Out & About - July

FOGS Fundraiser: Troop 8121 of the Central Bell Service Unit recently hosted a FOGS fundraiser that boasted a Girl Scout fashion show, silent auction and dinner. Volunteers and troop leaders pitched in to help run the event that was attended by local troops, families and supporters. Girl Scouts from different service units strutted the runway in vintage Girl Scout uniforms. Donations totaled more than $500. Great job, ladies!

Girl Scout Turns Interest into Career Choice

Hello, my name is Allison and I am a recent graduate of Anderson High School. I was also a Girl Scout with the GSCTX Bluebonnet Valley Service Unit. My adventures in Girl Scouting began in kindergarten when my mom helped form a troop. Troop 1526 remained strong throughout elementary school. We went on several camping trips and completed badges. My troop also sold cookies and completed our Bronze Award together. In middle school, we found new ways to have fun with outings we liked to call, “Mystery Weekends.” The leaders and parents planned everything out but didn’t tell us where we going until we got to our destination. High school was more focused on community service. Several of us became involved in other extracurricular activities during this time like band or athletics. As a troop, we still treasured all the adventures we went on and time we spent together.

My personal adventures with Girl Scouts continued and extended beyond the traditional troop setting. Four years ago, I was introduced to a STEM program called FIRST. FIRST is an internal organization designed to get students involved and excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. A few months later, the GSCTX council announced its supports of the program and Girl Scout robotics teams. I found a few friends to join and with the gracious help of the UT Robotic Automation Society and the Anderson High School FRC team, my team learned how to use screwdrivers, wrenches, hand drills and other tools I didn’t know about before FIRST. We successfully built a robot in six weeks and earned the Rookie Inspiration Award at a regional competition in Houston that year. However, FIRST is more than just winning, it’s about learning from your mistakes and working with others, promoting your team and getting everyone involved in STEM.

Our team of seven turned into twenty over four years. Girls as young as sixth grade have joined our ranks of robot builders. We’ve taken the robot we built to more than 100 demonstrations in the community. It became our mission to encourage girls to participate in STEM activities. To say that the partnership between GSCTX and FIRST has changed my life is an understatement. Before FIRST, I was destined to be a dancer in the theater world, but I now seeing myself in engineering field. I will study Mechanical Engineering in the fall at UT Austin and I can’t imagine at this point doing anything else. I also plan to remain involved with FIRST as a mentor.

For more information on STEM and FIRST, visit the Girl Scout website.

-Alison R.

Girl Scout Great - Lucy Baines Johnson

In honor of the Girl Scout centennial year, Girl Scout alumna Lucy Baines Johnson has been selected by national as a Girl Scout Great. Join GSCTX in continued celebration of our anniversary by visiting our website and girlscouts.org to find out more.

Out & About - June

Girl Scout Ashlyn Hall of Troop 2129 is a current student in the Leander Independent School District and was recently selected to travel to the Houston & Galveston area as a participant in Education in Action’s Lone Star Leadership Academy. Ashlyn was chosen based off of her outstanding academic success, demonstrated leadership ability, successful completion of a previous Lone Star Leadership program, and her involvement in school and community activities. Awesome job, Ashlyn. We know that you will continue to make Girl Scouts proud!

Enjoy Football while Supporting Girl Scouts!

The perfect outdoor summer event for your family is taking place June 30-July 7 in Austin! Girl Scouts of Central Texas is partnering with USA Football to bring the fun game of football to all sports lovin' fans who also enjoy supporting local causes. Buy your Team USA and All-Tournament Passes here and Girl Scouts of Central Texas will receive a portion of the ticket sales, which will fund leadership opportunities for more than 20,000 girls. 

Don't waste your summer inside! Spend it at a USA Football game! For more information on the program, visit the USA Football website. 

Dell Awards Technology Grant to GSCTX

In September 2011, Dell announced a $3 million investment in its U.S. global giving efforts. Twenty-four U.S. based organizations were selected by the Dell partners and these organizations, who mainly serve youth, will now have access to state-of-the-art technology. Girl Scouts of Central Texas was fortunate enough to be selected for this particular grant and will be awarded $43,000 to further our science, technology, engineering and math efforts and information, communication technology initiatives.

Dell is set to present the grant to Girl Scout representatives at a Robotics Showcase this Friday, June 15. Friday concludes a week-long robotics camp for at-risk and underserved girls. The purpose of said camp is to introduce the girls to advanced math, engineering and technical skills. Starting at 2p.m. on Friday, Girl Scout CEO Etta Moore will discuss the history of the STEM program, Girl Scouts will have a robotics showcase, and there will be a Q&A panel with Etta Moore, Michele Glaze from the Dell Giving Team, and two Girl Scouts involved in the robotics program. Ms. Glaze will also award GSCTX with the technology grant.

Girl Scouts, volunteers, parents and staff are welcome to join us for this event. There will also be a recruitment table for all girls and parents interested in joining Girl Scouts.

Austin Women of Distinction Spotlight - Alex Winkelman

Alex Winkelman

In 2009, Alex Winkelman started CharityBash—an innovative non-profit whose mission is to influence and inspire young professionals to be involved in the community.  Three years later she was named executive director of Citizen Generation incorporating CharityBash with several similar efforts —all focused on making philanthropy fun, accessible and affordable.  Alex, who has not yet celebrated her 25th birthday, comes from a family strongly invested in the value and practice of philanthropy-- her parents, Suzanne and Marc, and her siblings, Eli and Jacob, have all made distinguished themselves as community leaders.

Alex’s first major project was “Dining for Darfur,” for which she organized a night-out and convinced 40 local restaurants to donate a portion of their sales to Darfur humanitarian aid. She then joined the national team of “Tents of Hope,” a year-long campaign utilizing creatively designed tents set up across the country to serve as fundraising and educational centers on the plight of African refugees.  Alex holds a degree in social entrepreneurship from St. Edwards’s University, and is active on behalf of many charities including Austin Pets Alive, Emancipet, Ballet Austin, and the Candlelight Ranch and looks forward to participating in Dancing With the Stars/Austin for the Center for Child Protection in December.  In March 2012 the Winkelman family was recognized for outstanding leadership by the Anti-Defamation League.