A New Way to Meet Seniors' Needs

Today's featured Gold Girl Scout is Ella Fischer who created a program to rent medical equipment to senior citizens. Congratulations, Ella, on earning your Gold Award!

My name is Ella Fischer. I am from Troop 1473 out of the Pecan Trail Service Unit. For my Gold Award project, I worked with Drive a Senior to create Ollie’s Closet. Ollie's Closet loans medical equipment to senior citizens who do not have access to medical equipment due to various financial situations. In the process I helped write a grant to pay for the building and purchase software for an inventory and asset control program.  

First, I moved, cleaned, inventoried, barcoded, and entered all of the equipment into a barcoding system. Next, I added a loft and braces to hang walkers and crutches and started moving all of the equipment inside. Lastly, I trained personnel at the Drive a Senior office on how the system works.  This all will allow the organization to better serve their 500 clients and to help them keep track of what is needed in their loan closet for the future.

 My journey towards earning my Gold Award is one that I will never forget. Through Girl Scouts, many new doors have opened for me and even more now that I have earned my Gold Award. The adventures and experiences that I have been able to be a part of, as well as all the things I've learned, all became possible by being in Girl Scouts and striving for Gold. I have also met many inspiring and interesting individuals along the way. There are always challenges involved in accomplishing great things, but the feeling I have now that I've earned my Gold Award is very rewarding. My encouragement towards others to pursue earning their Gold Award is tremendous based on the amazing experience I had and the feeling of happiness I gained from helping others. 

Lynelle McKay's Wells Fargo Kick-Off Speech

Society encourages girls to reach for the stars, to never give up, but if their community doesn’t provide them with the tangible tools and knowledge to do so, then we are failing them. Confidence, character and leadership skills are all traits fostered by Girl Scouting. They are also the foundation to becoming upstanding citizens.

Girl Scouts surprises Wells Fargo with a big welcome. 

Financial literacy is a subject more and more people are talking about--especially regarding girls and women. A recent Prudential Research study revealed  that women have more acquisitional power today than ever before, yet fewer than two in 10 of them feel “very prepared” to make wise financial decisions. Women have a longer life expectancy—sorry, guys!—but smaller retirement savings goals. This is unacceptable.

The statistics are clear; both Girl Scouts of Central Texas and Wells Fargo are aware of it. This is why we’ve teamed up to provide the girls of Central Texas with a patch program that will introduce them to personal finance management and empower them to manage their money wisely.

It’s not just the program we’re here to announce, though. We’re also here today to thank Wells Fargo for their generous donation of $30K, which will allow us to bring this program to 46 counties and over 19,000 girls that we serve. That means that after completing the program, 19,000 Central Texas girls have the knowledge and skills required to manage their finances as confidently as their male counterparts.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas is committed to providing high-quality and relevant leadership experiences to the girls we serve. We know these girls, the future beacons of our community and decision-makers of the world rely on us as a council, troop leaders and volunteers to provide them with the tools not just to survive, but to thrive in all aspects of their lives. Today, thanks to Wells Fargo, we can go even further in our mission. We can’t wait to see how far we’ll go with Wells Fargo.

From everyone at Girl Scouts of Central Texas--every member of the board, all staff members, and every single girl: Thank you, Wells Fargo!

Backpack Buddies is Gearing Up for Annual Drive

This happens to all troop leaders at some point: you're without a service project and you're fresh out of idea. Jen Neve was trying to find a service project for her then Girl Scouts to do during the holiday season. She had the idea to contact a foster care program for children to see if there was anything her girls could do for the children. The program told her the children often arrive with their few belongings in a trash bag and nothing more. They only asked for donations of backpacks.Jen was so overcome by their need she started to organize other troops to participate in the donation. Jen did not know at the time, but she was creating something much bigger than a one time service project: Backpack Buddies.

12 years later Backpack Buddies has continued to grow and is now serving homeless children and families in the Austin and Round Rock area. Jen gets names, ages and gender of the children from the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) in order to guarantee every child gets a new backpack. Jen asks that individuals/troops fill backpacks with age appropriate goodies for the children and that they do not spend more than $50 on the backpack.

