1Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org

AVEAVETHE JERSEY SHORE

Trip of a LifetimeJersey Shore Girl Scouts

head ‘Down Under’Five Minutes

Girl Scouting encourages a global mission

Girl to GirlFormer ‘Spy Kid’ takes

on BroadwayFALL 2007Volume 1 • Issue 1

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore

2

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore(800) 785-2090www.girlscoutsjs.orgOcean Service Center1405 Old Freehold RoadToms River, NJ 08753Monmouth Service Center242 Adelphia RoadFarmingdale, NJ 07727

Board of DirectorsJoAnn McCannPresident Dr. Grace Hickey First Vice President Judy Hart Second Vice PresidentDiane Friel-Padlo Third Vice President Bonnie Chankalian Secretary Jerry Cevetello Treasurer

Ex-Officio Officers Barbara Birdsall, Esq.Deborah Palmer

Members at LargeGeraldine Bownik Gary Casperson Julian Castellanos Toni Clay Carolyn Coates Dolores Coulter Debra Dobies Barbara Dunzelman Major Wendy Galloway Maryanne Gearing Barry Johnson Frances Keane Roger Keil Craig Lynch Bill MacDonaldHarriet Primack Charles Richter, Jr. Penny Rone Shrabanee Shah Roberta Sheridan Karen Souffrant Ben Waldron Jeanine Willis April Yezzi

Executive StaffSusan H. McClureChief Executive OfficerRichard RenzulliChief Operating OfficerBahiyyah AbdullahSenior Director, Membership and MarketingJenny CodySenior Director, Program ServicesPatricia J. KurzSenior Director, Facilities and Camping ServicesRonni NeiverthChief Financial OfficerPat WalshSenior Director, Fund Development and Public Relations

Message from the President and Chief Executive Officer

Summer is a chance for many people to step back and take a break from the pressures of work and school. This is also true for thousands of our Girl Scout troops, parents and volunteers in Monmouth and Ocean counties. For some girls however, this summer was the busiest and most exciting time of their year – a season they had been counting the days to arrive. More than 100 local girls spent part of this summer traveling the world. Thanks to their involvement with Girl Scouts they were able to visit Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and England. Many other girls traveled to locations closer to home, including Hershey, Pennsylvania and Williamsburg, Virginia.Some girls did not even need to leave the state to have an exciting Girl Scout summer. They spent time at Camp Amity Acres and Camp Sacajawea, making new friends, learning new skills and exploring elements of nature they may have never seen before.All these exciting adventures were possible thanks to our many adult volunteers and donors. Your gifts of time and treasure allow us to support girls and underwrite their childhood dreams. Without your philanthropic support we would be unable to maintain our position as the go-to organization for girls.

We are excited about your involvement as we begin our new adventure as the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. We feel your enthusiasm — we share it as well. A little over a year ago, both of us had our own unique roles in two separate councils. One was the outgoing president of the Girl Scouts of Ocean County; the other was finishing her seventh year as chief executive officer of the Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts. Today, we are pleased to lead the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore together. By combining the resources of our former councils we are able to offer more to all girls in Monmouth and Ocean counties. We are excited to be able to grow along with them as they become our leaders of tomorrow. As you return to the pressures of work and school we thank you for finding the time to make Girl Scouts a part of your life. Even more importantly, your daughters thank you and thousands of young girls you have never met thank you.

Sincerely,

Susan H. McClure JoAnn McCannChief Executive Officer President

Table of Contents

Australia ......................3

Girl to Girl .................. 4

Five Minutes ...............5

Camp Counselors .....6

No Mullignas .............7

Gold Awards ........8-11

Senior Managers ... 11

Troop News ....... 12-14

McClure

McCann

While touring Australia on a trip organized by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, Christine Gorczca scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef.

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Message from the President and Chief Executive Officer

We saw a show in the ‘Crocoseum’ with the massive crocodiles. We were taken back by the outpouring of love and admiration when we saw the memorial to wildlife warrior Steve Irwin.”

For 16-year-old Colleen Renzulli, also a member of Troop 355, that day was also a highlight of the trip. “It was weird to drive on the wrong side of the road and have the steering wheel on the opposite side,” she said.

“At the zoo we got to see crocodiles, dingoes, a Tasmanian devil, a camel, elephants, echidnas and so many more animals,” said Renzulli. “We pet the kangaroos and wallabies at this zoo as well as at the zoo in Kuranda.”

The girls also climbed to the top of the Sydney Bridge; spent a night at a cattle ranch in Cooper Downs, where they rode horses and learned to play cricket, and visited a crocodile farm.

“Some of us tried the crocodile soup, it was not that bad,” said 16-year-old Christine Gorczca, a member of Troop 465. “We hunted for crocodile and saw many. We even got the chance to hold a baby crocodile.”

