Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Happy New Girl Scout Year!

The new membership year is here! What's the best way to start? Make sure you're registered for another year of fun! 


Please follow the instructions below to register today.
If you run into any issues registering on or after Oct. 1, we're always here to help. Just email customercare@gswpa.org or call 800-248-3355 and we'll help you through the process.

How do I renew? 
Renewing is super easy! But just in case you need help, here are some instructions:
  1. Visit gswpa.org and click on the yellow 'MyGS' button in the top right corner of the screen. Log in with your username and password (Your username should be your email address; if you forget your password you can have it reset).   
  2. Click on "Member Community" and then choose a renewal option: To renew more than one person in your family, use the "Family Renewal" tab. To renew just yourself or a girl, use either "Adult Renewal" or "Girl Renewal."
  3. On the Renewal pages, you should see the Girl Scout members in your family/troop and all the troops/roles they are assigned to. If anything is missing, email customercare@gswpa.org or fill out the Contact Us form on our website to let us know what troops/roles are missing.   
  4. Click the "Renew" button on the memberships you'd like to renew, or click "Do Not Renew" for any troops/roles you will not be continuing in. Press Continue.   
  5. Continue through the process, which will ask you to pick a membership, fill out some personal information, and pay for your membership.  
Troop Leaders: After Sept. 30, only parents can renew girls in your troop.

All other volunteers (& parents too): You can also renew both your own and other family members through the Member Community. If you're just renewing one person, choose Adult or Girl renewal. You can choose to return to the same volunteer position or troop--or choose other ways to participate. Want to renew your whole family at once? Choose the Family Renewal option and pay with only one transaction! Simply choose the family members for membership and follow the instructions to complete payment.

In Individual and Family renewal, you can update your contact info so we can easily stay in touch. Even lifetime members can check their contact info each year even though purchasing a membership isn't needed.

Need more help? Download our Online Registration Instructions

Friday, September 4, 2015

The Bronze age: Girl Scout Juniors earn highest award

Girl Scouts in Washington County are working to make their world a better place while earning the Bronze Award!

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor a Junior Girl Scout in fourth and fifth grade can achieve.

To earn the award, Girl Scouts work together as a team to help make a lasting impact on the community.

Girl Scouts in Troop 51930 recently earned the Bronze Award through projects that helped make their corner of the world a better place.

Girl Scouts Kaitlyn, Marah and Lorah wanted to help their classmates deal with test anxiety as they prepared for the annual state assessment tests. Through their project—called “Less Stress for PSSAs”—they distributed gift bags to every fifth-grade student at Trinity East and Trinity North elementary schools. The bags contained stress balls the girls made, candy, test-taking tips and mints.

They also presented to each fifth grade classroom at both schools about coping with test anxiety. Posters they created featuring test-taking tips and positive messages were displayed throughout the school during the test weeks as well.

Girl Scouts Meg, Katelin, Meredith, Natalie focused their Bronze Award project on veterans through a variety of local efforts:
  • The girls held drives at local events to collect items for care packages for veterans.
  • They organized an event for the public that featured a keynote speech by a veteran. 
  • They wrote letters to veterans.
  • The girls helped the American Legion put American flags on veterans’ graves for Memorial Day. 
  • They created 20 care packages for Meals on Wheels to distribute to veterans in their service area.
Girl Scouts’ service projects like these not only benefit the community, but the girls as well. The experience gives girls the confidence and the tools to help them become the citizens who will make a difference in the world.

According to a study by the Girl Scout Research Institute, women who were once Girl Scouts are more likely than non-alumnae to volunteer, donate money, goods or services, and contribute to charities on a regular basis.

Girl Scouts are making a difference throughout Washington County. They keep the promise they make as Girl Scouts all year long, taking action to make the world a better place, one project at a time.