Toward the end of October  Jen will start to match up the troops with the children and will send out the child’s “About Me” information. The backpacks will need to be returned to her before December 8 so you have a whole month to get cracking! If you are interested in participating or want more information on how you can help contact Jen Neve at Jen_Neve@sbcglobal.net .

Leader's Day

As Girl Scouts, tomorrow marks a big day of celebration for our community. We will not only celebrate Earth Day but also Leader’s Day, which acts as a day of recognizing great leaders in our lives. In my 13 years as a Girl Scout, my leader – my mother – has been the backbone of my scouting experience. It is because of my mom I was introduced to Girl Scouting in the first place. My mother was a Girl Scout through her entire school career (led by my grandmother!) and I am so grateful she decided to involve me and my kindergarten classmates in the Girl Scout organization when she started a Daisy troop.

Certainly every level of scouting comes with its own difficulties as a leader, but my mom has taken each year in stride, welcoming new projects and bigger dreams with a smile and a can-do attitude. As Daisies, my troop and I loved crazy, MESSY craft projects, and my mom was always enthusiastic, providing us with fun activities at every meeting. When we bridged to Brownies, we couldn’t wait to go on our first camping trip, and my mom jumped into action, organizing a fun campout, while still including us girls in the planning process.

With my mom, everything – from selling cookies to planning trips to setting up fun little meetings – involved troop input; my mom never simply took over a project just to get the job done! This allowed my troop to become truly invested in every Girl Scout project we completed, and made each activity a learning experience. As we got older, our projects got bigger, and my mom began giving my troop more responsibilities. We organized our own meetings, held fundraisers for international Destination trips, and planned and completed our Girl Scout Gold Award. But even with our newfound independence, my mother was always there to provide support and input in everything we did.

I recently mentored a Daisy troop at my old elementary school, and as I led their meeting, I heard my mother talking with their leaders. My mom insisted “The only advice I can give you is to have fun, because the minute you stop having fun, you’ll quit!” As I near the end of my senior year, I look back on my life as a Girl Scout thus far and I realize that the badges I earned, the trips I went on, the awards I received all pale in comparison to the fun I’ve had in Girl Scouting, and it thrills me to know my mom had just as much fun every step of the way! It is thanks to her and every Girl Scout leader and volunteer that is a part of this organization that we Girl Scouts get to have so much fun. It is also the reason we become the people we are today. So join us in celebrating National Leader’s Day tomorrow by remembering to say “thank you” to your troop leader or any other kind of leader your life. Remind them that they are making a difference in not only your life but the lives of so many others as well!

-Annie L.

What Girl Scouts Means to Me & What It Can Mean for You.

When I entered high school, I was suddenly introduced to tons of new and really exciting opportunities, and in the first few weeks of freshman year I’d already signed up for the rock climbing club, made the junior varsity volleyball team, and landed a big role in the school musical. I was also victim to a whole new level of homework – high school classes gave SO MUCH homework!! At a new school, I made lots of new friends, and so on top of all of my new responsibilities, I wanted free time to hang out with them.

It would have been easy for me to simply quit Girl Scouting, like a lot of people I know had done. However, I really enjoyed scouts, and I knew that Scouting could offer me lots of new and exciting opportunities in high school. In high school, Scouting opened doors for my personal growth through national and international study. I was chosen to represent Texas at the international Leadership Conference of Girl Scouts in Indianapolis in my sophomore year of high school, where I got to meet and work with Scouts from across the globe. The Girl Scouts also sponsored me on a service trip to Costa Rica, where I camped on the beach for 2 weeks and surfed for hours every day. And this summer I am taking a long backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail with a group of Girl Scouts. These are the kinds of fun opportunities that are only available to high school aged Girl Scouts.

Being in Girl Scouts has also really helped me get into the college of my choice. I was recently accepted into Plan II at the University of Texas, UT’s prestigious honors program, and my acceptance was largely due to my continued participation in Scouting. Not only does my long career as a Girl Scout represent a lot of community service work, it also proves that I am dedicated and can stick with something I’m passionate about.

I am forever grateful for all that Girl Scouting has done for me, and I am SO glad I stayed in Scouting, even when I had a million other things on my plate! I encourage every Girl Scout to continue with the organization! It’s worth it!!!

-Annie L.

