Does your family volunteer together? FamilyFun wants to hear about what it is you do — and why!
If you are one of four Grand Prize winners in the new contest, Disney will donate $5,000 to the 501(c)3 charity or public school of your choice. If you are one of five First Place winners, Disney will donate $500 to the 501(c)3 charity or public school of your choice. All families participating in the contest will receive a FamilyFun Volunteers’ certificate. The contest ends November 30, 2009.

As part of the entry process, you’ll be asked to answer the following questions:

Short Questions

• What was the volunteering project? Please be specific when naming the organization(s) helped, if applicable.
• Which members of your family volunteered together? Please give names, ages, and family relationships (i.e. John, 36, father and James, 6, son) and be specific about which members of the family did what work on the project. (Your family must consist of at least two persons, at least one of whom is less than 15 and one 18 or older.) < month?)? every of Saturday first the on hours ?three or August? and July in month a ?twice (i.e. volunteer you did when often How>
• Approximately how many hours per person in 2009 were spent volunteering on this particular project? Please list each person and their total volunteer hours.

Essay Questions

• What was special about the way you volunteered together as a family?
• How did your volunteer work benefit and/or improve the environment?
• How did your volunteer work together strengthen your family?

So enter the FamilyFun Volunteers Contest! All you need to do is download the entry form, fill it out, and email it to us at contest.familyfun@disney.com.

We encourage families who entered last year’s contest to enter again if they volunteered for a project in 2009. Please enter only if your family has not already won any awards for this project. There is only one entry per family, and all questions must be answered.

 

http://familyfun.go.com/magazine/2010-familyfun-volunteers-contest-797298/

Girl Scouts Join President In Oval Office As He Signs Bill Into Law.

On Thursday, October 29, 2009 President Barack Obama signed the Girl Scouts of the USA Commemorative Coin Act authorizing the minting of 350,000 silver dollar coins in honor of Girl Scouts and the achievements of the 50 million women across the nation whose lives have been influenced by Girl Scouting.

This legislation enjoyed strong bipartisan support, with more than 300 cosponsors in the House, and more than 70 cosponsors in the Senate.  The measure passed unanimously in both the House and Senate earlier this month.

The Girl Scouts Centennial Commemorative Coin will be minted in 2013, marking the end of the celebration of our first 100 years and the beginning of our second century of leadership. Ten dollars from the sale of each coin will go to GSUSA to help fund much-needed renovations at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia. The bill also calls for the Secretary of the Treasury, in collaboration with the GSUSA and the Commission of Fine Arts, to design the coin in a manner “emblematic of the centennial of Girl Scouts.”

This victory would not have happened without your support.  Through your efforts, more than 40,000 messages were sent to Members of Congress asking for their support. Thanks to each of you, we are poised to have a Girl Scouts commemorative coin to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting!

Please continue to ask Girl Scout supporters to join the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network at GirlScouts4girls.org to become part of a collective voice in Congress on issues that impact girls and Girl Scouting. 

On Thursday, October 29, 2009 President Barack Obama signed the Girl Scouts of the USA Commemorative Coin Act authorizing the minting of 350,000 silver dollar coins in honor of Girl Scouts and the achievements of the 50 million women across the nation whose lives have been influenced by Girl Scouting.

 

This legislation enjoyed strong bipartisan support, with more than 300 cosponsors in the House, and more than 70 cosponsors in the Senate.  The measure passed unanimously in both the House and Senate earlier this month.

 

The Girl Scouts Centennial Commemorative Coin will be minted in 2013, marking the end of the celebration of our first 100 years and the beginning of our second century of leadership. Ten dollars from the sale of each coin will go to GSUSA to help fund much-needed renovations at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia. The bill also calls for the Secretary of the Treasury, in collaboration with the GSUSA and the Commission of Fine Arts, to design the coin in a manner “emblematic of the centennial of Girl Scouts.”

 

This victory would not have happened without your support.  Through your efforts, more than 40,000 messages were sent to Members of Congress asking for their support. Thanks to each of you, we are poised to have a Girl Scouts commemorative coin to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting!

 

Please continue to ask Girl Scout supporters to join the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network at GirlScouts4girls.org to become part of a collective voice in Congress on issues that impact girls and Girl Scouting.

Vote for your favorite pumpkin made by GSK staff! Deadline is tomorrow, October 28 at noon! Leave a comment on our facebook page with the pumpkin you’re voting for!

 

Each year Republic Bank chooses a non-profit that serves  the needs and benefits the people living within Republic Bank’s service area.This year Republic Bank has chosen the Girl Scouts, and will be accepting donations for ice-scrapers and hand sanitizer in all banking centers for $1.00 or more each.  All proceeds will go directly to the Girl Scouts. Please stop by a Republic Bank and pick up an ice scraper or sanitizer to help get you through the upcoming winter. What could be easier?

