Dear GSWNY Members,
Please see the important announcements below and for questions, please contact Customer Care customercare@gswny.org or call 1-888-837-6410. In an emergency, please call 1-800-882-9268.
It’s time to renew!
Did you know that the Girl Scout membership year runs October 1 through September 30? That means current memberships will be expiring soon. We make it so easy using our online system, and we’ve got some great giveaways. We’ll be giving away one $50 Amazon or Target gift card every Wednesday in August and September – one for girls and one for leaders, so the sooner you renew, the better chance you have to win!
Last chance to register for alternative summer camp!
We only have two weeks left for our camp, reimagined, which means Next week is our final session of alternative camp, focused on taking action,=and registration closes in just two days on Thursday, August 6. Don’t miss your last chance to experience camp right from your home . Each week is $60 and includes a Camp Activity Kit, three virtual sessions, a virtual dining hall experience, virtual campfires, self-led activities, and more!
Learn more about camp reimagined!
What do our alternative camp programs look like?
Check out a few photos below of girls from previous sessions and view the full album on our Facebook page.
Junior Detectives
Last day of week 4 – making time capsules!
Last day of week 4 – making SWAPS!
Make New Friends: Kindergarten Readiness Series
Starting kindergarten is a big step, and you obviously want your girl to feel as comfortable and confident as possible from day one. Let Girl Scouts stand with you to support and inspire her as she makes new friends, meets new teachers, and tests out new ideas. Our girl-centered kindergarten readiness series are free and open to any girl entering kindergarten this fall.
Sign her up for Make New Friends—a fun, four-part online series designed to boost your girl’s social skills and self-confidence while she learns to focus and thrive in a classroom or virtual setting. Make New Friends provides opportunities to girls to strengthen four competencies as they enter kindergarten. This series allows her to connect with the same friends each week, as well as Girl Scouts staff who lead her through sessions around language & literacy, cognition, approaches to learning, and social & emotional learning.
Sessions will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays in August. Sign up your girl today!
Introducing our GSWNY Badge-in-a-Box!
We’ve found a new way to bring Girl Scouting home.
If circumstances make it difficult for a girl’s troop to meet in person, if she is a Juliette Girl Scout, or if you simply want to have some additional Girl Scout fun and learning experiences as a family, the new Badge in a Box program might be a good fit for your family.
For $15 you can purchase a Badge in a Box designed to make Girl Scouting at home stress-free, the Badge in a Box includes the supplies needed to complete a badge at home, an easy to follow activity guide, and the badge itself!
Current badges include the Daisy Outdoor Art Maker, Brownie Senses, Junior Independence, and Cadette Special Agent.
The boxes will be available for curbside pick-up, beginning August 10 at the Buffalo, Rochester, and Jamestown Service Centers. There are a limited number of boxes available and will be for curbside pick-up only.
Questions? Call toll-free 1-888-837-6410 or email
Retail Item of the Week: Camping Scene Water Bottle
With it being the last week of camp next week, we wanted to feature our online only exclusive Camping Scene Water Bottle for just $10!
Hydrate safely and in campsite friendly style! BPA/DEHA/DEHP free, 20 oz. water bottle with adorable camping scene imprint. Teal wide mouth twist off cap. Push/pull spout. Recyclable HDPE. Made in USA.
Even better, online is featuring FREE SHIPPING on all orders! Get yours today using the button below.
Retail Shop Reminder/Update:
- Curbside Pick-up is open Monday & Wednesday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the following locations: Buffalo, Jamestown, Lockport & Rochester. Email your shop orders to the email address below, a retail staff member will call you to confirm your order for payment and schedule your curbside pick-up date and time.
- Do you need a special fun patch order for your troop, we encourage you to get them submitted by Monday, August 10, 2020 to arrive before we close for inventory.
- All Shop locations will be CLOSED for our annual physical inventory from Monday, August 24, 2020 through Friday, September 4, 2020; we will reopen to curbside pick-up service on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
Girl Scouts Love State Parks is back!
Join Girl Scouts of all ages from around the country who are also getting out and exploring State Parks near them. Complete the requirements for your level, plan a fun filled day at the park with your family, share pictures of your adventures, and earn yourself a couple of awesome patches designed by GSUSA!
We ask that you please register so that we can see how many Girl Scouts are getting out there and participating in this amazing challenge!
STEP 1: Earn your Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors Challenge patch! This patch can be purchased through the Girl Scout shop. You do not need to submit the completed requirements to us.
