2019 Report to the Community

or with their troop. St. Charles County

In 2019, more than 19,000 local Girl Scouts had a camp experience, whether that was at Day or Resident Camp, the climbing wall

experience, whether that was attending Day Camp, Resident Camp, Troop Camp or a camp-related program. With three camp properties spanning more than 1,400 acres and dozens of adult courses and available certifications, it’s even easier to create lifelong memories while developing those essential leadership skills. For Kim Cottle, Girl Scout troop leader and local entrepreneur, there’s nothing quite like the experience of putting down our technology and getting outside. A self-proclaimed outdoor person, Kim said she prioritized completing all the necessary certifications to ensure she had the independence to take her Girl Scouts camping regularly. “Because providing outdoor experiences is incredibly important to me, I did all the certifications I needed to do to take them myself,” Kim said. “I did first aid, archery, canoeing, wilderness first aid, and I did this, so it gave us the freedom to go as a troop. I was recently looking through some Girl Scout-related items in my house, and I came across a time capsule from 2012 or 2013. Some of the comments included, ‘my favorite thing was going to camp and canoeing. It was the best thing ever.’” Since archery was something else her Girl Scouts loved doing, she went ahead and purchased preowned archery equipment. That way, they didn’t have to borrow from their district or neighborhood

shed and be beholden to another troop’s timing. Instead, they could plan for an archery adventure whenever they felt like having that experience. “For me, because I have the passion for being outside and I was willing to take the time to get certified, my Girl Scouts had these experiences,” Kim said. “I had a great experience learning to be a licensed troop camper; I did Troop Camp with a Twist, which is a mother-daughter weekend, you take your daughter camping while you’re getting licensed. Having this great training background gave me the confidence to put together a system that made it easy to plan our camping trips.” Kim acknowledges she runs her Girl Scout troop more like a business which is something she has vast experience in as she’s the President and CEO of Associated Equipment, a company which designs and manufactures a line of battery charging, testing and portable power solutions, plus booster cables and clamps for worldwide automotive, aircraft and recreational vehicle use. “My adult volunteers have a variety of backgrounds, some are working moms in senior leadership positions, some are nurses, teachers and some are stay-at-home moms. But I think, at least from my perspective, I can show them they can be in very male-oriented business and succeed. I’m hopeful I have given them an example of you can do whatever you want in life.”

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ast year, Girl Scouts launched 42 new badges explicitly curated for girls in grades K-12, allowing them to make their own choices about how they want to experience and influence the world. Enhancing the organization’s already existing and robust girl-led programming, the 42 new offerings include badgework and a collection of activities helping girls hone their take action skills. In addition to the current offerings, girls can now pursue more cybersecurity badges, space science badges, coding for good badges and outdoor high adventure badges in which they can choose their path. Providing girls the opportunity to get outside helps them develop their leadership potential. A recent Girl Scouts of the USA study finds eight in 10 girls say Girl Scouting allows them to do outdoor activities they have never done before and wouldn’t have done otherwise. This finding suggests the program opens doors to new outdoor experiences that go beyond just having fun—they’re learning how to take healthy risks, which positively affects girls’ confidence. From the backyard to the backwoods, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri has a long and storied history of getting girls outdoors. In 2019, more than 19,000 eastern Missouri Girl Scouts had some camp

12 2019 Report to the Community