For a list of local area Republic Banks, go to www.republicbank.com.

The World Affairs Council of Kentucky/Southern Indiana brought a group of Serbian teenagers to Louisville at the end of September this year. The teens are part of a leadership program called World Learning, which provides young people with interactions with their American counterparts in order to experience our country and its institutions firsthand. The overarching goal of the program is to share the unique character of American democracy, to foster mutual understanding, and to strengthen international bonds through on-going personal interaction.

The Serbian teenagers visited a number of places in Louisville, including Central High School, Operation Brightside, PEACC, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Interfaith Paths to Peace, and others. Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana hosted the group on Friday, September 25 at the Girl Scouts Louisville PLC, along with members of Louisville Girls Leadership Summit (LGLS).

Members of the GSK Girl Press Corps were also in attendance to meet with the Serbian teen delegation and tell them about Girl Scouting, particularly the leadership and public service aspects.

The Serbian teens also told about their leadership projects that they are working on as teams. Their projects include providing after-school programs for children to keep them off the streets, combating human trafficking in their communities and spearheading a special concert event geared to educate citizens about different cultures, and encourage cooperation between different cultural groups.

Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana CEO Terry Blackwell encouraged the teens to create an action plan, and submit their plans back to Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana in order to inform Kentuckiana Girl Scouts about the projects that teens are working on around the world. GSK provided the teens with Girl Scout Leadership Experience books to help them develop their action plans.

The teens will communicate with Kentuckiana Girl Scouts throughout the process of developing their plans using social media contacts through Facebook and email correspondence. To hear updates on their progress, visit Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana at www.kyanags.org and click on the Facebook link.

Members of the Serbian Teen Leadership Group, World Learning, pictured with GSK CEO Terry Blackwell

NEW YORK, NY—Girl Scouts of the USA is pleased to announce that First Lady Michelle Obama has agreed to serve as its Honorary National President.

“It is my great pleasure to serve as Honorary National President of Girl Scouts,” said Mrs. Obama. “With their innovative new programming, ground-breaking research, and emphasis on service and leadership, Girl Scouts is preparing the women of tomorrow to be a positive force for change – in their own lives, their communities, and across the globe.”

In accepting the position, Mrs. Obama takes her place in a tradition stretching back to 1929, when Lou Henry Hoover became the first Honorary National President of the Girl Scouting movement. Since then, each successive First Lady has served in this post.

Girl Scouts plan to work with the First Lady on areas of mutual concern, such as healthy living, public service and leadership.

“From bullying to obesity to concern over the economy, our nation’s girls are facing significant challenges,” said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of the USA. “Girl Scouts is excited to work with the First Lady’s office to ensure that all girls can overcome the challenges they face, and that they have the skills, resources and opportunities they need to become strong, independent young leaders.”

“Girl Scouts can help girls from every background develop their self-confidence and leadership ability, and encourage them to make a difference in the world,” said Connie L. Lindsey, Girl Scouts of the USA National Board Chair. “The First Lady is a passionate, brilliant and inspirational woman – a fantastic role model for girls across the country.  We look forward to an active and mutually rewarding partnership on issues important to girls’ lives.”

Louisville, KY (September 26, 2009) — Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana (GSK) has been chosen as a pilot council to participate in Girl Scouts of the USA’s (GSUSA) nationwide project to educate girls about the environment.  The project known as “Girl Scouts Forever Green” has five main focus areas: air quality, waste management, water, energy, and green space. The project was just launched and is already growing throughout Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana.

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, over 120,000 volunteers from across the nation stepped forward to act on National Public Lands Day. This day is dedicated to various volunteer events in parks, lakes, forests, wetlands and cultural/historical sites in a nationwide effort to beautify the public lands. Louisville Metro Parks, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and Metro Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh all united to volunteer at the Beargrass Creek Greenway located near Lexington Road and I-64 in Louisville.

“The Girl Scouts are setting a good example for the rest of us by helping clean the Beargrass Creek Greenway, which is literally their backyard,” said Councilwoman Ward-Pugh. The Beargrass Creek Greenway at Irish Hill was just one of the volunteer sites in Louisville. Roughly 50 people gathered to support the effort to clean up the 38-acre area. Along with Male High School’s Advanced Placement environmental science class and members of Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, volunteers were able to continue a long-term project to improve the habitat of Beargrass Creek.

The volunteers ranged in age from adults to six-year-old children. This demonstrates that no matter how old you are, you can get involved and help benefit the environment. A main focus of GSUSA’s “Girl Scouts Forever Green” project is to start teaching girls at a young age that our environment needs great care to stay healthy. Kylye Roberts, 17, a Male High School student who volunteered her time at Beargrass Creek Greenway said, “I’ve been getting involved in volunteering since I was about twelve at the Louisville Zoo. I’m very environmentally friendly and I love to help our planet…I would love to continue volunteering when I have the time.”