NEW Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting

For the past 5 years, Girl Scouts USA has been building the GIRL SCOUT LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE, a nationally consistent program in which girls develop leadership skills so they can make a difference in the world. You may have heard about and seen the Journey Books, which take girls on an adventure of Discovery, Connecting to the community and Taking Action.

Now it's time to learn more about the NEW GIRLS GUIDE TO GIRL SCOUTING.

The newest addition to the National Program Portfolio is the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting (GG2GS). The GG2GS will be at a Girl Scout shop near you in September 2011. The GG2GS will be a true memory book of each girl's Girl Scout experience and it is designed as a binder so girls can add pages if they wish. The GG2GS will include several sections including the Handbook, Badges and Awards, and My Girl Scouts.

• The Handbook section will include the Girl Scout traditions.
• The Badges and Awards section will include:
• Legacy Badges
• Financial Literacy Badge
• Cookie Business Badge
• Awards
• The My Girl Scout section will include space for the girls to keep memories of their Girl Scout time.
• There will be opportunities to add Skill Building Badge Sets that tie into the Journey Books.
• Anatomy of a Badge: Each program level will be arranged the same with a clean and concise format. The topics for the badges will be seen across all program levels so that girls can progress through the skills.
• There is a clearly stated purpose so the girls understand the goal of the badge.
• Each badge will have five steps for the girls to complete before earning the badge.
• During each step the girls will have three choices to choose from, girls only need to do one.
• Each badge will include a tip for tying the badge activities into a Journey.
• There will also be ideas on how the girl can use her new skills to give back to the community.

For more information or questions, please contact your local Pathway Coordinator.

-Emily Hoppe

Girl Scout Day at the Capitol

Vivian here! Just dropping in to tell ya'll a little bit about the Girl Scouts' Legislative Day I had the honor of participating in at the capitol. First, I wanted to emphasize how important civic engagement is because, ultimately, our government exists to serve its people; and it can only do that if we make our opinions heard!

Our main role at the capitol was to encourage representatives of the 46 counties that GSCTX covers to support bills pertaining to GSUSA's legislative agenda. A few examples of bills are Rep. Strama's bill on expanding the definition of "bullying" to include cyberbullying as well, Rep. Alvarado's on banning sugary drinks from public campuses in order to minimize childhood obesity levels in Texas. While we as an NGO do all we can to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, it is important to make our mission heard at higher institutional levels as well!

Talking with representatives was such a great experience for me, and I encourage everyone to visit the capitol building while the House is in session! I was surprised by how accessible the representatives' offices were, and how accommodating and eager to help all the staff members were.

After visiting the offices of more than 10 representatives, we settled down for a fantastic reception. The evening's honorees were the newly inducted members of a new Girl Scout Honorary Troop, Troop 1920, led by Representative Angie Button and Senator Leticia Van de Putte. We even held an investiture for them! I was touched by their enthusiastic support of Girl Scouts and the things we stand for; and it has been so encouraging to see how much other people care about the causes I support as well. Thank you, GSCTX for this opportunity, and I hope many more of our girls will be inspired to take civic action for the causes they believe in!

-Vivian S.

Annie's Blog: That's a Wrap!

Girls, thank you so much for making the 2011 Teen Conference such a great success! I hope everyone who attended enjoyed the day as much as I did, and maybe learned something cool along the way. A huge thank you goes out to all of our wonderful workshop leaders and performers, and to Olga Campos and the women at Texas Youth Word Collective for speaking at our event. I was really thrilled with all of the workshops I attended, but my favorite was definitely the UT Austin campus tour led by the UT Kappa Thetas. I will be attending UT next year, and the tour made me even more excited to start college! I can speak for all of those involved in the G.I.R.L.S. planning committee when I say this year’s conference was a smash hit! If you enjoyed it as much as we did and are interested in planning next year’s conference, along with other similar events, join the G.I.R.L.S. committee! We’d love to have you, and as some of us are graduating soon (me!), we need new members to continue the great work of the committee. Feel free to contact Avery Orendorf if you’re interested in pursuing this opportunity. We also welcome any comments you may have on the conference for next year! I’ve had so much fun reporting to you through the months as the Teen Conference was being planned, and I’ll continue to keep you updated as I work on new projects with the Girl Scouts.

-Annie L.

For photos of all the fun at this year's conference, visit our Flickr account.

Annie's Blog: The Big Day is Almost Here!

