The Region 2 Team and Duluth Regional Center staff would like to take a moment to thank you for all you do to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Here’s a quick update on upcoming news and events from your Region 2 team!

Join us for the Region 2 Spring Learning and Development Workshop! Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Camp Roundelay, Gordon, WI. Workshops include: New Leaders Troop Pathway, Exploring the Girl Scout Journey Books and the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, the Self-sustaining Troop and Troop Finance, Songs and Games and Basic Outdoor Skills. Adults may choose to spend Friday night at camp, as well!

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Spring Jump Start is right around the corner! Each spring, troops have the opportunity to register early for next year. Some communities have fun events to get girls together and to get the forms turned in. If your community is planning a Jump Start Event, let the Region 2 Team know all about it! If you’d like some help putting one together, or need ideas, please contact Jamie Sands (see left column.)

Girl Scout recruitment happens year round! Let us know how we can help build Girl Scout participation in your community. Are there certain grades without troops, waiting lists of girls but no leader, etc.? Contact Jamie and she’ll work with you to grow Girl Scouts in your town!

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We all know wonderful, committed, Girl Scout women and men, who are very deserving of being recognized, don’t we? Did you know that there are national Girl Scout adult awards that can be given to outstanding adults in your community? Anyone can nominate registered Girl Scout for these awards, as long as they meet the criteria.  More info and nomination forms here.

Save the Date for Region 2’s Volunteer Recognition Dinner! Monday evening, April 29, 2013 at Jeanette Pollay Cabin from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

Because of the snow, the Duluth Regional Center office, shop, and cookie cupboard will be closed Monday, February 11.  We will resume regular hours, reopening at 8:30 a.m.,  on Tuesday.  Thank you for your understanding and be safe out there!

At our recent cookie trainings, we've been discussing the importance of communicating clearly with the parents in your troop and sharing expectations before the cookie sale begins.  I strongly recommend troop leaders or cookie managers share a flyer/letter with each family, outlining the timeline of the cookie sale, describing the troop's goals, giving payment due dates, and explaining the troop's policy for handling unsold cookies that families may have.  It will help the parents to have something in writing that they can put on their fridge or near their calendar for reference.  When each family has received a clear schedule and directions before the cookie sale begins, you can hold them to those expectations.  If each parent has seen in writing that the deadline for returning unsold cookies to the troop is March 1, it is fair if you are not able to accept a return from a family on March 15.  As you know, each unsold package takes a bite out of the troop's profits and affects ALL the girls in the troop. 

Here is a sample of a parent letter that you can download.  It opens as a Microsoft Word document.  You can "save as" to your computer and customize with your own troop's goals, schedule, and guidelines.  If you're using it after you've already placed the initial order, you can delete those lines and still use it at a family meeting held in January. 

Thanks to troop leader Kelly Martin from Hinckley for the template that was my starting point for this letter!

Volunteer Specialist Shelley invites you to...

Join the Region 2 team on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at Jeanette Pollay Cabin for a fun filled day of workshops and SWAPS sharing or ideas.

Workshops we will be offering:

• New Leader Orientation and Training,
• Exploring Girl Scout Journey Books and the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting,
• Self-Sustaining Troop
• Refresher First Aid/CPR
• Basic Outdoor Skills.

Come for the morning or all day and build your network of Girl Scout friends and mentors.

Can’t make the workshop? Join us for lunch (bring your own Brown Bag Lunch) and share SWAPS and ideas!

Your regional team is looking forward to sharing the day with you.  For more information or to register, click here.  

As you may know, Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, was born on Halloween.  October is a great time to plan an activity with your girls to learn about Juliette Low and the history of Girl Scouts!  Some troops like to celebrate with a birthday party and cake.  I remember my Girl Scout troop made Dirt in a Cup and planted a fabric daisy in a straw in the top of the cup, to make a special sundae that reminded us of Juliette's nickname, Daisy.  They're really easy to make--here is a recipe.  You could do a craft project with pearls and talk about how Juliette sold a prized string of pearls she owned, to raise money to keep Girl Scouts going in the early days. 

As you may know, Juliette was a strong woman with a reputation for being a bit of a character.  With a quick Google search you may be able to find some anecdotes or quotations from her that your girls would like--some of her antics may even give you ideas for a Take Action project to benefit your community!  Check out your Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting binder for a biography of Juliette geared for the age level of your girls.  October is also a great time to begin earning the Juliette Gordon Low Heritage patch, a patch program developed by our council--find out more here.

We're having an open house on Saturday morning, October 13.  This is a chance for those of you who have busy work-week schedules to come visit us at the office to get updates or answers from the volunteer support team AND pick up books and patches for your troop, all in one stop.  (Be sure to check out our brand-new Troop Leader V-neck shirts!)

Here's one more opportunity for you to get an overview of the Fall Product Sale process, find out how to navigate this year's new features, and get some tips for increasing your troop's sales--or just focusing your efforts to make the sale go more efficiently so your troop has more time for other activities this fall!

We'll be offering a training via conference call on Monday, September 24, from 5:15-6:15.  RSVP to Keri Lynn (kigo at gslakesandpines.org) to receive the toll-free number to call in, from the comfort of your home or office.  If possible, we encourage you to follow along by viewing the powerpoint on our website.  We'll have plenty of time for your individual questions.

Here is information on two opportunities for troops to take part in service projects to benefit their local communities this fall.  The first one is in the Ashland area, but might also be a neat idea of something a troop or service unit may want to organize in your own area.  The second opportunity is for the greater Duluth area.  Click below for more details, including the contacts at each of these organizations if you would like to find out more information.

Thank you for all the wonderful things your troops are doing for your communities.  You keep us all inspired!  If your troop would like to share information about a service project you are planning or show us what you've accomplished, we'd love to hear from you.  You can comment below or click any of the Regional Team's names in the left column to e-mail us.

The flamingoes are coming--run! 

Run to your nearest troop leader meeting or the Duluth office, that is, so you can get your materials for the Fall Product Sale! 

Don't let your girls miss out on the chance to earn money in October and November, so they can fund their exciting Girl Scout adventures until the cookie sale.  Don't let your girls miss out on the chance to qualify for other troop fundraisers--remember, you need to participate in BOTH the council-sponsored Fall Product Sale AND the Cookie Sale to be eligible to organize your own bake sale, rummage sale, or other troop fundraiser.  Finally, don't miss out on the chance to get your hands on some Dark Chocolate Mint Penguins, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bears, melt-in-your-mouth Dulce de Leche chocolates, and the adorable, collectible Juliette Low Birthplace mailbox tin!

“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I am with you kid.  Let’s go.” –Maya Angelou

I just received this year’s Girl Scout catalog and new items are arriving in the council shop.  Even though I have an entire drawer of Girl Scout shirts, I always get a new one each fall. It’s sort of my grown-up version of buying school clothes! It also marks the beginning of fall recruitment.  Girl Scout recruitment happens year-round, however the beginning of the school year is a great time to connect girls and adults with a Girl Scout Pathway.

Recruitment is an “all hands on deck” task and we truly appreciate all the work you do in your communities to help.  This year we have a variety of resources you can use for recruitment—a recruitment planning guide that’s full of helpful tips, pencils, brochures, family handbooks, color flyers you can personalize (and we’ll print,) and more.  Our staff is also available to assist with planning events, and we’d love to join you if we can!  Contact Jamie Sands, Membership Specialist if you have ideas about how we can help grow Girl Scouting in your community, if you’d like to help, and/or if you need assistance or supplies to make it happen.