Thursday, October 11, 2007

SQUIRRELNAPPED ... an independent publication


What a way to kick off the United Way campaign! The drama, suspense, and intrigue has us all getting a little squirrely.
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Breaking DNA News ...


A brief but serious squirrel scare swept through the office. Investigator Birdsong reports on the DNA findings: This is NOT Sandy. Some people have questioned his involvement this late in the game, but formal accusations have not been filed.


This, however, has just come in and IS our squirrel, Sandy. We have yet to see her in person, and there have been requests to see the person responsible bound in rubberbands and sent to the United Way jail.
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Day 4 - Singin' For Our Squirrel

Watch the video!
We're singin' for our squirrel! The little critter has undergone great stress and strain being squirrelnapped and ransomed for United Way money ... but now we have to perform before the little guy is returned home.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Day 3 - Squirrel Situation Heats Up


It's getting serious. This photo released by the squirrelnapper has sent ripples throughout the Girl Scout empire. Will the ransom for United Way be reached?
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Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Day 2 of the Squirrel Trauma


Just released ... this photo.

TULSA, OK - After a 12 hour event called "We've Gone Nuts" day throughout Magic Empire Council, the Girl Scouts are experiencing a rash of squirrely behavior. Most recently, an abduction. A ransom note has been recovered and recent photographs show the abducted squirrel alive and well but bound severely about the hands and feet, or would that be paws and claws? Latebreaking news has discovered a video plea from the squirrel's friends to meet the demands of the squirrelnapper by purchasing buttons for $1 to raise $100 for United Way. These events have Girl Scout staff members wondering if the napper has indeed been touched by the work of United Way or if the napper has simply gone nuts.
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Monday, October 08, 2007

Squirrelnapper Strikes Again

Watch the video!
The dastardly deed is in full swing at the Girl Scout office ... but you can help Save Our Squirrel by buying a button for $1 to raise $$ for United Way! 918-749-2551

Squirrelnapped!



In an anonymous email to the Communications Director, these photos were released.

Another frantic email from staff shortly surfaced: Sometime Sunday afternoon our beloved "Sandy the Squirrel was abducted from her hallway tree. There has been a ransom note received by staff requesting that monies raised toward the United Way campaign to guarantee her safe return. "Free Sandy" buttons will go on sale tomorrow morning for $1. However, any donations (LARGE or small) will be gladly accepted. Call 918-749-2551 to help Sandy with a United Way pledge.
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Friday, October 05, 2007

Girl Scout Safety


For some reason, "safety" seems to keep popping up as a topic lately. I have to admit that Girl Scouts has impressed me with their safety standards. I'm not one of those watchdog types and I'm not out looking to be impressed but surprisingly enough, one of my first "wow" moments was hearing about a 30-year-old tragedy at a camp and being informed of the current standards at Magic Empire Council (which far exceed camp standards across the USA).

As a mother, instead of being scared of sending my daughter to camp (after learning of the tragedy), I heard about the miles of security fence and the 24-hour patrols and the access procedures ... and I WANTED my girl to go to camp there instead of some camp that met the minimum security requirements by camp associations.

Anyway ... the rest of this post is really for my own reference so I can find this safety information quickly (and in case my email ever gets fried)! In addition to plenty of forms and guidelines available at http://www.mecgs.org/, there is also a Safety-Wise publication that covers nearly every imaginable topic!

Girl Scout Cookies:
At Little Brownie Bakers, we want to assure you that we share your serious concern for the safety of girls and their families. That’s why we put every promotion, premium and recognition item through rigorous safety testing before it is approved for delivery. We follow our Kellogg corporate quality safety guidelines and invest in third party testing by Specialized Technology Resources, Inc. (STR), one of the most trusted safety-testing laboratories in the world. In addition, we now are conducting factory spot tests every two weeks to ensure no safety standard slips during manufacturing. If a product fails safety testing, it will be re-manufactured, re-engineered or pulled from our product line. In fact, Kellogg standards are more stringent than federal regulations.

Girl Scout Pins:
The safety of our girls is the number one priority in Girl Scouting. One way we keep our girls safe is by ensuring the quality of all Girl Scout Merchandise products. In light of the recent recall of a badge with Boy Scouts of America, we wanted to reaffirm our safety procedures regarding metal content in products. Even though all vendor contracts contain a clause, which states that vendors are adhering to government standards, we take matters a step further by conducting periodic inspections of products to monitor production standards and safety guidelines. If a product fails to meet our high standards, it is instantly recalled and parents are alerted to the situation while we correct the issue so it does not happen again.

Girl Scout Volunteers:
In Girl Scouting, our primary concern is the health and safety of the girls we serve. An application process exists for all adult positions in Girl Scouting and differs based on community needs, and municipal and state guidelines for employment and volunteering. All candidates complete written application forms, provide references, participate in face-to-face interviews, and undergo criminal background checks.

As part of our commitment to safety, we update our materials often, and are constantly evaluating our volunteer application process to ensure that Girl Scouts and their families have access to the best, safest possible network of caring adults. We consider this an on-going process and strive to be responsive in offering the most up to date guidance for our local offices who work directly with girls. Additionally, all adults in Girl Scouting receive training on how to recognize girls who are victims of abuse. Resources are also available, designed to help girls develop behaviors and attitudes that increase their personal safety.
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