Read more about Shreya and other amazing Girl Scouts on GSHPAs News page at www.gshpa.org.

FALL 2015 EDITIONA Quarterly Newsletter from Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania

Connections

Ambassador Girl Scout Shreya Thakur, 17, from Hummelstown, Pa. didnt let over 6,000 miles or a language barrier stop her drive to provide rural students in Bihar, India essential lifesaving skills. She saw it as a challenge, which inevitably earned her the most prestigious and highest award in Girl Scouting, the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Although I knew that it would be hard to create a Gold Award Project so far away from home with unfamiliar peo-ple speaking an unfamiliar language, I knew that nothing was impossible if I believed that what I was doing was beneficial and important to people, said Shreya.

And it is important to the people of rural Bihar, India, where hospitals are far away and hard to access while inju-ries happen frequently. If someone falls unconscious or severely injures him/herself, it takes approximately 28 minutes, if not more, due to traffic and availability, for an ambulance to arrive. In that much time, a severely injured or unconscious person can possibly die.

Communicating was the biggest challenge, said Shreya who collec-tively taught First Aid and CPR to over 1,000 students at eight schools during a three-week span over the summer. I connected with the village commu-nity and the children I taught because I laughed with them when I made

mistake in my Hindi and we formed a sense of friendship.

Shreya taught CPR and First Aid to address issues like choking, external bleeding and/or broken bones, head injuries, heat stroke, and dehydration.

I hope that the students realized that they have the power to save peoples lives, said Shreya, I hope the knowledge they gained inspired them to make a difference in their communities.

Read more about Shreya and other amazing Girl Scouts at www.gshpa.org.

CGirl ScoutLIVESTO SAVE

goes global

Meet

Leadership UpdateWhether you picked up a fork, laced up your sneakers, or both-

thank you for your support at our annual fundraisers Fork It Over (Sept. 15 in Dallastown, PA) and Thin Mint Sprint (Oct. 4 in Boals-

burg, PA). Even though first place trophies were awarded for best dishes and fastest times, the real winners are our Girl Scouts who

will continue to do amazing things thanks to YOU!

Thanks for your Support!

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PROUD SUPPORTER OF Dear Friends,

There are so many things that unite us as Girl Scouts. We have troop numbers, uniforms, and badges of skills earned. But there is so much more beyond the physical symbols that tells the community and the world who we are. What really makes us a Girl Scout?

Its the memories-like meeting the girls in your troop for the first time. Or packing your bag up for camp. It is holding hands in a friendship circle and inviting everyone to join in.

Its the things that you do-like helping those in need and com-ing together to make an even larger impact in the community or being a friend to someone in need. Being a Girl Scout is devel-oping the character to be the girl that stands out and stands up when needed.

Its the people that are there for you. People like other Girl Scouts, volunteers, parents, donors, community partners and staff who believe that every girl has something amazing to offer the world.

At the 2015 Volunteer KickOff we announced that our inspira-tional word for the year, our driving force for everything we do as a council, is unity. Not just for the color green, or the love of cookies, but because we believe that when we work together we can do incredible things for our Girl Scouts.

Whether you lead a troop or are a parent that pitches in or a do-nor who believes in investing in the power of girls, I look forward to another year of working alongside you to make a monumen-tal difference in over 17,000 Girl Scouts lives.

P.S. If anyone knows the power of unity, it is all of our United Way partners from across our footprint. A huge thank you to all of our United Ways for empowering us to empower girls.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Veronica Longenecker Board Chair

Susan KreidlerActing CEO

Introducing our New CEO! We are excited to announce a new

addition to the GSHPA Team-Ellen Kyzer! Be sure to check out next edition for her very first Connections letter to find out

why she loves Girl Scouts!

Leadership Update

3

In the game of wants vs. needs it is easy to see that girls just want to have fun, but they also need to learn some essential financial literacy skills to give them the confidence to make sound money decisions for their future. Thats where GSHPAs financial literacy program, Change It Up!s Money on the Move Tour comes in.

40 eager Girl Scouts at the Capital City Mall in Camp Hill kicked off the first stop of the tour on Sat., Oct. 24. Money on the Move Tour has interactive game stations that breaks down financial literacy and makes it less scary, easy to understand, and fun, said GSHPAs Program Manager, Kelsey Evans.