The trip included a lot of water adventures, like learning how to surf at Surfer’s Paradise, canoeing at Fraser Island and snorkeling.

Scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef was the highlight of the trip for Gorczca. “It was the greatest event ever—scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef,” she explained. “We saw lots of fish, swam through coral, getting stung and bleeding. I thought sharks were going to come after me.

“We all got the chance to touch a pineapple sea cucumber, a starfish and a really big fish with a really long name—Hump Headed Morai Wrasse—also known as Wally,” she added.

In addition, the girls attended an opera at the renowned Sydney Opera House. “The opera was called the Barber of Seville and it was very good,” said

Renzulli. “It was in Italian, but there were English subtitles so you knew what was going on.”

On their last day, the girls visited a koala farm in Kuranda.

“We held a koala and got to feed kangaroos; what a way to end the trip,”

Gorczca said. “I know that everyone on the trip had a blast.”

“This was truly an adventure of a lifetime,” added Masterson.

Colleen Renzulli poses in Steve Irwin’s truck at a memorial to the “Wildlife Warrior” at the Australia Zoo.

Jessica Gorczca holds a koala bear in Kuranda on the last day of the Girl Scouts Australia trip.

Trip of a LifetimeJersey Shore Girl Scouts head ‘Down Under’ for an Australian adventure

Cuddly koalas; hopping kangaroos and wallabies; laughing kookaburras, and giant fish were some of the animals 28 Girl Scouts encountered during an 18-day trip to Australia this summer.

Several of the girls paid less than $100 for this trip of a lifetime, thanks to their product sales efforts over the past two years. The trip, which took them from Sydney to Cairns, would have otherwise cost them more than $4,500.

“One part that stood out for me was the Australia Zoo,” said Chelsea Masterson, a member of Troop 355 in Toms River. We visited on one of our free days.

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org

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Girl to Girl

Child star ‘spies’ successAlexa Vega is best known as the star of the “Spy Kids” movies, but the 19-year-old’s impressive resumé shows a wide range of talents and abilities. She recently completed a run on Broadway, appearing in the musical “Hairspray” as Penny Pingleton. She has also appeared in “The Deep End of the Ocean” as Michelle Pfeiffer’s daughter; “Twister” as the young Helen Hunt; director Ron Reiner’s “Ghosts of Mississippi,” and the upcoming “The Beautiful Ordinary.”

Recently, Teen Girl Scout Nicole Garbe from the Sugarberry Service Unit met with Vega at Manchester Middle School and spoke with her about her career.

Q: How did you become interested in acting?From a very young age, it was something that came naturally to me. I was always trying to entertain people and get a laugh out of somebody… As I got older, I realized this is truly what I’d love to continue to do and I figured if I can get a reaction out of somebody, whether I make them laugh, cry, mad, angry or sad, that’s a reaction I know I was able to cause just by playing a character.

Q: I know you’re doing “Hairspray” on Broadway, how is performing different live on Broadway different from shooting a film?Shooting a film, you have this great sense of accomplishment and it’s a lot of long working hours and when it’s done, you’re like, “Yay, it’s over, now I can’t wait for it to come out.” When it finally comes out, it’s so satisfying you’re able to take it home with you forever. With theater, it’s instant gratification. You get the rush and thrill of the audience, but it’s short-lived and it goes away.

Q: Are you living in New York by yourself?This is the first time I’m living on my own and it’s the hardest, most annoying thing in the world… It’s lonely; I don’t like that. You learn to appreciate little things, like have a washer and dryer in your house or a disposal in your sink. Little things you can’t get in New York City. Even grocery shopping, which I love doing back home, here it’s such a pain and groceries are triple the price, so it’s the grown-up, adult kind of feeling, living on your own. I don’t like it, I’m ready to get back home and be a kid.

Q: If there was anything you could change about yourself what would it be?I was really lazy growing up… not lazy, but I just wasn’t as committed. If I had focused a little bit more, I could have had a lot more accomplished. It messed up a couple of the films I wanted to do, just because I was goofing around instead of focusing on acting and really enhancing my craft. That’s something I regret because I missed out on great opportunities. I learned from that and I’ll work harder.

Q: If a young kid wanted to become an actor how would they go about doing that?If you want to pursue acting, I have to forewarn you: there’s a lot of rejection, you’ll hear one hundred “no’s” before one “yes.” That’s something you have to be ready for. A lot of times people think “I’m going to move to L.A., I’m going to become a movie star.” Well, a thousand, ten thousand, other people are thinking that same thing. If it’s really something that you want to do, it’s pure dedication and hard work; no laziness on your part. You have to be on 100 percent or it’s not going to work out because there are so many people wanting the same thing.