Hey ladies! The 2011 Teen Conference is almost here!! Please join us this Saturday starting at 9:30a.m. at the University of Texas Alumni Center in Austin for a fun day of interesting and helpful workshops ranging from college preparation to cooking, yoga, and dance classes! I’m so excited to see all of the G.I.R.L. planning committee’s hard work finally pay off, and I can’t wait for all of you to come experience it as well. If you still haven’t registered, you can do so online here or at the door. (GSCTX will be accepting all forms of payment at the door.) Tonight is the last G.I.R.L. committee meeting, and we will be putting together tons of great goodie bags!! Each attendee will receive a free goodie bag loaded with cool stuff. And don’t forget to bring the Teen Conference postcard you got in the mail (or print one out) to receive another gift at check-in. The day of the conference I’ll probably be sprinting around making sure everything is running smoothly, but I’m definitely going to take a break to catch one of the exclusive, all-access tours of the UT campus courtesy of the girls from the Kappa Delta sorority. I hear they are going to show us a sneak peak of a bunch of cool spots around campus. I can’t wait! See you Saturday!! :)


-Annie L.

Annie's Blog: FREE Giveaway!

Hey gals! It's Annie here with the latest updates on the Teen Conference. The date is fast approaching (Feb.19!!!) so the G.I.R.L. committee along with everyone at GSCTX headquarters have kicked into high gear to finalize the important details of the conference. We have booked some great lunchtime entertainment, including a Bollywood performance group and a fun martial arts team. I also just designed a postcard for the conference, which you can see below. If you received this postcard in the mail, be sure to bring it with you to the conference and you'll receive a free gift at check-in! If one wasn't sent to you, no worries! Just print out the image below and bring it along. We are down to the last few days so make sure you and all your friends are signed up to attend. You can register here on our website. It's sure to be a GREAT day! I can't wait to see you all at the 2011 Teen Conference. :)

-Annie L.

Annie's Blog: Keynote Speakers Confirmed for Conference!

Hey girls! I am so excited to announce that our 2011 Teen Conference keynote speakers will be Olga Campos and Kate Whitfield!  Austin’s own Olga Campos, KVUE news anchor and philanthropist, will open the conference with her inspirational stories of community leadership, volunteerism and building her career as a professional woman.  Kate Whitfield, 24 year old author, media personality and founder of Empowered Gal Inc., will speak to guests of the conference about her mission to empower young women.  Through her company Empowered Gal Inc. (which she started in high school!!), Kate motivates girls to transform their body image, self esteem, and the vision for their lives.  The whole G.I.R.L. committee is super excited about hosting both Olga and Kate at the Teen Conference, and we can’t wait for you all to join us in learning from these inspirational women!!

Registration is still open so gather your gal pals and register for the Teen Conference today!

-Annie L.

Annie's Blog: NEW Teen Conference PSA! Plz Share.

Hey guys! It’s Annie; here with an exciting update from the G.I.R.L. committee about the Teen Conference! Last week the G.I.R.L. committee got together at channelAustin studios to brainstorm and produce an awesome Public Service Announcement to help spread the word about the conference. Please take a minute to watch the final product and pass it along to all of your friends! We are really proud of it!! Fliers have also been printed and are on the move – you might see them posted at your school or around town. Registration is still open, so if you haven’t yet registered to attend the conference, do so ASAP! Less than a month ‘til the conference… I can’t wait!! Next month will be super busy for the G.I.R.L. committee as we prepare for the big day – don’t forget, February 19th - and I’ll be sure to keep you posted on all the craziness!

Every Cookie Has a Mission, Beginning January 19

Girl Scouts of Central Texas will ask customers to help girls do great things by purchasing a box of the tasty treats that not only taste good, but that do good beginning January 19.

“People say, it’s just a cookie. What can a cookie do,” says Tracy Morris, Product Program Manager, “a Girl Scout Cookie can do a lot.”

While cookies are only on sale for 38 days, local Girl Scouts reap the benefits all year long. Girls decide where the money goes. A Girl Scout cookie could help girls pay for camp; purchase uniforms and badges; fly a troop to a destination of their choice; or buy school supplies for needy kids. It could also cheer up a soldier far from home. Every cookie has a mission: To do great things.

