a unique birthday<br />
patch for all the scouts!<br />
Contact Group Sales at 407-396-2900 ext 2119 or email Caitlin Williamson<br />
at Caitlin.Williamson@medievaltimes.com to book today!<br />
Fall Product Season starts<br />
September 6 TH , <strong>2019</strong>!<br />
Participate in the <strong>2019</strong> fall product<br />
program and 2020 cookie program to<br />
be eligible for free entry into the<br />
G.I.R.L. 2020 Convention!<br />
For more information visit<br />
www.citrus-gs.org.<br />
4510 W. Vine St., Kissimmee FL 34746 • medievaltimes.com • 888-WE-JOUST
12<br />
TROOP STORIES<br />
SWAPS Station<br />
13<br />
SWAPS station allowed the girls to learn<br />
all about those Special Whatchamacallits<br />
Affectionately Pinned Somewhere, that Girl<br />
Scouts love to pin on each other.<br />
Camp Set-Up Station<br />
TROOP 9797<br />
Discover Camping was a South Lake Service<br />
Community event hosted by Girl Scout Troop<br />
9797. It was an afternoon at Lake David Park<br />
in Groveland where Girl Scouts of all ages<br />
come together to learn about the joys of<br />
camping the Girl Scout way. There were four<br />
stations, each station with a different agenda.<br />
Flag Etiquette Station<br />
Flag etiquette station taught the girls how to<br />
fold an American Flag, how to “hand off” and<br />
how to treat an American Flag. Each troop<br />
in attendance was given an American Flag<br />
for their own use, and to promote more flag<br />
related meetings.<br />
Camp Set-up station allowed the girls to learn<br />
• How to roll up their own sleeping bags<br />
• The difference between a campfire used to<br />
cook with versus a campfire used for light and<br />
warmth<br />
• Campfire safety<br />
• How to make firestarters by using candle<br />
wax, sawdust and egg crates<br />
• About mess kits and how to clean them<br />
properly<br />
• About sit upons, why we use them and how<br />
they help us follow the Girl Scout Law of<br />
“use our resources wisely”<br />
The afternoon ended with a demonstration<br />
of SKITS, campfire songs, and of course the<br />
friendship circle and song. All Girl Scouts then<br />
participated in Kapers and learned how to Leave<br />
No Trace.<br />
We were also able to use this event as a location<br />
for a Reuse Collection where we received over<br />
1900 pounds of donated items for Gifts for Girls,<br />
which was hosted by Girl Scout troop 1717. We<br />
had over 100 Girl Scouts (girls and adults) in<br />
attendance and there has been a request for<br />
this to occur next year.<br />
Box Oven Cooking Station<br />
Box oven cooking station allowed the girls to<br />
bake chocolate chip cookies using a cardboard<br />
box, aluminum foil, HVAC tape and<br />
charcoal. This was a huge hit.
14<br />
TROOP 1777<br />
Over the holidays, Troop 1777 did two amazing<br />
community service projects.<br />
The first was a collective donation comprised of toys<br />
and candy. These were used for 250 stocking stuffers<br />
that were donated to 250 children at Arnold Palmer<br />
hospital over the holidays.<br />
The average amount of kids in the hospital during the<br />
holidays is estimated to be 250. A representative from<br />
the hospital, and lead on the project also came and<br />
shared how the troop’s donation makes a difference<br />
and the girls really enjoyed hearing this.<br />
The second one was another collection focused on<br />
household necessities. Items such as toiletries, gift<br />
cards to Publix, water and food items were donated to<br />
the Ronald Mc Donald house. The troop also went and<br />