Councilwoman Ward-Pugh uses environmentalism as one of her main projects. “In today’s world, it’s a challenge to get people involved. It’s easy to call on ‘green’ people, but convincing the general public how much they can do is just as important as people who do it every day,” said Ward-Pugh.

Article written by Hannah Kingsbury, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana All Girl Press Corps

Photos by Sherry Wright, Volunteer Coordinator, Metro Parks

FRANKFORT, KY (October 1, 2009) – Kentucky has a new and powerful Girl Scout troop. Honorary Troop 1920 not only follows the Girl Scout Law, they make Kentucky laws. This week Kentucky Girl Scouts inducted 21 women state legislators into Honorary Girl Scout Troop 1920. This is an honorary Girl Scout troop formed specifically for the women who hold seats in the Kentucky General Assembly. Troop 1920 is named for the year when women’s right to vote was recognized nationally.

Women leaders representing all branches of government, including 10 legislators, Supreme Court Justice Mary Noble, State Auditor Crit Luallen and three Cabinet Secretaries attended a luncheon at the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion, hosted by First Lady Jane Beshear.  Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road Council, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and the Kentucky Commission on Women partnered to bring this group of women leaders together. At the conclusion of the luncheon, the legislators were ceremonially inducted into Honorary Girl Scout Troop 1920.

Honorary Girl Scout Troop 1920 will enable Girl Scouts to work in partnership with Kentucky legislators to successfully advocate for the healthy living issues specifically affecting girls. Girl Scouting has a wealth of information on issues impacting girls from the national Girl Scout Research Institute findings and from local state surveys. The first issue Kentucky Girl Scouts will advocate for is solutions to relational aggression and other forms of bullying in girls’ lives. Girl Scouts expect that Honorary Girl Scout Troop 1920 will aid the organization in broadening their presence in Frankfort to be the voice for girls and to ensure girls can live and grow up together in safe, supportive environments.

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

Support Girl Scouts. Donate online today!

http://www.kyanags.org/about/famcomm.aspx

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States wants to enlist its 3.4 million Girl Scouts in the effort to combat hurricanes, pandemics, terror attacks and other disasters.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a campaign Tuesday to entice the blue, brown and green-clad multitudes to be even more prepared, with the promise of a new patch if they pitch in. The young scouts will be able to emblazon their sashes or vests with the patch if they undergo the training which readies them for an emergency.

“This new preparedness patch will increase citizen preparedness and enhance our country’s readiness for disasters,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in a statement. “As a former Girl Scout, I know the ‘Be Prepared’ motto well, and I look forward to working with the Girl Scouts to spread the preparedness message to all of our nation’s citizens.”

The move is part of a month-long government effort to make Americans better able to cope with natural and man-made disasters. Napolitano has urged individuals, families and businesses to stock fresh water and food, and prepare an emergency plan — to be enacted in the event of a disaster.

The unveiling of the patch marks a partnership between the scouts and Citizen Corps, a community-based initiative under the DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates national response to disasters.

Girl Scouts of the USA chief executive Kathy Cloninger said the tie up with Citizen Corps “provides an opportunity for our girls to lead the way in ensuring that their families and their communities are prepared for emergencies.”

The patch will be available alongside existing Girls Are Great, Girl Scouts Against Smoking, Media Know-How and Read to Lead patches, and, of course, the Cookie Sale Activity Pin.

Girl Scouts sell an astonishing 200 million boxes of cookies each year on average, according to the organization, which was founded in 1912 and chartered by the US Congress in 1950.

It is not the first time the girl guides have been called into action in defense of the homeland. During World War II, Girl Scouts “operated bicycle courier services, invested more than 48,000 hours in Farm Aid projects, collected fat and scrap metal, and grew Victory Gardens,” according to Girl Scouts of the USA.

As the end of the second millennium neared and computers around the world were expected to be stricken with a debilitating bug, Girl Scouts were enlisted in some parts of the country to hand out advice about the threat poised by Y2K. After the September 11, 2001 attacks scouts hosted remembrance ceremonies and wrote thank-you letters to rescuer workers.

 

Read Article Here http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090908/pl_afp/usattackschildrenoffbeat_20090908185707

Girl Scout Troop 2389 had planned a fun swim party for their first meeting of the year on Sunday August 16th, 2009. But after the devastating flash flood in Louisville on August 4th, one of the troop member’s family home was severely damaged, and in need of some TLC.

The Girl Scouts of Troop 2389 decided to postpone the scheduled pool party and help their sister troop member and her family clean up their property. The girls and their family members mowed grass, trimmed broken bushes and trees, raked debris from the yard, hauled trash and branches, and were still smiling after 3 hours of hard work.

What a wonderful display of character from these girls. “As a troop advisor, I couldn’t be more proud,” said Karen Boomer of Louisville.

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.