Alexa Vega, second from left, performs on Broadway in the musical “Hairspray.”

Alexa Vega and Nicole Garbe

To read Nicole Garbe’s complete interview with Alexa Vega, visit www.girlscoutsjs.org.

5Girl Scouts. Where Girls Grow Strong.Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org

FIVE MINUTES

Girl Scouting encourages local woman to take on a global missionAlthough she’s only 21-years-old, Emma Fawcett has already taught English in Guatemala and Brazil and traveled to Thailand as part of Global Partnerships for Activism and Cross-Cultural Training. Her goal is to earn a Master’s degree in special education with an undergraduate degree in Spanish and political science. After graduating, she wants to work with governmental organizations in Latin America to improve child education issues. A life-long Girl Scout from Troop 137 in the Howell/Farmingdale Service Unit, Emma credits Girl Scouts for helping her discover her life’s passion. For the past five years, she has worked as a counselor at Camp Sacajawea and served on its leadership team.

Q: Do you see yourself continuing as a Girl Scout as an adult?I will definitely be involved for the rest of my life, because I think it’s a really exciting place to see how people grow and change and to continue evolving yourself as an adult.

Q: How have the values learned in Girl Scouting influenced your decision to do charity work? There are a lot of young people my age who have never had the opportunity to work with children or to teach a skill they know to somebody younger than them. That is something that Girl Scouting makes important, especially as you go from senior to older girl.

Emma Fawcett returns to Camp Sacajawea to work as a counselor every summer. She’s been involved with Girl Scouts since she was a Daisy.

Q: How has Girl Scouting helped shape you into the adult you are becoming?I think Girl Scouting gives very important core values and they definitely matched my family’s core values. They’re things I will definitely carry forward through adulthood

Q: When did you first become a Girl Scout?My Girl Scout troop was together since I was a Daisy. There were five of us, who by the end of our senior year had graduated with Gold Awards. It was like a second family with our leaders as our second moms. It was a very caring environment, where it was safe to try new things because you knew, whether you fail or succeed, there is going to be somebody there to back you up and help you out.

Emma Fawcett has traveled the world to educate children. Recently, she made friends with a three Cambodian students while attending a global training program in Thailand.

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More Than a Job

Camp counselors find joy helping young girlsCamp is a summer ritual for many Girl Scouts. Some love it so much they come back as counselors and volunteers to help other girls make fond summer memories.

“Camp is the best thing about summer,” said 16-year-old Rebecca Cora Van Ness, a first-year counselor at Camp Amity Acres.

“There’s a relationship with the girls; they come back and remember you. You have an impact on their lives,” said 23-year-old Ashleigh Edwards. This is Edwards’ fifth summer as a counselor at Camp Sacajawea where she is a performing arts specialist.

This impact on girls is why junior lifeguard Samantha Maxwell began volunteering last year. “I remember how much fun I had here (at Camp Sacajawea) and I looked at being a counselor as the coolest thing in the world. It’s great to be that for a girl,” said 14-year-old Maxwell, who has been attending Sacajawea since age 6.

Camp Amity Acres Program Director Megan Vander Leeuw has the same feeling for the Waretown camp. “I was a camper here and I loved it so much I never really left.”

Vander Leeuw has been a counselor for eight years after serving as a camp aid for two years. “I love to interact with the kids.”

The best thing about working with the kids is seeing the girls utilize the skills they’ve learned, said Charles Trott, who teaches girls at Camp Sacajawea archery, canoeing, lifeguarding and swimming. The worst days are “there are no worse days, I love my job.”

Trott has been working for the Girl Scouts since the age of 15 after lifeguarding elsewhere because Camp Sacajawea was more appealing with better activities. This is his seventh season. “It’s a very positive atmosphere constantly.”

Jennifer Barney, who runs the store at Camp Amity Acres, said “camp is like being a kid again and getting paid for it.”

“I love camp, I love being in the woods,” the mother of four added.

Ashleigh Edwards, left, Camp Sacajawaea’s performing arts specialist, dances during the camp production of “High School Musical,” which she choreographed.

Megan Vander Leeuw, Camp AmityAcres program director, works on scheduling fun activities and programs for the girls in her office in Waretown.

Feeling nutty?Direct booth sales begin November 9th.

Locations will be listed at www.girlscoutsjs.org.

7Girl Scouts. Where Girls Grow Strong.Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org

No MulligansGolfers “chip” in to support Girl Scout programs

Honoring difference makersRecognizing adult leaders as role models and mentors for girls is a vital part of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore’s mission in the community. Every year, it hosts the annual Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Award Luncheon to acknowledge leaders, both men and women, who demonstrate these qualities in their everyday lives.