baked cookies and brownies for the guests staying<br />
there over the holidays.<br />
The girls helped clean and got a guided tour of<br />
the facility. The troop had so much fun and really<br />
appreciated learning about the house and the impact<br />
it has on families. This is a new troop and their troop<br />
leader would like to encourage the girls to do more<br />
acts of kindness and serve our community.<br />
OCTOBER 23-25<br />
2020<br />
ORLANDO,<br />
FLORIDA<br />
TM<br />
Excited? So are we!<br />
G.I.R.L. 2020 Convention is just around<br />
the corner! Don’t miss out!<br />
Orange County<br />
Convention Center<br />
9800 International Dr,<br />
Orlando, FL 32819
16<br />
CAMP MAH-KAH-WEE UPDATE<br />
17<br />
Campers visiting Mah-Kah-Wee<br />
this summer are the first to stay<br />
at Eagle’s Roost since the wildfire<br />
tore through the west side of<br />
the camp more than two years<br />
ago. Thanks to the generosity of<br />
donors and volunteers, the west<br />
side is coming back to life.<br />
Girls have been visiting Mah-Kah-<br />
Wee since the 1970s – making<br />
life-long friends, learning about<br />
the importance of preserving<br />
our natural environments, and<br />
creating lasting memories. “My<br />
heart swells with pride when I<br />
think of all the hard work staff<br />
and volunteers have put into<br />
making our camp whole again”,<br />
said Maryann Barry, CEO of Girl<br />
Scouts of Citrus. “Seeing the<br />
girls traipse along the trails,<br />
enjoying all the property has to<br />
offer diminishes the struggles we<br />
encountered over the past two<br />
years.”<br />
In addition to the opening of<br />
the trails and Eagle’s Roost, the<br />
campsite at Shady Oaks will be<br />
ready for campers this fall. Yurts<br />
have been ordered and will be<br />
put up in the coming weeks. And,<br />
as a special treat, Walt Disney<br />
World donated a glamping tent<br />
that was an integral part of the<br />
grand opening of Pandora at<br />
Animal Kingdom. That tent and<br />
the yurts will be air conditioned,<br />
making camping in Florida’s hot<br />
weather more comfortable.<br />
Treehouses at Turkey Run and<br />
boathouses on the lake are also<br />
in the plans for the west side. The<br />
timeline for those projects, which<br />
will include new bath houses<br />
and unit houses, is uncertain as<br />
necessary funding is not yet in<br />
place. “When I look at all we’ve<br />
accomplished, I am confident<br />
that all friends of Girl Scouts will<br />
continue to rally behind Mah-<br />
Kah-Wee, making dreams come<br />
true”, added Maryann.<br />
Thanks to the generosity of the Crymes family and<br />
other donors, ground was broken in January of 2017 on<br />
renovations to the Eco Center. Plans are to transform<br />
the building into a STEAM center where girls can explore<br />
science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.<br />
Unfortunately, after the wildfire swept through three months<br />
later, construction stalled. All that has changed in recent<br />
months. The first phase of construction is nearly complete<br />
and Council is looking at options for moving directly into<br />
phase two. That phase will include construction of the<br />
second level with a sky observatory and hammock hotel<br />
where girls can sleep under the stars. A third and final<br />
phase will include an outdoor stage and seating area.<br />
There is still much to be done to bring the project to fruition.<br />
Funding is being sought to offset construction costs and to<br />
purchase equipment for the makers lab, arts barn, and sky<br />
observation deck.