Life-size Jenga, Connect Four, and a grab-what-you-can Money Vault were just some of the show stoppers at the tour. Each fun activity has a budgeting and mathematics twist that shows girls that financial literacy can be exciting. I like how it

makes learning about money fun for younger girls, said 11 year-old Isabelle OShell from Wormleysburg.

With one stop down and four more to go, Money on the Move Tour is making its way through GSHPAs council and making an impact on girls futures. We want Girl Scouts to learn how to successfully plan for their future and more importantly realize that even though theyre kids, they can start building their future now. Said Evans.

Dont think the fun will stop when Money on the Move Tour leaves town! There are still plenty of exciting Change It Up! Programs on our calendar! Build My Biz (Jan. 30 in Harrisburg), College Day (March 26 at Bucknell University), and tons of Super Shoppers (participating GIANT Food Stores across council).

Where WANTS Meets NEEDS

..................................MONEY ON THE MOVE

For more information, visit www.gshpa.org.

Insuring

Girl Scouts The need is greater now than it ever has been before with the different kinds of challenges, pressures and issues that girls face today, said Kate Crowley from Tunkhannock, PA (Wyoming County). That is one of the reasons why Kate is dedicated to insuring the future of girls involved with Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania through planned giving.

As a volunteer Kate has given her time to GSHPAs board helping the organization navigate through difficult choices and big celebrations like the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts. I am now retired and dont have the same income level that I used to, she explained, I wanted to do something permanent and long lasting. I wanted to make a commitment to an organization that I believe in.

Choosing GSHPA as her life insurance beneficiary was an easy choice for Kate and also an easy process. It was a matter of going online with my insurance company, going into my account and changing the beneficiary, she explained, It was just a couple of keystrokes on the computer and that was it.

Kate is a huge advocate for organizations that support youth programs and believes Girl Scouts has given careful thought to develop beneficial programs about specific issues facing girls like bullying and financial literacy. As girls continue to face an increasing number of pressures at school and home, she hopes they continue to get involved and benefit from Girl Scouts. I want Girl Scouts to be around for another 100 years and celebrate its 200th Anniversary. Thanks to Kates contribution, girls futures are a bit brighter.

GSHPA is named as a beneficiary of Kates life insurance policy, which will bequest funds to GSHPA and designated to be used where needed most.

For more information about how to make GSHPA the beneficiary of your insurance policy, please contact development@gshpa.org or call Deb Hess at 800.692.7816.

Kate CrowleyGSHPA volunteer, advocate,

Circle of Friends member & Planned Giving Donor

the Future of

I have definitely gained a lot of respect for all troop leaders who take the time to be volunteers, said Kaitlyn Graf, 17, from Mount Wolf, who is stepping up her role from Ambassador Girl Scout to lead Junior Troop 21157 on the aMUSE Journey: Its Your Story-Tell It.

Even though Kaitlyn is a Girl Scout, just like her Junior Troop, she has the ability to show them everything a Girl Scout can do! Girl

Scouts isnt just for girls. It is for all ages, said Kaitlyn, I want to show the girls that Girl Scouts can grow into

bigger things.

The lifetime Girl Scout, AP Honors student, part-time worker,

and drama club member has dipped into the

Troop Leader

role to fulfill both her high school senior and Girl Scout service proj-ects requirements. Even though theres not much downtime in this teenagers weekly schedule, you wont hear her complain. In fact she feels like she gets more than she gives. The benefit that you get isnt money. It is the experience of seeing the girl in front of you grow up and feeling inspired that its because of you, said Kaitlyn.

The aMUSE Journey is all about making connections with people in the world. That is exactly what Kaitlyn is doing with her Girl Scouts. I want them to know that I am not just some stranger, that I am there to connect with them, she said.

What once started out as a group of shy Juniors, who were too timid to answer Kaitlyns questions, have now flowered into a smiling and enthusiastic group. I love working with them, said Kaitlyn. I am lucky to have such an amazing group of girls to teach.

Growing Up Girl Scout: Ambassador Leading Juniors

5

6July 10-16, 2016

Girl Scouts was the perfect place for Lauren to meet lifetime friends and just live, said Pam

Saylor, step-mother to Lauren Saylor who was a lifelong Girl Scout and a Central Dauphin High School graduate. On May 1, 2014, Lauren passed away as a result from a car accident at the young age of 24.

