Get Your Hands Dirty!

Our volunteers ROCK! As one of our queens of tie dye can attest, this isn't for the faint of heart - at least not when it comes to keeping clean.  Our volunteers are willing to get in there, get their hands dirty, and do what it takes to dig down deep into a leadership adventure for girls. 

I wish I had more time to stop and reflect on these amazing people ... our volunteers.  But alas, I am putting the finishing touches on an event for them this Saturday, so my words will have to show up on stage and not in a blog!

But in the meantime, some of what we shared with Girl Scouts of the USA on #HatsOffForVolunteers via Twitter today might provide some additional entertainment. 

www.twitter.com/newsGSEOK
www.twitter.com/imagirlscout

My Daughter's Feet

I have to laugh sometimes ... my daughter has her own sense of style. Ballet and socks? Not to mention neon leopard purposely "matched" with a solid?

Her little anklet made me think of summer camp. Replace the pointe shoes with tennis shoes and she could be at camp. Then again, replace the pointe shoes with flats and she could be at school. Put them in boots and she's on horseback. The interests of girls can be wide and sweeping, but they are always bringing their personality into their world as it expands. And that makes the world beautiful and interesting.

Naturally, that's another part of Girl Scouting I love. It gives girls opportunities to experience and explore. And ultimately, by building courage, confidence and character, it brings out the unique leader in all ... even leaders in mis-matched leopard socks!

Temporary Home

And so it begins ... Camp! This is my daughter's home for the next few days (and an excuse to try out my birthday present - a camera that does those moving panorama shots). This brings great memories to me of my childhood camping opportunities.

Camping For The Future

Which way to go? Sometimes that little question packs the biggest punch of them all. And it's also one of the things I love about the Girl Scout experience. The wide array of opportunities that are at a girl's fingertips give her a taste of what those directions hold. She has the freedom to explore her world.

Camp is just one of those ways to explore. From a specialized focus (outdoor activities like sailing to "S.T.E.M." directions like physics) to a wide array of options (my daughter's choice this summer is a camp where the campers decide what they want to do together), girls are exploring directions that will help them build their answers to the big question: Which way to go? It's not such a scary question if you're a Girl Scout!

Cox Tells All ... about Girl Scout Outreach!

Many thanks to Dawn Lowe and her Outreach Day Camp for helping Cox tell our story (and theirs - about their foundation). They are doing two features, so be sure to tune in for the first one coming up next week.

Cox Community Connection show airs on Cox Channel 7 in OKC and Cox Channel 3 in Tulsa. Here are the dates and times:

7/6 1pm, 4pm & 9pm
7/7 4pm & 5pm
7/8 9am, 1pm & 4pm
7/9 11:30pm
7/10 4pm & 11:30pm
7/11 3:30pm & 5:30pm

Laurel and Katie and Tattoos ...

Laurel Richie, Chief Marketing Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA takes a peek at a new kind of branding ... literally! Katie's tattoo has branded her as a Girl Scout for life! Katie is one of the many wonderful young women I have had the pleasure to meet in Girl Scouting. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes another first for women in the NASA space program (whatever that first might be a few years down the road).

One of my favorite media moments was listening to her interview last year with a Tulsa World reporter (regarding her Gold Award) who was rather stunned to hear she had a grade point average of 4.2 and wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. I didn't know that was possible, either, but it was for this Girl Scout!

Girl Scouts are wonderful, diverse, creative and self-sufficient young women. Katie is no exception. As one of the recipients of a Juliette Low Leadership Society scholarships, she attended a recent luncheon where she had the opportunity to meet Laurel Richie.

Actually, all the girls who attended the Juliette Low Leadership Society luncheon (both scholarship recipients and older Girl Scouts) enjoyed a private session with Laurel afterwards. I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of our girls as they both asked and answered questions. They weren't afraid to share how the felt if things (like Journeys) didn't live up to their expectations and why. And they also gave feedback regarding cookies that was more in depth than just "new boxes please!" New photos, sure ... but they liked that the girls pictured were being active. And they requested that the colors of the cookie boxes stay the same (for easier ordering by customers who want "them there orange ones") ... very helpful to know! And Laurel said that was something she could definitely take back to the team.

My favorite part, personally, was just knowing that these girls had a change to both glean from an amazing role model as well as make their voice heard in an arena where they are significantly invested ... Girl Scouts. Thank you, Laurel, for making the girls a priority and hearing what they had to say!