Annie's Supplies for Success

            Those that attended the Annual Meeting had the pleasure of hearing Annie Edwards' very touching story and recount of her Gold Award Project. Those that did not attend missed a very well thought out presentation from an incredibly poised young lady who is surely destined for great things. Her project Supplies for Success is devoted to providing much needed school supplies for children in need. She discovered along the way that sometimes the things we take for granted everyday are necessary for success in life. She comes from a family that was able to provide the necessary items she needed to go to school. Annie says, “I learned how truly fortunate I really am especially when I learned of the boy who was excessively absent from school because he did not have any shoes.”  He was sharing a pair of shoes with his brother and could only go to school part time because of it.  She says, “Although I did not consider shoes a school supply, it was to the student who received them. He was able to attend school regularly and successfully complete the school year because of that pair of shoes he received through this project.”

            Annie truly is an inspiration to all of us. After speaking so eloquently about her project and her efforts, she dedicated her Gold Award to her late troop leader Ms. Lula Richardson- Guillory. She spoke of how Ms. Lula had been her leader for ten years and she had inspired the girls to be great and be leaders in all they do. We want to commend Annie on her continued efforts to see this project through and look forward to so many more exceptional things to come from her.

Luminaries

There are girls all through the council that are working very hard on their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. Their hard work deserves recognition. These projects take many hours of work and dedication. The girls must identify a problem that they care about and decide on the best plan of action to solve that problem. Now you can see in their own words some of the thought process, planning and implementation that went into their projects. 

 Arielle and Jade's Girl Scout Dam Project

Jo'Wanna Beautifies Camp Bon Temps

Girl Scouts Remember

We are all so saddened by the tragic event that took place at Sandy Hook in Newtown, CT. We will be collecting trefoil art with thoughts, prayers, kind words, written on them to send to the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, for use at their memorial service to be held mid-January. Our hearts go out to the families and friends and the whole town of Newtown. For more information please visit our facebook page or Girl Scouts of Connecticut.


Submitted by: Jennifer Alvarez

Fort Polk Girl Scout Brownie Troop 2058 met Tuesday December 18th for their regular weekly meeting at the Fort Polk Girl Scout hut.  Due to recent events, the meeting was unlike what the troop has ever done, or even prepared for.  With hearts breaking around the world due to the recent tragedy in Connecticut, more information has been learned about the twenty children who perished because of a lone shooter in an elementary school.  Out of the twenty children; eight were boys, twelve were girls, and out of the girls, eight were Girl Scout Daisies, and two of the boys were part of a Girl Scout family. 

Even though we live hundreds of miles from Connecticut, our hearts have been touched by these events and the affected families.  Brownie Troop 2058, joined by members from Senior/Ambassador Troop 2178, took some time to pay respects to our Girl Scouts sisters and their families, as well as all who are affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school.  The girls wore green and were able to ask questions and express their feelings with their girl scout sisters.  Senior/Ambassador troop leader Cathy Scott expressed that "The girls are there for each other and the younger girls are free to talk to the older girls.  That is what we are sisters for."  The girls lit a candle representing our girl scout sisters, and said a prayer for the families of all twenty-six children and adults who are no longer with us.  

 Each girl expressed their sadness, prayed silently, or prayed for the group.  Julie Samples, Brownie Troop 2058 leader, stated "We needed to show our respect and sadness and have a safe place to do so."  Jennifer Alvarez, co-leader troop 2058, stated "We let the girls know that we have to move forward and not allow tragedies scare us from continuing our movement.  If anything, this had made us more determined to lead young girls to become strong, independent adults."  Some girls expressed their fear for going to school, and all troop leaders present  maintained that schools are a safe place, and that they will continue to lead girls to becoming future leaders through courage, character, and confidence.  One Brownie, age 8, had suggestions as to how to make our schools safer.  She suggested no student should be allowed to go to the bathroom without a "battle buddy".  "These young girls are our future leaders, policy makers, law makers, and security.  We have a big job to do to teach them to remain strong and looking forward", stated Jennifer Alvarez.

Let's Get Pinning

This is such a fun time of year. Everything is shiny and bright and it is a great time to be inspired. That is exactly what we're hoping will happen with our "12 days of courage, confidence, and character" adventure on Pinterest. We've got just a few rules though.

1.    The contest runs from December 14-25. All boards must be submitted by December 25.

2.    Although we welcome your pins and thoughts, you must be a registered member of Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf to be eligible to win the prize pack. (Sorry sister councils). Please don't let it discourage you from participating just for the fun of it.

3.    You must make a board titled 12 days of the 3 C's and then post the link to that board on the original pin announcing the contest no later than December 25.

4.    You can pin from anywhere or submit your own photos as pins. You must have all twelve pins on your board to be eligible to receive the prize pack.

5.    The boards will be judged by a panel of staff judges in the categories of Most Creative, Girl Scout Spirit and Holiday Spirit. One prize will be awarded for each category (three prizes total will be awarded).

6.    The winners will be notified by January 5, 2013.

That’s it. Let’s have a little fun and get pinspired!! Hope this gets you in the holiday spirit!.

-Erin