With every season of Girl Scout cookies, another generation of girls learns to speak confidently, set goals, make a plan, manage money and believe in themselves. As women, they’ll need these skills, whether their goal is to start a business, or a family.

“The skills taught by the Cookie Program, especially money management and goal-setting, are life skills,” says Morris. “The Cookie Program puts these very complicated and important skills into a situation where girls can comprehend, practice and master them.”

To ensure the best educational experience possible, Girl Scouts of Central Texas is encouraging cookie customers to ask Girl Scouts any or all of the following questions.
  • What cookie do you recommend and why?
  • What is your cookie sale goal?
  • What has the Cookie Program and Girl Scouts taught you?

By answering questions correctly and reaching their sales goals, Girl Scouts develop confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed. Confident girls become leaders who make the world a better place, thus achieving the mission of Girl Scouts.

The cookie sale is January 19-February 25. This season girls will be able to take cookie orders online using approved online tools. Girl Scouts of Central Texas sells eight types of cookies: Thin Mints, Shortbread, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots and new this year, Shout-Outs!

More information about this year's cookie sale and Girl Scouts, including how to register, can be found at http://www.gsctx.org/.

-Kandace Fierro

Annie's Blog: Teen Conference Workshops

Hi girls! It's Annie again; here with more updates regarding the Teen Conference! Over the holidays we secured some awesome workshops, including a college-prep seminar, a healthly cooking class and a workshop from the girls at MaD Miracles, who gave a really inspiring speech at last year's conference. One workshop that I am really looking for to is 'Expressions: The Hip-Hop Workshop.' Participants will learn a cool dance routine to the song "Swagg" by Teyona Taylor, while learning the possibilities of using the art of dance to express the "me that no one gets to see." This particular workshop was at the conference last year and everyone had a blast dancing together. I can't wait to go again this year!

We recently added the most updated list of workshops to our website. Go take a look and see what's in store for the 2011 conference. If you have any questions, feel free to email us! Registration is also now open so go register and tell your friends! We would love to see you there!

Up next on the list - creating flyers and confirming lunchtime entertainment.

-Annie L.

A Girl Scout's Perspective on Planning for the Teen Conference

Hey ladies and gents! I’m Annie and currently, I am both a senior in high school and a Girl Scout Ambassador. I’ve been with Girl Scouts since kindergarten (13 years!!) and being a part of this girl leadership organization has enabled me to have so many cool opportunities over the years. In 2008, I represented Texas at the National Girl Scout Leadership Convention in Indianapolis and got to meet girls from all over the world. I also went on a Girl Scout Destination trip that year to Costa Rica where I learned how to surf! Recently, I completed my Gold Award project and I have been interning with the GSCTX offices this past semester. But enough about me! Let me tell you about an exciting project that I and several other girls are a part of and have been working on for the past couple of weeks. We are currently planning the 2011 Teen Conference, which is open to ALL Texas high school girls and will take place Feb. 19, 2011 on the UT Austin campus. This conference is sure to be amazing with lots of great speakers and workshops focused on helping you plan for both college and career. I am thrilled that I get a chance to help create something that will benefit both myself and lots of other teen girls!

Yesterday, we visited the UT Alumni Center to scope out the location and figure out what to do with all the space. It’s a very nice place with plenty of room for all the attendees. I can’t wait for you to see it. I also just finished up the logo for the event and I would love to share it with you as well. With the guidance of the brilliant Girl Scout Visual Communications Coordinator, Larisa Chavarria, I was able to create this logo without any previous knowledge of graphic design!

I’ll be blogging with you periodically with updates on the conference, workshops, speakers, musical acts and free giveaways! If you are a Girl Scout Cadette, Senior or Ambassador interested in helping, we would love to have you! You can contact one of our adult coordinators, Avery Orendorf, here to find out more information on joining. I hope to see you at the conference!

-Annie L.

STEM Instructor Encourages Youth to Get Involved with FIRST & Girl Scouts

My name is Randy Hoskin. I work for National Instruments and I am a member of the steering committee for the Central Texas FIRST LEGO League. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology and was founded by Dean Kamen in 1989. His goal was to make Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) as exciting for youth as sporting events were for them. This movement in STEM education has significantly grown in a little over 20 years. FIRST now touches more than 250,000 students worldwide and another 100,000 adult mentors and volunteers. That is very exciting!