This year, the council honored Gerry Norkus and Domenick Servodio. The event took place Oct. 11 at Woodlake Country Club, Lakewood.

Norkus and his wife Lorraine are the parents of two sons. He is the president and owner of Norkus Enterprises, Inc. In addition, Norkus is chairman of the Foodtown, Inc. board of directors and a director of the New Jersey

Food Council. Norkus is also committed to a number of organizations aimed at improving the quality of life in the community, including the Collier Services Foundation board; the Millstone Jaycees and Freehold Rotary Club, and the CentraState Healthcare System.

Servodio, who lives in Toms River with his family, is the vice president of new business and government banking at Commerce Bank in Toms River. He also devotes his free time to many civic organizations, including the Jersey Shore Council, Boy Scouts of America; Toms River Student Loan Fund; Toms River/Ocean County Chamber of Commerce; Brick Rotary Club; Brick Chamber of Commerce; Preferred Behavioral Health of NJ; Brookdale College Foundation and Georgian Court College; Prevention First, and the Diocese of Trenton.

Monique Rystrom, Nahja Cooper, Rachel Kelly and Caroline Harvey serve food at the refreshment stand during the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore’s inaugural event, the 16th Annual Monmouth Golf Classic.

More than 110 golfers braved temperatures close to 100 degrees on July 9 while participating in the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore’s inaugural event, the 16th Annual Golf Classic. The event at Jumping Brook Country Club, Neptune, netted approximately $39,000.

Gerry Norkus, president of Point Pleasant based-Norkus Foodtown, chaired the tournament. Norkus was also honored Oct. 11 at the annual Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Award Luncheon.

Girls from the Ocean Service Unit volunteered to assist golfers throughout the day. Troop 727’s Monique Rystrom and Caroline Harvey; Troop 61’s Nahja Cooper, and Troop 99’s Rachael Kelly served hot dogs, snacks and drinks at the halfway house on the course. Later in the day, Caroline also thanked the guests at lunch for their generous donations that support Girl Scout programs.

One lucky golfer won $192 for being closest to the pin, beating out six other golfers in a putt-off. Unfortunately, no one claimed the hole-in-one prizes—a Mercedes, a Hyundai, BlueClaws season tickets and a player piano — but, there’s always next year!

After playing, golfers cooled off while enjoying a delicious barbeque lunch and bidding on items such as Southwest Airline tickets, Mets baseball tickets and designer handbags during a silent auction.

Gerry Norkus Domenick Servodio

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Making a Difference: Hard work demonstrates Gold Award is

something earned, not won.Twenty-seven girls in Monmouth and Ocean counties earned the Girl Scout Gold Award this past year for projects that included helping special needs children learn to dance, promoting Parkinson’s disease awareness and sending neck coolers to solders in Iraq.“The Gold Award is a great personal achievement for the girls who earn it because it shows not only dedication to the Girl Scouts but to their community as well,” said DeAnna Poole, older girl program specialist. “Their commitment to this 65-hour project also displays an extremely high work ethic and value system that will make these girls a valuable asset to any university that they are planning to attend or organization that they may join. I have no doubt that they will successfully complete the goals they have currently set for themselves and hope to achieve in the future.”

Chelsea BaumannJacksonBrownie Mystery Try-It CamporeeChelsea planned andran a council-wideBrownie encamp-ment at Camp

Amity Acres for her Gold AwardProject. The Brownie Girl Scouts earned the Mystery Try-It. Chelsearesearched and wrote a finger-printing presentation and created a poster board-sized maze for the girls to have paper clip races. During the encampment the girls learned how Morse Code was invented, made necklaces spelling out their names in Morse Code and sent secret messages to their friends to decode.

Rachel BeckettToms RiverRecruiting More Girls into Girl ScoutingRachel plannedand conducted a Teen Girl Scout night that intro-duced girls to

activities in Teen Girl Scouting. She also worked with a troop andassisted them in planning and running a camporee as well as conducted a swap night recruitment event. She continued her recruiting enthusiasm by visiting Intermediate School East, Toms River, promoting Girl Scouting to non-Girl Scouts.

Abigail Mae ChekJacksonPromoting Parkinson Disease AwarenessAbigail spoke tomany groups andpeople of different

ages to inform them of the facts about Parkinson’s Disease. She taught them not to be afraid of people with this disease and created interactive projects and bracelets. Abigail also planned a Parkinson Group Anniversary luncheon/seminar at the Toms River Elks Club where she and two guests spoke to the group. Abigail plans to continue with her crusade educating people about Parkinson’s disease and participated in a group walk in September.

