Updates on Property & the Long Range Property Process

Memo: Updates on Property and the Long Range Property Process

From:  Kirsten Billhardt, Board Chair, Girl Scouts of Central Texas

Date:  April 17, 2013

At our annual meeting in late January, I shared some of the key goals we have at the Board level.  First, we need to find and onboard a new CEO who will guide us to become a stronger and more united organization, better able to fulfill our mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.  Second, we are focusing on our property portfolio.  We own or lease quite a bit of camp property, Scout Houses, and Program Centers  in our 46 counties and it does require a good share of our financial resources to just keep up with simple maintenance and upkeep.    

In regard to our second goal of assessing GSCTX properties, we have made a few decisions that we would like to share with the community. 

1. Moving the Brownwood Program Center – Our facilities staff has found a new space in Brownwood for our four staff members and computer lab.  This location will be shared with other community organizations, including the Red Cross and Boy Scouts, which opens up opportunities to collaborate in the community.   We are able to end the lease of our existing building, which had an unusable third floor and was not a desirable facility.
2. Place Camp Wood Lake on rest – Camp Wood Lake served less than 200 girls last year (as compared to over 4000 at Texlake and 1500 at Kachina) and cost the Council over $50k in maintenance.   We have placed this property on “rest” – which means we have closed the property for reservations.  This allows us to make immediate and necessary cuts in spending, while we as a community study the value this property adds for the girls. There will be opportunities for the local community to give input around this process before any final decisions are made.
3. Temple Area Service Center - We have asked the Facilities Director to research a more cost effective way to continue our Girl Scout presence in the Temple area, and bring recommendations back to the Board.
4. Renaming of Program Centers – To reduce confusion, the names of the Program Centers need to be consistent with names that are commonly used by most volunteers and staff.  This is also a unification activity to move past previous council names.

·         Bluebonnet becomes Waco Area Service Center

·         El Camino becomes San Angelo Area Service Center

·         Heart of Texas becomes Brownwood Area Service Center

·         Lone Star becomes Kodosky Service Center, Austin area.

As many of you are aware, we kicked off a Long Range Property Planning process to engage our volunteers in helping shape the role that property has in our Council, and to make further recommendations to the Board as to future changes in the property portfolio.   A cross-council volunteer task force was put together, and a series of Program Visioning workshops were held across our community.

A number of significant concerns came up over the past few months.  Most importantly – volunteers did not feel they had adequate and timely knowledge of the Program Visioning workshops, so they missed their opportunity to have their voices heard.   There was also demand for more information about our properties, which is under development by facilities staff and will be posted on our website within the next few weeks.  Also, many of the task force members were not able to attend key meetings, leaving decisions in the hands of just a few.  And finally – there were concerns that not every task force member was able to be objective in their participation.

Due to all these concerns, we have decided that given the importance of this initiative, we need to start over with the Long Range Property Planning process.   We disbanded the existing task force, with the exception of the Chair, and will be forming a new task force.   Here is the process moving forward:

1. Recruit new task force members made up of Council volunteers and Board Members and community members with strong property backgrounds who do not have a volunteer history with Council.   Applications are available here and will be accepted until May 20.  
2. Schedule a new series of Program Visioning workshops with a minimum of 60 days notice.  We expect these workshops to kick off in August.
3. Gather the recommended data for all Council properties and programs for use by task force members.
4. Publish a draft of the task force’s recommendations for review by all volunteers prior to presentation to the Board for its final decision.  We will be asking for your comments and concerns.

We are looking forward to working through key property decisions with a team that is cognizant of the history of the Council, but able to think of the needs of our girls moving forward.   While I am quite sure that we will have to make some tough decisions that some will be unhappy with, I know that the end result will be the ability to invest more dollars in assets and programs that will directly benefit our girls.  

Yours in Girl Scouting –

Kirsten

A Cookie Isn't Just a Cookie!

We have a brand new PSA thanks to our friends at Moth to Flame (MTF)! The amazing MTF team donated their time, talent and services to help us produce 'A Cookie Isn't Just a Cookie,' which is set to officially premiere at the Austin Women of Distinction luncheon on Wednesday, April 24, 2012.  

Enjoy a special preview here exclusively for our social media community! Tell us what you think! Do you see future actresses in the making? We do!

About Moth to Flame: Christine Chen, MTF Founder and Creative Director and Michelle Casanova, MTF Business Developement and Accounts Manager teamed up to write, produce and direct the GSCTX promotional spot 'A Cookie Just Isn't a Cookie' for this year's Women of Distinction. This spot for Girl Scouts is one of many productions the team has worked on. In addition to working in corporate, creative and special events film production, Christine and Michelle are University of Texas at Austin alumnae. Christine founded MTF while attending the Texas MBA program at the McCombs School of Business with Michelle. Both women graduated in 2012 and have since worked on several initiatives that promote women's strength and leadership around the world. For more information, visit their website. 

Why I Continue to Give Back

From the time I was young, my parents always encouraged me to help others. I believe that is a big part of the reason why I fell in love with Girl Scouts. I started as a Daisy with my troop in San Antonio and worked my way up through Cadettes earning my Bronze Award in my final year. Unfortunately, high school band took over much of my life and I had to leave Girl Scouts. However, I never lost the love of helping others that I got from my time in Girl Scouting. It stayed with me and I always made an effort to volunteer or do whatever I could to help. When the opportunity came for me to join my church family on a mission trip in Belize, I jumped on it.