We are sad that Lauren is gone, but we cel-ebrate everything that she has done, said Pam,

Besides being a mother, I think one of her best and proudest moments was being a Girl Scout.

And theres a lot to be proud of. Over 13 years, Lauren experienced everything she could with Girl Scouts from earning awards to traveling across the country. She saw more of this world as a Girl Scout than she ever would have on her own, said Pam.

But even just the small things like drinking hot chocolate with her troop were some of Laurens favorite memo-ries. I learned from her that the little issues, while they seem huge and important in the moment, are just a small piece of the big picture. She just wanted to have fun and make memories, said Devin Andren, Laurens fellow Girl Scout and friend.

She had a wonderful childhood and she wouldnt have been the kid she was without Girl Scouts, said Laurens father, Chuck Saylor who fondly remembers bridging ceremonies, Bowling with Dad events, and dropping her off at Camp Small Valley for the first time.

Lauren loved camping whether she was with her close-knit Girl Scout Troop #913 or with Girl Scouts shes never met before. She would go on a trip with 25 total strang-ers and come out with 25 new friends, said Chuck.

Thanks to those forever Girl Scout friends, like Devin, her memory will live on forever. Laurens Girl Scout troop placed a tribute plaque at Camp Small Valley, her favor-ite camp. Knowing that his daughters memory will live on at camp drew a smile to Chuck's face as he proudly said, Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout.

For more information on how you can honor a Girl Scout who made a differ-ence in your life contact development@gshpa.org.

ABOVE: Lauren Saylor's Brownie Investiture Ceremony in 1996. AT LEFT: Laurens childhood Girl Scout Troop #913 placed a trib-ute plaque at Camp Small Valley, her favorite camp. ``

memorial TRIBUTELauren E. SaylorDecember 27, 1989 - May 1, 2014

`

A circle is ROUND, it has no END.

That is how long I will be your FRIEND...

;

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Circle of Friends

By joining the Circle of Friends, individuals who make annual gifts totaling $1,000 or more become a part of a select group of leadership donors who are deeply committed to helping todays girls become tomorrows leaders. We thank the following members of the Circle of Friends for their generosity.

Silver Sponsors: Individuals who contribute an annual gift of $1,000 - $2,499.

Golden Friends: Individuals who pledge to contribute $1,000 - $2,499 per year for 3 years.

Bridge to the Future Society: Individuals who contribute an annual gift of $2,500 or more.

Mrs. Joanne BankosMs. Mimi Barash Coppersmith

Ms. Katherine BishopMs. Amy DeShong

Ms. E. Louise HepschmidtMr. and Mrs. William Hoffmann

Mr. and Mrs. Paul JohnMrs. Jane Ransom

Mrs. Marion C. AlexanderMrs. Nancy Besch

Mrs. Linda GallMrs. Debra HessMs. Betsy Keefer

Ms. Susan KreidlerMrs. Barbara Palmer

Mr. and Mrs. Neal RhoadsMrs. Dianne Steimling

Mr. and Mrs. James AppleMs. Virginia BanksMrs. E. Lee Beard

Ms. Karen BestMs. Debra BowmanMr. Michael BreslinMr. Thomas Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. BrownMrs. Catherine Bush

Mrs. Kate CrowleyMrs. Linda Davis

William E.C. & Mary Dearden Ms. Joy Dougherty

Ms. Tiffany GibbonsMs. Virginia Goodrich

Mrs. Sara Hannigan

Mr. Daniel HawbakerMs. Joan Henderson

Mr. Norman K. A. HofferMrs. Dolly Lalvani

Ms. Bernadette LearMrs. Veronica Longenecker

Mrs. Joan MummertMs. Heidi Nicholas

Mr. and Mrs. Robert PulloMr. and Mrs. Donald Roseth

Mrs. Karen SniderMrs. Milicent Treat

Mr. and Mrs. Paul WareMr. Paul Witt

Ms. Coni Wolf

Circle of Friends Members

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All-inclusive Adventure includes: Flights + 1 bag Lodging Food Ground transportation Horseback Riding Canyoneering Whitewater Rafting Hiking

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Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania350 Hale AvenueHarrisburg, PA 17104800.692.7816www.gshpa.org | general@gshpa.org

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