Kristen ClarkeOcean TownshipOperation Clean LakeTaught the value of living in a clean environment by the youth within her community, Kristen decided to make a difference by cleaning Deal Lake. She had Clean Sweep, a local community organization, add Deal Lake as one of their clean-up sites and publicized the event using Ocean 77, a local television station.

Jennifer CrowRumsonKeeping your Child SafeJennifer organizeda child identifica-tion program inRed Bank wherechildren were finger-

printed and interviewed; a DNA sample and a photograph were taken, and they had their height and weight checked. The program, which was offered to children all over Monmouth County, was designed to reduce the number of missing children and abductions in the area.

Alicia DaubertLincroftDance Lesson for Special Needs ChildrenAlicia wanted a place where special needs elementary and high school students could come together and have fun while learning a basic line dances, the Cha-Cha Slide and the Chicken Dance. The first two Saturdays of the program were used to teach the children the dance and the third was used for a performance and party.

“The Gold Award is a great personal achievement for the girls who earn it because it shows not only dedication to

the Girl Scouts but to their community as well”—DeAnna Poole

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org 9

Marissa DellaFaveWanamassaPlant Invasion 911Marissa addressed the issue of the invasive plant Japanese Barberry for her project. After recruiting volunteers to remove 70 percent of these plants from Allaire State Park, she informed the public about the plant and how to controlits population within the park. Marissa also taught a seminar that included a wildlife badge.

Lori DeLuca and Jessica deRenzyJacksonPrescription ComfortLori and Jessica provided comfort to families of ter-minally ill children by making and serving dinners to them and giving extra care tothe hospitalizedchildren. They bothvolunteered in the Pediatric Intensive

Care Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center where they learned to interact with staff and patients. They also got younger troops involved by donating gifts and crafts to the hospital.

Heather FoxtonWallTeen Awareness DayHeather held a Teen AwarenessDay last Septemberat the Monmouth

Mall. The goal of the program was to inform and help teens with issues they face in their daily lives. Some of the issues tackled were Internet safety, dating and relationships, substance abuse and self image.

Alissa GalloOcean TownshipGirls Night OutAlissa used thetheme of “Girls Night Out” as a teen forum to help empower girls inMonmouth County.

She held seminars discussing violenceand dating, gender stereotypes and self defense.

Mallory GarbaravageLittle Egg HarborTennis Chicks“Tennis Chicks,” isa healthy lifestyle program for younggirls. The program was conducted in

three parts: healthy eating, stretches, and out on the courts. The girls learned about the food pyramid through fun activities. Next, the girls learned about tennis and the correct stretches to do before going out on the court. The final part to the project was “out on the courts” where the girls learned the basics of tennis. Mallory concluded the project by presenting each girl with a certificate.

Aimee GaudioAsbury ParkNeck CoolersWorking with theUnited States Army,Aimee came up withthe idea of neck coolers for the soldiers serving in

Iraq. She created 250 of the neck coolers, a sewn device filled with water that helps keep a soldiersneck cool.

Danielle GibbonOakhurstWhat’s Inside CountsDanielle’s project informed people about the impor-tance of organ

donation. During a student-teacher volleyball game, Danielle and volunteers handed out pamphlets, donor cards and organ awareness bracelets. She also made 105 pillows by hand, donating them to a local dialysis center for patients to use while they receive treatment.

Shannon HarrisonBayvilleChurch PondShannon built apond at the Faith C o m m u n i t y United Methodist

Church. In addition to the pond, Shannon created flowerbeds, side-walks and installed benches and stepping-stones for the members of the church to enjoy. The stepping-stones were created using the colors of the “Wordless Book” and were used to teach the Sunday School children. In addition, Shannon organized an “Adopt a Flowerbed” program for families attending the church.

Sierra KnottsWest Long BranchGlobal Awareness FairSierra provided an opportunity for the public to

see the effects of global warming on our environment. After showing the documentary “Kilowatt Ours” by Jeff Barie, various organizations, such as New Jersey Natural Gas and the US Green Building Counicl, were given tables to offer solutions to help the environment.

Congratulationsto all the

2007 Gold Award honorees

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Jessica KrugWallNutrition MissionWith the growingrate of childhood obesity, Jessica wanted to informthe community

of the importance of a healthy diet and exercise for her project. Through a series of organized workshops, Jessica provided information on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle within the fast-paced society we live in.

Lindsey Mangione, Bridget McFadden, Arianna Rocco, Alanna Sansone, and Amanda VeroAberdeen

Matawan Women’s ClubThe girls of Troop 476 provided help to the Historical Women’s Club of Matawan by raising awareness of the club in hopes to help them recruit new members. Each girl completed the required hours for the project, which also included the establishment of a food pantry and a library, landscaping, restoring bathrooms and painting.

