Hello GSWNY Members,

Our GSWNY Community has been in my thoughts over our winter break. This was not a typical holiday season in our WNY region as so many people were affected by the blizzard, some tragically.
At Girl Scouts, the safety and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers, Girl Scouts and members is our highest priority, and we seek to be a resource for our members and Girl Scout families. Below we are sharing resources from 211 WNY and 211 Lifeline Finger Lakes for your information. 211 is a hub for general community needs, including specific information related to the blizzard and the storm aftermath, as well as preparation in advance of future inclement weather events.

In addition, we will be reaching out in the coming weeks to learn how our Girl Scout community experienced the storm.  The Girl Scout slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily”, with community service at the heart of much of our programming.  As we continued to learn about people who had lost their lives, lost loved ones, or were struggling without power, heat, food, medical care and other needs, we also learned of inspiring actions from community members ranging from heroic life-saving acts, to shoveling the driveways of neighbors, picking up groceries, or checking in on family members and friends. We would like to hear Girl Scout members and families’ stories of acts of service -whether witnessing acts of service, receiving acts of service, or giving acts of service in the way you helped others. 

In regards to safety, the Girl Scout motto is “Be Prepared”.  This storm highlighted the importance of winter storm preparation and being ready for emergencies. We would like to learn your thoughts on how Girl Scouts of Western New York can help provide the training and information needed for members to prepared in the future, and resources and expertise that our members may wish to share with others. 

For now, here is a list of community resources from 211:
211 WNY compiled a list of resources for the blizzard and storm aftermath and also has a wide range of community resources:
https://www.211wny.org/resources/resources-for-the-buffalo-blizzard-2022/

211 Life Line Fingerlakes also contains resources specific to Monroe and Livingston counties. 
https://211lifeline.org/index.php

I hope you and your family are safe and well, and thank you for all that you do to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

Alison
CEO, Girl Scouts of Western New York 

Women of Distinction

Thursday, April 27, 2023

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Salvatore’s
(Transit Road, Depew – convenient location right off I-90)
More exciting details to follow in the new year – stay tuned!

Our Upcoming Programs

A number of updates have been made to our Safety webpages:

• Our COVID-19 safety guidelines have been updated to reflect the CDC guidelines released this fall. These guidelines reflect the practices we have been following since that time – in particular, masks are not required and there are no restrictions for indoor or outdoor meetings/events.  However, troops are still prohibited from holding meetings or events at private residences, including backyards, in accordance with our general safety requirements.  We still ask that in the event of a COVID-19 positive test result, contact Girl Scouts of WNY using the process indicated.

• Volunteer Essentials 2022-2023 has been published.  There are no policy changes, but you will find additional guidance for troop and volunteer support in various areas.

• The Annual Permission Slip has been updated to include a general liability waiver rather than a COVID-19 specific liability waiver. 

If you have any questions regarding these updates, please contact customercare@gswny.org or 888-837-6410 and we would be happy to assist you.