STEP 2: Research a State Park to visit. Girl Scouts all across the country will be visiting their local State Parks on September 12 and/or 13.
STEP 3: Visit a State Park on September 12 and/or 13 to earn your Girl Scouts Love State Parks patch. By registering for this event and visiting a state park, you will unlock this limited edition Girl Scouts Love State Parks 2020 patch which can be purchased at our GSWNY shops.
You can purchase this patch by emailing these shop locations: shop.buffalo@gswny.org, shop.jamestown@gswny.org , shop.lockport@gswny.org or shop.rochester@gswny.org and the shop staff will make arrangements for payment and curbside pick-up.
Register for Girl Scouts Love State Parks
New Girl Scout Badges: Automotive Engineering
✔️ Solving real world problems
✔️ Exploring the automotive manufacturing process
✔️ Building car prototypes
These are just a few things Girl Scouts learn through our NEW Automotive Engineering badges funded by General Motors.
Learn More About the New Badges and Journeys
Girl Scouting at Home
Looking for ways to stay involved with Girl Scouts? Check out our Girl Scouting at Home page today! New resources are added regularly.
Looking for more options? Head to girlscouts.org for even more at-home opportunities for your Girl Scout by grade level, and check out some of the online opportunities below:
Upcoming Virtual Events Posted
Below are our nationally produced virtual events scheduled over the next two weeks for girls, parents, volunteers, alums, and other supporters. All events are recorded and can also be accessed after the event via playback.
Awesome Girls: Engineer Your World
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
A Show and Tell with Mary Barra, Chairman & CEO of General Motors, and Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts.
Mary and Sylvia will share stories and show photos, tools, and videos that tell their stories about becoming both engineers and leaders. They’ll tell girls how they can follow in their footsteps with the new Automotive Engineering three-badge series for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors. The event will wrap up with a live Q&A for girls to ask Mary and Sylvia questions. Girls will leave with next steps to dive into automotive engineering!
Register for Engineer Your World
- August 6—Awesome Girls: Get in Gear with Automotive Engineering (girls in grades K–5)
- August 7—Awesome Girls: Take the Wheel with Automotive Manufacturing (girls in grades K–5)
- August 8—National Bridging Ceremony: Bridging to Brownies and Juniors (featured speakers: Sylvia Acevedo and more to come!)
- August 8—National Bridging Ceremony: Bridging to Cadette, Senior, Ambassador, and Adult (featured speakers: Cady Coleman, NASA astronaut; and Dr. Judy Ho, NBC’s The Doctors)
National Bridging Ceremonies
Let’s help her bridge to the next level in her Girl Scout journey in style—one filled with new badges, new experiences, and new discoveries! Bridging is a beloved Girl Scout tradition that honors girls’ achievements throughout the year and celebrates their “crossing the bridge” to the next Girl Scout level. It involves a special ceremony for the whole family to enjoy as you reflect on the past and prepare for all the amazing things to come.
If you can’t safely participate in an in-person ceremony this summer, register today for an upcoming National Bridging Ceremony!
Events Scheduled for this Saturday, August 8:
Bridging to Brownies and Juniors
2:00 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.
Register Here
Ceremonia nacional de “bridging” o graduación en español – “Bridging” a Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors y Adultas/Exalumnas
3:30 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.
Register Here
Bridging to Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors, and Adult
5:00 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.
Register Here
Girl Scouts Doing Good Things – Gold Award Edition
We’re highlighting the more than 30 Girl Scouts who earned their Gold Award this past year! Below are this week’s featured Girl Scouts, but you can read about all the Gold Award Girl Scouts at gswnyblog.com.
Avery Roberts
Roberts’ project is called Park Benches at Martin Rd. Soccer Park. She received donations from Home Depot and the Soccer Club so she could purchase the materials needed to create the park benches.
Read More
Caroline Kowalski
Kowalski’s project, Therapy and Rehabilitation Garden, which focused on creating two wheelchair-accessible garden beds. The beds are made of cedar wood, which is naturally bug and rot resistant, meaning they can last up to 15 years without wood treatment.
Read More
Rachel Bernstein
Bernstein’s project, creating a sign and benches for a community garden, involved first contacting the Conservation Board as well as her high school’s Green Team. Together, they worked out the details and ended with a successful project that raises awareness for the garden itself, as well as involvement opportunities for the community.
Read More
We are #GirlScoutStrong! Looking forward to talking to you next Tuesday! In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Customer Care customercare@gswny.org or call 1-888-837-6410. In an emergency, please call 1-800-882-9268.
Categories: Member Essentials
GSWNY Blog 