Jillian McLeerToms RiverYouth Volunteer DirectoryJillian created a booklet listing v o l u n t e e r opportunities for teens in

Toms River by visiting and touring facilities such as Community Medical Center, the Ocean County Library, Island Beach State Park, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program of Ocean County and Cattus Island Park. She also spoke to key personnel on the phone and explored their websites. Included in the booklet is how these volunteer programs can lead to careers for students in various fields such as medicine, law and humanities.

Stella PetersMarlboroExtended ArtStella provided an art class for children withlearning disabili-ties. She usedthe art classes

for an after school activity thatbuilt self esteem in a safe environment .

Andrea Plotts and Catherine LoBriaco HeathOcean TownshipGrowing through the Great Escape and Realizing the PotentialCatherine and Andrea focused on the women and children ofLinkages, anEaster Seals spon-sored women’s shelter. Andrea

put together programs that focusedon stress management and offeredcrafts that emphasized hobbiesand nutrition for the women and children. All the women were

able to attend because of the child care offered by Catherine. Some of the activities included books, games and crafts forchildren 3 to 12 years old.

Alysha SagonaOakhurstButterfly GardenAfter hearing thather township called upon theGirl Scouts tobuild a butterfly garden, Alysha

decided to answer. The butterfly garden was built in Ocean Town-ship to provide a place for people within the town to observe butterflies in their natural habitat.

Samantha ScheerOcean TownshipCarnival that CaresFor her project, Samantha orga-nized the Carnivalthat Cares with the Association

of Retarded Citizens to challenge those that participated to helpthe community and get involvedwith ARC. The hour and a half carnival had games, food and prizes.

Stephanie TietzTinton FallsSports Over DrugsStephanie incor-porated drug education with sports for her

project to encourage the choice of sports over drugs. A tennis clinic was held in conjunction with a half-hour drug education seminar. The D.A.R.E. organization helped provide information for the event and educated kids on the idea of saying no to drugs and yes to a healthy lifestyle.

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org 11

Support Future Girl ScoutsEveryone wants to make a difference in the world. A growing number of people are accomplishing this goal by making charitable bequests to non-profit organizations.Charitable bequests are a wonderful way of ensuring the causes you feel strongly about continue to be supported, even after you’ve passed on.

Bequests are:Easy—All that’s needed are a few simple sentences in your will.

Revocable—Until your will goes into effect you are free to alter your plans.

Versatile—You can bequest a specific item, a specific amount of money, or a percentage of the remainder of your estate.

For more information, contact Pat Walsh at (800) 785-2090, ext. 231 or pwalsh@girlscoutsjs.org.

Rebecca Cora Van NessWest CreekCommunity WalkRebecca crea-ted a six-weekwalking programwith Partners

in Health from Southern Ocean County Hospital. She involved 100 walkers, which included families and interested people from Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton, Eagleswood and Bass River Townships. The goal was to introduce families to a healthy lifelong activity. Numerous volun-teers helped Rebecca with posters, marking routes to walk and to follow up with the walkers. The program concluded with the Pinelands Community Cat Walk and a community walk in the Woodstock Development in Eagleswood Township.

Amanda WoodOakhurstEating Disorder AwarenessFor her project, Amanda edu-cated the public about eating disorders and

its effects on teenagers. Steph-anie wrote a play to share the information and conducted interviews.

Meet Your Girl Scout Leadership

Susan H. McClureChief Executive Officer

Richard RenzulliChief Operating Officer

Bahiyyah AbdullahSenior Director, Membership and Marketing

Pat WalshSenior Director, Fund Development and Public Relations

Ronni NeiverthChief Financial Officer

Patricia J. KurzSenior Director, Facilities and Camping Services

Jenny CodySenior Director, Program Services

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Point Pleasant Troop 617 conducted a campfire sing-a-long at CampSacajawea. The first-year Brownietroop remained active throughout the year, marching in the PointPleasant Memorial Day Parade, having a pool party and participating in an awards ceremony.

Troop 91 spread awareness of Girl Scouts by marching in a parade that took place at a Lakewood BlueClaws game.

Marlboro Troop 1221 used money earned through cookie sales to pay for a variety of events and activities. The sweetest was a visit to a Cold Stone Creamery where they learned how to make ice cream. They also hosted a Club Mud party and painted their own ceramic pieces. Cookie money was also used to help the community. The girls bought materials to create 100 activity kits for sick children at Jersey Shore Medical Center. Once finished, the girls visited the hospital to present their donation in person.

Troop News

Third grade Brownie and Daisy Girl Scouts from the Holmdel Service Unit picnicked in a tulip garden at Village Elementary School to celebrate their sisterhood. The Service Unit created the garden in Fall 2005. Every year, as third-grade troops move on, they leave their mark in a designated area by planting a bush with a troop stepping stone.