Working for National Instruments (NI) has given me the chance to be a mentor to students from grades 3 - 8. It has been amazing to work with these students and see their eyes light up when they "get it." And it's not just teaching them programming and building concepts, but so much more. For instance, yesterday I did a presentation to a group of kindergarteners at my daughter's school. I talked to them about what I do for NI and that as part of the job I get to mentor students of all ages. Then I pulled out a very simple LEGO Mindstorms robot and showed them what it did. Ninety kindergarteners and four robots. They sat amazed for nearly 15 minutes. Then I asked them a simple question: So, what does the robot do? After 5 minutes, they had it all figured out. The kindergarteners observed, interacted, and reported on what they found. And they had a blast doing it. I have also helped 6th graders build a trebuchet as part of a Roman history unit, 4th graders build a recycling plant that sorts colored ping-pong balls as part of a water recycling unit, and 3rd graders learn fractions of time in order to move their robot a certain distance. It has been so interesting to see all of the projects the students have come up with in 8 years of mentoring.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas are a proud sponsor of many teams that compete in all levels of FIRST competitions. This year they have been gracious enough to host mentor trainings and our Central Texas FLL Kickoff event. Their sponsorship of these teams allows many girls who would not otherwise have an opportunity to work on STEM related activities to excel at it. The teams from the Girl Scouts are always proud of the work they have done, work so well together, and show that math and science is not just for boys anymore. So get involved and get your kids involved in FIRST and other STEM activities. You will be amazed!

-Randy Hoskin

Do More Today with Girl Scouts

September marks the beginning of many Girl Scouting recruitment rallies. At these events, girls and adults learn how to become involved with the organization. All girls, kindergarten through 12th grade, are encouraged to attend with their families. Recruitment rallies are organized by public school districts, but private school and home-school girls are welcome to participate.

Girl Scouts offers many experiences like field trips, community service projects, sports skill-building clinics, and cultural exchanges. Since 1912, Girl Scouts has helped girls build character, self-esteem, and exceptional leadership skills. Bridging important development keys such as friendship, sportsmanship, and team building, Girl Scouts is the premier leadership program for girls of all ages.

As someone who was heavily involved in Scouting in my youth, I appreciate the value of organizations like Girl Scouts. Scouting provided many opportunities for me during my time as a Scout and my time after Scouting. The leadership skills I acquired during my time as a Scout will stay with me in my future endeavors.

-Bradley Rheinboldt, Marketing Intern

Bradley is currently a sophmore at UT Austin majoring in Business.

After 98 Years, Girl Scouts gets a Makeover

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), one of the most well known organizations in the nation, is revitalizing and reenergizing its brand to reach a new generation of girls.

After extensive research and development, Girl Scouts debuted a long-term, multichannel brand campaign last week that is designed to reacquaint the country with the iconic organization and communicate the power girls have to change the world through Girl Scouting. The campaign, known by the tagline What Did You Today?, is also keyed to boosting the number of girls and adult volunteers who participate in Girl Scouting annually after a period of declining membership.

“About one out of every 10 girls participates in Girl Scouting and that’s a tremendous number when you think about it,” says Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA. “We have revamped our entire organization to appeal to that 90 percent of girls who aren’t benefiting from the Girl Scout leadership experience. And with our new brand work, we think we have the right message at the right time.”

The branding is composed of a striking new visual identity, which includes a distinctive trefoil mark, revised color palette, and refreshed logo that was originally created in the 1970s. In addition, the initiative also includes plans for a 360 degree marketing program that taps the online, place-based and traditional media.

“The new brand look will reinforce the Girl Scout message that is relevant to girls and the lives they lead today,” says Etta Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Central Texas. “We’re excited to launch the new brand initiative locally in an effort to continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character and to position ourselves as the premiere leadership organization for girls in Central Texas. “

Girl Scouts is launching its rebranding from a position of strength because it can draw upon strong name recognition and a long legacy of leadership development. With this new campaign and the projected growth in overall girl population in the United States, Girls Scouts expects to see its membership begin to increase over the next few years. The campaign will also pave the way for a major effort to gain exposure during the organization’s national centennial celebration in 2012.