Having an experience such as this one had always been a dream of mine and I was finally ready to make it happen. The invitation to participate was one of the greatest moments of my life, but little did I know that this week-long trip would have such an impact on my life. Before this trip, I didn't know where Belize was on a map and I had never done anywhere near the type of construction work that was going to be asked of me. From my years as a Girl Scout, I knew I could learn a lot from this experience and that I would be successful in my journey.

I learned so much about Belize and saw both the beauty of the area and the poverty of the people. Being able to work with ‘Hand in Hand Ministries’, an amazing organization, allowed us to learn and be successful in our mission. The trip also had a great effect on me as an individual. I learned so much about myself and it changed my outlook on life. There is no greater feeling than immersing yourself in a foreign country and helping someone you have never met before. My team built a home for a woman named Margaret and her family and my heart filled with pride and joy on that last day when we handed her over the keys. We had created a home for someone from nothing. Our team rose to the challenge and within three days, we made it happen.

With the utmost confidence, I can say that I am ready to take on the world after this experience. I would encourage all fellow Girl Scouts to volunteer – whether it be for your local community or one abroad. There is no time like the present so be sure to always be looking for ways to help others! Experiences like this one will forever hold a place in your heart.

-Ileana Isabel Barrientez, Spring Public Relations Intern

Stephenville Workplace for Women Spotlight - Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville has been committed to serving Erath and its surrounding counties since 1926. This once small hospital located in an old hotel has now expanded to a full service community hospital and regional referral center with a current 98 bed capacity. They offer the community a variety of services from surgical to wound care and have been honored with national accreditation being labeled as both a Level IV Trauma Center and Cycle III Chest Pain Center. Their nurse friendly environment has led them to receive a Pathway to Excellence designation and the World Health Organization even honored them with the designation of being named a Baby-Friendly Hospital. Their amazing staff of 40 physicians are committed to the health of the community and everyone in it.

For more information on this year's Women of Distinction events and to purchase tickets, visit our website.

Stephenville Women of Distinction Spotlight - Karen Hobbs

Karen Hobbs

Karen Hobbs was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Vandalia, Illinois until she was 13 and her family moved and settled down in San Antonio, Texas. She graduated from Churchill High School before going on to attend Texas A&M University and eventually earning her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. She has been married for 22 years to her husband, Marlon, and has two children.

Karen has always loved and been interested in the human-animal bond that exists and looked up to Dr. Johnston, her family veterinarian, while growing up. After graduating with her doctorate, she worked at veterinarian offices for eight years before accomplishing one of her major life goals: opening up her very own practice. That was 13 years ago and she still runs that office to this day.

Her advice to young women is very reflective of her own life: leadership and community service are very important. She exemplifies this and takes on an active role in her community. She enjoys being involved with various organizations including Hospital and Chamber Board, Stockshow Concessions for Zonta, PTO, and the Tarleton Job Shadow Program and Mock Interviews. Her active roles, both professionally and in service for the community, have allowed her the opportunity to mentor students ranging in ages from middle school all the way through college. She truly has had a positive and lasting impact on all of the people that surround her.

For more information on this year's Women of Distinction events and to purchase tickets, visit our website. 

Stephenville Women of Distinction Spotlight - Penny Elliot

Penny Elliot

Penny Elliot was born and raised in Stephenville, Texas. She graduated from Stephenville High School before going on to earn her degree in Elementary Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She is married and has two children and two grandchildren.

Penny has always loved children and she knew since her high school years that her goal was to become a teacher. Her first job was working for a year in a hospital records department before making the decision to stay home and raise her two children. While raising her two daughters, Penny took on the great responsibility of being a Girl Scout troop leader.

After her children went on to college she finally realized her dream of becoming a teacher. She began working at Stepping Stones Day School, which is a private school sponsored by her church, First United Methodist Church. She began as a preschool teacher. Thirty-nine years later, she is the director of the program. Penny spends her spare time taking on active roles in organizations such as March of Dimes, American Heart Association, and United Way. Her dedication and commitment to future generations are apparent in every aspect of her life.

For more information on this year's Women of Distinction events and to purchase tickets, visit our website. 

Stephenville Women of Distinction Spotlight - Marion Cole

Marion Cole

Marion Cole was both born and raised in Dublin, Texas. She graduated from Dublin High School before going on to graduate from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and minors in both English and Music. She was married to her husband for 38 years before he passed away, and has two children and four grandchildren.

Throughout her life, Marion was always surrounded by music. Both of her parents, her dad in particular, supported and encouraged her to be involved with music. This passion for music and love of teaching combined to lead her into a career that included both. It was no surprise then that after graduating from college, she went on to teach elementary school music before retiring.

Marion committed years of her life to volunteering at the schools her children attended through PTA, PTO, and Project Graduation. However, her passion for music never left and she is currently the Director of Music America’s Rural Residency Program. As director, she plans and leads groups of musicians from well-known institutions, such as New England Conservatory and Julliard, for nine month periods throughout the year. She is also an active member of Cross Timbers Fine Arts Council and the ERATH County Lafferty Foust Scholarship Committee whose goal is to award scholarships to graduating high school seniors. She is the perfect example of how much you can give back to your community when you are passionate about what you are doing in life.

For more information on this year's Women of Distinction events and to purchase tickets, visit our website.