Know this about Girl Scouts: It's a whole lot more about careers than it is about cookies.
The sale of Thin Mint, Peanut Butter Sandwich, and Shortbread cookies returns in February. In the meantime, there are troops to build.
Signing on new members was the focus of a session Wednesday for young ladies and their leaders in the Circleville and Irwin areas. Girls in kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible for Girl Scouts.
Julie Henry, one of the leaders of the Circleville Service Unit, which is a part of the Keystone Tall Tree Girl Scout Council, said there are about 257 girls among the 28 troops in the council. Membership, Henry said, is climbing.
"I think it is going up," she said. "Each year they set us a goal and we do try to get more girls to participate. That's when you want to try to bring in the new girls and hopefully bring in more leaders. Overall we have been increasing every year."
Henry said the membership is strongest among elementary-school girls. The distractions that come with junior high school activities draw down interest in Scouting as the girls get older.
Still, she said, there is strong interest.
Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to go on hayrides, work at various program centers, tour a candy factory and, of course, go camping through the coming months.
"As a troop we're just getting started with our year," Henry said. "We do service projects. We're going to be having a family meeting night. If they attend, they have to bring something to give to Pet Friends. The food bank is doing a food drive at the Giant Eagle."
Cooperative effort with other community organizations is just one of the elements of Girls Scouts. The organization has long had its focus on offering opportunities to develop business and career sensibilities. Selling cookies is one part of that, but developing relationships and acquiring experience in the business and professional worlds are fundamental to the Scout experience.
Girl Scouts can work toward a Gold Award, for which they are eligible as upperclassmen in high school. The award is similar to the Eagle Scout award in Boy Scouts and is obtained through a combination of career-related service hours and completion of a service project.
"We have two senior troops in our service area," Henry said. "Four girls received their awards last year. Not all the girls go for it, but we try to encourage them because the scholarship opportunities are so tremendous."
Students at Chatham College in Pittsburgh, for example, can receive a $2,000 one-year Leadership Scholarship and the opportunity to be considered for additional scholarships valued at up to $10,000.
The Leadership Scholarship can be renewed annually for up to three additional years ($8,000 over four years).
Seton Hill University in Greensburg offers a $4,000 four-year scholarship ($1,000 per year) to Girl Scout Gold Award recipients who have been accepted to the college.
The annual fall recruiting season includes a push to bring in new leaders. Henry said she was never a Girl Scout herself, but took on leadership when her daughters began to participate. Leaders may or may not have children in the Girl Scout program.
"No, they don't have to have kids in the program," Henry said. "We have one leader who's going to be a new Brownie leader, and she's bringing one of her friends into the troop to help. Her friend doesn't even have a daughter.
"We do the training and as long as they're willing to do it, we work with them and provide ongoing training," she said.
For more information, call Shelley Sperhar at 724-864-2864, Donna Pandullo at 412-751-8080 or Julie Henry at 412-672-8542.
The Council in Greensburg can be reached at 800-834-9519.
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