OctoberBreast Cancer Awareness Month

Juliette Low’s BirthdayApple Picking & Pumpkin Picking

Halloween, Hayrides & Corn Mazes

NovemberAmerican Diabetes Month

Nut Booth SalesFood Drive & Thanksgiving

Stop in for Fall & Winter fun patches at your Council Shop

Winter Shop HoursMonmouth Shop Hours

M,W,TH 8:30-5:00TUES 8:30-7:00FRI 8:30-4:003rd SAT 9:00-12:00

Ocean Shop HoursM,T,W 8:00-5:00TH 8:00-6:00Fri 8:00-4:001st Sat 9:00-12:00

DecemberCaroling

Ice SkatingHoliday Themes &

Winter Events

Keansburg’s Project Paul benefited from a food drive organized by Holmdel Service Unit Troop 1868. The girls collected donations with a food drive in Aberdeen. They also educated the community by creating flyers explaining Project Paul and listed the items needed by the organization. Lionel Menard, director of Project Paul, sent a letter to the troop thanking them for helping to feed almost 600 families.

Girls from Troop 222 in the Freehold Service Unit participated in the Spring Camp Sacajawea Cleanup Day in early March. The girls raked leaves, collected sticks for fires and had a great time while cleaning up Smoke Rise, where their troop planned a troop camping trip in April.

Shop the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore

13Girl Scouts. Where Girls Grow Strong.Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org

During EMS week in May, Neha Knona, Diana Mahon, Sameera Paralkar, Christina Reali, Komal Trivedi and Jessica Lessner, all members of Troop 1464, hosted a dinner to honor the Morganville First Aid Squad. The squad recently celebrated its 55th anniversary of service to the community.

Spooktacular!Hay Ride • Haunted House • Crafts • Dancing

Camp Sacajawea • Costumes welcome • Cost $6.50

Brownies - Friday, Oct. 19th 6-10 pmDaisies, Brownies and Families - Saturday, Oct. 20th 12-3 pm

Juniors - Saturday, Oct. 20th 6-10 pm

Preregistration is preferred.Call 800.785.2090 for information or visit www.girlscoutsjs.org.

Alexis Walsh, Stephanie Eng, Pam Levy, Monica Yan and Jackie Bauwens, all members of Marlboro Troop 1299, completed their Silver Award in June. With the help of their leaders, Louise Walsh and Judy Franco, they collected books from troops in the Service Unit; participated in the Freehold Ele-mentary School Literacy Program, and then donated the books.

Troop 1518 in the Marlboro Service Unit organized a birthday party for a two-year-old girl as part of the Birthday Buddies volunteer program. Kaitlyn Calogero, Tara Puccio, Kelly King, Sami Fuchs, Demi Vernikov, Lindsay Gross, Emilie Pistilli and Katie Parrinello earned their Bronze Awards for the activity. Birthday Buddies is a program that provides birthday parties for homeless children living with their mothers at Spring House, a transitional home for homeless women and children in Eatontown.

Evergreen Troop 315 explored Cattus Island Park in June, learning about animals and wetland conservation. At theCooper Environmental Center they were able to get up close and personal with a black rat snake and several different turtles. They also walked through the marsh area and were able to view a pair of nesting Ospreys in the distance.

Tammy Ong, Sarah Rozany, OliviaThompson, Megan Kudisch, Han-nah Burgess and Melissa Zarrella celebrated the end of the year for Brownie Troop 1784 with an event at American Girl Doll Place in New York City. This year, the girls are excited to become Junior Girl Scouts.

Brick Brownie Troop 1267 par-ticipated in a youth service project for Earth Day that also contributed to their Service Unit’s community service project. They raised storm drain awareness by spray-painting their troop number, a seahorse and a fish on the drain after removing the debris around it.

The Bayberry Service Unit ended its Girl Scout year with a wide variety of fun activities. In April, it hosted a Lip Sync that the girls loved. In May, it organized a Mom & Me Tea Party where the girls and their moms enjoyed brunch and

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Brownie Girl Scout Troop 164 of the Bayshore Service Unit in Keansburg installed a 700-sq.-ft. butterfly garden at Port Monmouth Road School. The first-year Brownies are in first and second grades and used most of the proceeds from their cookie sales to purchase specific plants from a list provided by the New Jersey Audobon Society.

Dogwood Teen Troop 386 visited the Pine Grove Dude ranch in the Catskills of New York. Not only did the girls learn to ride horseback, they also enjoyed songs, games, swimming, laser tag and eating all day long at the 24-hour snack bar. The troop also took part in seining at Cattus Island to help earn their From Shore to Sea IP and then ended the year with a beach jam at Island Beach State Park. Over the summer a few of the girls from the Troop remained busy, planning the Service Unit’s pirate-themed campout for their leadership award.

played a Girl Scouts trivia game while dressing in their Sunday best. The following month, several Girl Scouts walked in the Stafford Township Founder’s Day Parade.

