KXAN Reporter Leslie Rhode shares 2010 State Gold Award experience

When I was asked to emcee the State Gold Awards, I jumped at the opportunity to do something with the Girl Scouts because I have good memories of my time as a Scout. As a mom of a daughter, it means a great deal to me to be involved in organizations that promote the strong growth, education and leadership of young women.

The event itself was an amazing experience. As I heard what the Gold Award recipients did to get their honors, I was inspired by their hard work. I actually thought - “What am I doing with MY time?!” It was a great reminder to take the time to look for opportunities to give back to your community and to not be afraid to do it. Half the battle is “getting started” sometimes! I looked at the faces of the honorees and knew these were the future leaders of our state.

I hope the girls will be able to walk away from this milestone more aware of the value of “every” person and what they can bring to the table when it comes to nurturing and strengthening our community.

In short, Girl Scouting grows strong women. Girl Scouts learn to be leaders, examples and better friends - all life changers.

To learn more about becoming a Girl Scout or earning your Gold Award, please visit http://www.gsctx.org/.

-Leslie Rhode

(Photo of Elks Gold Award Scholarship recipient Shalika Shetty being interviewed at State Gold Awards.)

Girl Scouts Celebrate Father's Day

It’s no surprise to see Gene Brotherman help Girl Scout Daisy Troop 1390 put on their life jackets before they paddle down Lake Brownwood for their first canoeing experience. Today, many committed dads actively serve as Girl Scouts of Central Texas volunteers and troop leaders proving that Girl Scouts isn’t just something mothers and daughters can do together.

“I have learned that Girl Scouts is not just limited to moms and daughters, but dads are more than welcome to be a part of the experience. My commitment to Girl Scouts shows my daughter that Girl Scouts is important and it makes her want to do more,” says Gene Brotherman, Girl Scout Troop Leader.

Brotherman’s enthusiastic participation in Girl Scouts allows for him and his daughter to learn and grow together. Consequently, his time, energy and passion helps Troop 1390 become the leaders of tomorrow.  By modeling authentic, purposeful leadership fathers help girls develop their own strong sense of self and their own leadership style.

“It is amazing to watch them grow and exhibit the qualities they are learning in the Girl Scout Law. We are teaching them strong values, to give back to society, how to be leaders and much more,” says Brotherman.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas acknowledges the hard work and dedication of all of our volunteers, but today we would like to especially thank the fathers for building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

To learn how you can help Central Texas girls become leaders, visit www.gsctx.org or call (800)733-0011.

-Kandace Fierro

Less is Sometimes More with this Girl Scout

If you have ever served as a volunteer or been a Girl Scout yourself, you know a Girl Scout is a girl with a strong mentality to make great things happen for both themselves and their communities. This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet one of these amazing girls. Ashley Agbasoga, 18, daughter of James and stepmom Olivia Agbasoga served on the Girl Planning Committee for the first Girls’ Respect Conference. Her story proved to me and the GSCTX staff the potential a Girl Scout can reach and the kind attitude they can acquire along the way.

Ashley became a Girl Scout in 7th grade through the advice of a close friend. From there, she experienced fun camp outs, making friends and developed a strong sense of self. She kept this mentality with her as she went through the next stages of her life. Coming from a school with very little resources, Ashley never let this factor into her goals in life. A school project with a UT grad student inspired her future career aspirations as a biomedical engineer. Ashley eventually caught the attention of Colombia University and they have accepted her as a student in the fall. Not one to forget her values, Ashley intends to use her degree to help those less fortunate in foreign countries by working with the ‘Engineers Without Borders’ program.

For the short time I spoke with Ashley, I was able to gather this girl had a great head on her shoulders. No matter what she maintains the mentality that “just because you have less, doesn’t mean you can’t do more.”

GSCTX is confident Ashley will continue to make her family, friends and us proud.

-Kristine Rheinboldt

Ready, Set...GO!

Greetings!

When I accepted the position as the new Grow Together blogger, I could not wait to start the conversation with you, the Girl Scout community. This blog serves as a tool to feature what you do and what you need to know about everything Girl Scouts. Instead of speaking to you, I would like to speak WITH you. Grow Together was made so we could do just that; grow together.

In addition to providing you with interesting posts that better inform you, think of this blog as a suggestion box. Any ideas, questions, comments or concerns you might have, bring them right here. Our objective is to better serve you.

I, Kristine, can’t wait to hear from everyone. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to stop by and post any comments or questions you might have for us or maybe just to say a quick hello. I look forward to hearing from you!

-Kristine Rheinboldt

Meet Kristine!

For the past six or seven months, this blog has been run by me, Cheryl. Last month however we had a changing of the guard at GSCTX. I transitioned into our Resource Development Department and the Communications Department had the good fortune of hiring Kristine Rheinboldt as the Online Community Specialist.

Before accepting her current role, Kristine was our Public Relations Intern. She wrote newspaper announcements for Gold Award recipients, collected content for eNews and a variety of other tasks to help the public learn more about Girl Scouts and to help our members be more connected to each other and the council.

Next week Kristine will officially take over the Grow Together blog. Please make her feel welcome by sharing your questions, comments and ideas about Girl Scouting. She's bursting with thoughts about making this blog and all of our web-based communications the best it can be and I'm willing to bet, she'd love to feature YOU.

Welcome to the Grow Together blog Kristine!


-Cheryl Black

P.S. Even though I won't be blogging too often any more doesn't mean we can't hang out! Come visit me at Service Team Conference next month or at one of the two Austin-area special event fundraisers, S'more Soiree and Women of Distinction!