With the<br />
purchase<br />
of our Go<br />
Green Bag,<br />
every time you<br />
shop in store<br />
(with the bag)<br />
you will receive<br />
5% OFF your<br />
purchase until<br />
September<br />
2020.<br />
THE ADULT VEST<br />
FOR VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF<br />
Retail Price: $30<br />
Sizes Available: XS - 5XL<br />
Sku #’s:<br />
Adult Girl Scout Kits are now available at the Citrus Council Store!! XS-04010 2XL-04015<br />
S-04011 3XL-04016<br />
M-04012 4XL-04017<br />
L-04013 5XL-04018<br />
XL-04014<br />
The following items can<br />
be added to your vest:<br />
Stay connected to Girl Scouts of Citrus Council! Use our social media handle<br />
to follow us on Facebook @GirlScoutsofCitrus and Instagram and Twitter @<br />
girlscoutscc. Of course, don’t forget to check us out on YouTube, Pinterest and<br />
Linkedin!<br />
• American Flag<br />
• Council Identification<br />
• Volunteer Insignia Patch<br />
• Volunteer Of Excellence Award Pin<br />
• Lifetime Membership Pin<br />
• Troop Numeral<br />
• Volunteer Pin<br />
• Adult Insignia Tab<br />
• World Trefoil Pin<br />
• Girl Scout Pin<br />
Front<br />
Back<br />
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT<br />
Shera Felske | Osceola<br />
Shera, is a true leader who leads by<br />
example and has led the Mishawaka<br />
community for over three years. She<br />
has an amazing passion for showing<br />
girls how to “Give Back” to the<br />
community. Shera is also a member<br />
of the Alumni team that really puts<br />
the “Fun” in “Adult Fun”. With Shera<br />
leading the way, the Mishawaka<br />
community was able to exceed their<br />
Gifts for Girls goal by a whopping<br />
221%. She has helped put together<br />
a supportive Core Team, which in<br />
turn has allowed the Mishawaka<br />
Community to grow year after year.<br />
Lisa Sanchez | Orange<br />
Lisa Sanchez has served as the East<br />
Orange Community Cookie Chair for<br />
more than five years. She is a leader<br />
by heart and has a passion for Girl<br />
Scouts. Every year during cookie<br />
season; she and her husband open<br />
their home for the community. She<br />
makes sure that she is available for<br />
the leaders in the community to come<br />
and get their orders. She also makes<br />
sure everyone gets their orders in a<br />
timely fashion. Lisa is always eager<br />
and available to answer any questions,<br />
email, text messages and she does it<br />
with a smile and positive mindset.<br />
Mequel Franz | Volusia<br />
Mequel, has a gift for supporting all<br />
girls. She has served as the lead for<br />
the Gifts for Girls campaign in the<br />
Roadrunner community. Each year,<br />
her passion for serving others shows<br />
through her encouraging Facebook<br />
posts; the get up and go challenges<br />
that have enticed the community to<br />
meet its goals. In the last two years,<br />
the community has exceeded their<br />
goals. In the coming year she will be<br />
focusing on the older girls camping<br />
and outdoor experience.<br />
Katie Ramsey | Seminole<br />
19<br />
Katie is a real Go-Getter. From<br />
her troops to the community,<br />
she is all about Girl Scouts and<br />
what girls can do. She has been<br />
her community’s Cookie Chair<br />
for the last few years. She is<br />
always encouraging, supportive<br />
to new members, and she leads<br />
by example. As a troop leader,<br />
she always keeps her girls top of<br />
mind. Her girls are always on the<br />
move and have recently traveled<br />
to Savannah. Knowing Katie, she<br />
made sure they stopped by all<br />
the Girl Scout sites first.<br />
Susan Roberto | Lake<br />
Susan is all about outdoor<br />
skills and camping. You<br />
can see how passionate<br />
she is when leading the<br />
leaders and girls in an<br />
outdoor skill session. She<br />
believes in the importance<br />
of knowing yourself and<br />
knowing the outdoors.<br />
Susan believes there is<br />
so much to learn from<br />
the outdoors and she is<br />
always willing to help girls<br />
discover this.<br />
Kerri Callahan | Brevard<br />
Kerri is an amazing G.I.R.L. She<br />
is a Go-getter, Innovator, Risktaker<br />
and Leader all in one! She<br />
is a troop leader for her two<br />
daughter’s. Daisy and a Junior.<br />
Each of her troops are very active<br />
in setting goals for products and<br />
cookies. They do fun activities,<br />
learning as they go through their<br />
journey in Girl Scouting. Kerri also<br />
serves as a Community Cookie<br />
Chair and a mentor on our Citrus<br />
Gold award committee.
GIRL SCOUT PROMISE<br />
On my honor, I will try:<br />
To serve God and my country,<br />
To help people at all times,<br />
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.<br />
GIRL SCOUT LAW<br />
I will do my best to be<br />
honest and fair,<br />
friendly and helpful,<br />
considerate and caring,<br />
courageous and strong, and<br />
responsible for what I say and do,<br />
and to<br />
respect myself and others,<br />
respect authority,<br />
use resources wisely,<br />
make the world a better place, and<br />
be a sister to every Girl Scout.<br />
Girl Scouts of Citrus<br />
341 N. Mills Ave.<br />
Orlando, FL 32803<br />
800-367-3906