Point Pleasant Troop 1396 organized a Health and Safety Fair for the community. Larissa Mullen, Megan McGarry, Shannon Lewandowski, Ashley Grant, Elisabeth Carter, Amanda Caprio and Betsy Jinks, all freshmen at Point Pleasant Boro High School, each earned their Silver Awards for the project.

Cadette Girl Scouts from Freehold Troop 1540 worked with three Spring Lake Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout Troops to help them earn an Oceanography Try-It from the Patriots Trail Council in Massachusetts. The Cadettes learned about various types of whales, made a seashell collage, and learned about the forces of waves and tides. They then shared that knowledge with Troop 908 and Troop 577.

Troop News

More than 250 girls and leaders from the Freehold Service Unit spent the first weekend of June at the Service Unit’s Umteenth Annual “Ocky” Spring Encampment in Medford. Girls engaged in all the good old-fashioned camp activities such as campfires, swimming in the lake, group chal-lenges, canoeing, archery, crafts, skit show, games, climbing wall, horseback riding and family-style dining. There was a beautiful bridging ceremony complete with Taps and candles, and hundreds of unique SWAPS to...well...swap.

Junior Troop 91 from Marlboro Service Unit learned about the environment while visiting the Manasquan Environmental Center. The girls learned about tent caterpillars and saw a family of eagles.

15Girl Scouts. Where Girls Grow Strong.Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore • www.girlscoutsjs.org

National glory found in everyday trashIn its first year of existence, Sugarberry Service Unit Troop 48 landed a spot in the national Girl Scout calendar for their “Art that’s Me” project. The project was part of GSUSA’s Recycled Art contest and earned each girl the “Art in 3D” merit badge.

“It started with what would normally be garbage,” said Cindy Kacperowski, troop co-leader, who explained that her Toms River-based troop of 10 girls created self-portraits using soda cans spray-painted a cream color. The cans were then decorated and accessorized with bits of trash and other scraps found in each girl’s home.

“You got to use things you would normally throw out to make something beautiful,” said Grace Talian, who created a self-portrait of herself playing guitar.

“You can make art out of trash,” added Amanda Kacperowski, who created a basketball player. She used a medicine cup as a hoop and an egg carton as the backboard for the court.

Other girls were equally as creative. Old batteries became legs for Kylie Halsey’s horse and Rachel Anton created a skirt out of tulle for her ballerina figurine and a mirror using aluminum foil. Other girls used newspaper, pipe cleaners, floppy disks and clear plastic wrap.

The troop was one of 12 nationally selected for the calendar, which is being produced as a fundraising tool for girl members.

Their artwork also received a gallery display at the national Girl Scout headquarters in New York City, with an additional gallery exhibit still in the planning stages.

Taste of the HolidaysSample the best food and wine from Monmouth and

Ocean counties’ most popular restaurants and wineries.

Monday, November 5th

Jumping Brook Country ClubTickets: $60 • Sponsorships available

Call 800.785.2090 for details or visit www.girlscoutsjs.org.

Kylie Halsey created a horse out of recycled materials as part of GSUSA’s Recycled Art contest.

Marlboro PrideAs soon as they arrived in the nation’s capital, members of the Marlboro Service Unit visited a sculpture garden to hang wishes of peace on the Peace Tree created by Yoko Ono. They then traveled to the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum.“There were Girl Scouts everywhere you looked,” said Jan Rybnicki, a leader of Troop 925. “There were more Girl Scouts than we even knew existed; some say there were 150,000 attending.”After the Sing-a-Long, the girls visited the Museum of American Art to see a portrait of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.Their last activity before returning home was a visit to the National Zoo where they took part in its Zoo Safari Program, a Girl Scout-developed activity that shows people how to compare the lives of the animals with their own.

Freehold FunIn addition to events planned around the national Sing-a-Long, girls from Freehold Service

Unit’s Troop 222 were also excited about meeting a long-lost friend.The troop has been together since they were Daisy Girl Scouts. While in

Washington, they arranged a slumber party with a former member of their troop who now lives in Vienna, Va.

Reunited for the weekend, the girls traveled by Metro with Girl Scouts from across the country to the National Mall.

Jersey Shore girls gather for Girl Scout birthdayTroops from across the country gathered in Washington on June 8 for the Girl Scouts’ 95th Anniversary Sing Along. Some estimates place the number of girls at more than 100,000.

Girls from the Marlboro Service Unit made sure their presences was known at the Girl Scout birthday celebration.