-Kandace Fierro

For more information on the new brand and to view the new brand graphics, check out the Communications Department table at Service Team Conference this Saturday!

Girl Scout Incorporates Love of Art into Career

Art is my passion; it has been in my blood for a long time. I love creating, experimenting and storytelling through imagery. It allows me to put my ideas into something concrete. The great thing about being imaginative is that I don’t see things as they are, as finite ideas. I see them as the possibilities they can become. A blank surface, whether it be a canvas, drawing pad or computer screen is not intimidating to me. It is a starting ground to make something beautiful and great.

When I was presented with the big, scary question of “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, I chose graphic design. I was able to incorporate my passion into a marketable career through my education at Western Kentucky University. In school, I was able to learn a variety of studio arts, which in the long run made me a more prepared Graphic Designer.

After college, I made my way to Austin, Texas and was hired by Girl Scouts. I love my job. When I come to work, I get to play with colors, photos, fonts and images. I design and produce all the print materials our council distributes. I make posters, newsletters, brochures, online camp guides, calendars and a whole array of other projects. Some days I attend Girl Scout events to take photographs and interact with the girls. I have a lot of fun bringing life and color to our materials in order to make the experience more fun for each girl. Through art and graphic design, you can make your personal mark in the world.

To view my designs, please visit my website and the GSCTX website.

- Larisa Chavarria

Let’s make a membranophone!

We’ll be making music with membranophones at the upcoming Girl Scout sleepover, Making Music, at Austin Children’s Museum on Nov. 20-21. Register today through GSCTX. View the Sleepover and Brownie Try-It Workshop schedules.

Hi, my name is Priscilla and I’m the blog intern for Austin Children’s Museum. I’m going to show you how to make a cool musical instrument!

Did you know you can craft a membranophone out of household items and recycled containers? A membranophone is any musical instrument that produces sound through a vibrating membrane, such as a drum or a kazoo.

Audrey, the Programs Coordinator at the Austin Children’s Museum, decided to share her instructions with me.

What you’ll need:

• Plastic water bottle or yogurt cup
• Scissors or box cutter
• Drinking straw
• Tape
• Paper towel tube or rolled up sheet of paper
• Rubber band
• Balloon or latex glove

What to do:

1. Poke a straw-sized hole at the top of the water bottle label, or in the side of the yogurt cup.

2. Cut the water bottle in half. Skip this step if you’re using a yogurt cup.
3. Roll up a sheet of paper into a tube and tape it together, or use a paper towel tube. The tube needs to fit inside the top opening of the water bottle. If you are using a yogurt cup, use the box cutter to cut a hole in the bottom that is big enough to snuggly fit around a paper towel tube.

4. Cut two or three holes into the paper tube.
5. Cut off the end of a balloon to make a sheet of rubber. Put the sheet of rubber on the top of the yogurt cup VERY TIGHTLY. You can also use latex gloves instead of a balloon.

6. Place the paper tube inside the yogurt cup and tape it to the cup so no air leaks out. Make sure the tube is far enough inside the yogurt cup so that it touches the balloon. This is very important because this is how the vibrations are made.

7. Insert the straw into the little hole you poked into the bottle

8. If you want to make extra sure the balloon is sealed, secure the balloon with a rubber band around the yogurt cup.
9. Now blow into the straw. If it doesn’t make a sound, adjust the tension of the balloon membrane so that it’s tighter. Again, make sure the tube is touching the membrane.
10. Place your fingers over the holes in the tube to change the sound

So how does a membranophone work?

The balloon serves as the vibrating membrane in the membranophone. When you blow into the straw, the air waves cause the balloon membrane to vibrate. The vibrations then travel down the paper tube to make a sound.

Similar to when you blow into your membranophone, when you beat a drum, the covering of the drum (the membrane) vibrates and makes a sound!

So what happens to the pitch when you cover some of the holes in the tube?

Pitch is how we hear sound as high or low.

The sound waves create an air column when they travel down and out the tube. Since vibrations slow down after time, the longer the air column, the slower the vibrations.

When you cover the holes, you are creating a shorter air column. This makes the vibrations happen faster. Faster vibrations produce a higher pitch and slower vibrations produce a lower pitch. Check out other fun crafts and science experiments at the Austin Children’s Museum blog.

-Priscilla, Austin Children's Museum