Discover the Fun of IBM STEM Camp!

A few weeks ago, Central Texas girls from near and far came together at the Girl Scout program center to participate in a variety of STEM activities. The event was hosted by IBM, and their engineers were very helpful in guiding each girl to success that day. Thanks IBM! If you missed out, check out this video of the 2011 STEM Camp.



For more photos of the event, visit our Flickr page!

Dads are Girl Scouts too!

When most people think of Girl Scout volunteers, fabulous and hard working females come to mind. And while Girl Scouting is an activity often shared between mothers and daughters, we must not forget about the fearless males who volunteer their time to the organization as well.

Sean Dunham is one of these male volunteers who spend his free time serving as a co-leader to his daughter’s troop in Round Rock. Mr. Dunham joined Troop 2361 in March 2010 and never looked back. He enjoys outdoor activities and plans many hiking and camping adventures with the girls. Learning about the environment is another activity he likes doing with his troop. Mr. Dunham’s wife tells us that while her husband isn’t into arts and crafts, he is willing to go outside of his comfort zone to make sure the girls enjoy all kinds of activities.

One of the girls who definitely enjoys having Mr. Dunham as her troop leader is his daughter, Phoebe. She says she likes the perk of knowing what he is planning for the troop before anyone else and loves having her dad around to enjoy Girl Scouts with her. Mr. Dunham is also known to always give the girls a say in everything they plan and they hold weekly voting sessions to decide what they will do in the coming weeks.

If you still think Girl Scouts is just for girls, then think again. Mr. Dunham hopes his role in Girl Scouts teaches his girls that they should never limit themselves to what they want to do in life because of their gender. He also wants to send a message to other dads that this is a great way to bond and spend time with their daughters and families.

Great work, Mr. Dunham! We’re sure Troop 2361 appreciates you. If you are a dad who wants to volunteer with Girl Scouts, please contact us here.

Famous Local Faces in Girl Scouting!

As a girl, Austinite Jennifer Healy participated in Girl Scouts by earning badges and attending troop meetings and at 26, she found herself working with the organization as a mentor. Through Target and their partnership with United Way, Target employee Jennifer was encouraged to find volunteer work that she was passionate about and that’s how she found Jasmine. Jennifer came across the GSCTX Girl Scout Beyond Bars program online and applied to become a mentor to a local Girl Scout. She was paired with Jasmine, who like other girls in the program has a parent who was incarcerated at one point in their life. The Beyond Bars program aims to foster personal and social development of these girls and mentors like Jennifer are there for their mentoree through every step of the development process. After spending some time together, Jennifer discovered that not only was she having an effect on Jasmine, Jasmine was benefiting her in many wonderful ways as well. This pairing eventually caught the attention of Target and United Way and the ladies are now a part of their national volunteer campaign! You might even see their faces around a Target store or two.

If you would like to serve as a Beyond Bars mentor to a young girl, contact GSCTX here.