Our Promise, August 2022

Our Promise Sept. 2022

As summer turns to fall, I am incredibly grateful to welcome families to Girl Scouts for an adventurous, and unforgettable membership year. In this issue of Our Promise , we will highlight how Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri remains a relevant and essential force in Girl Scouts’ lives, year after year, by preparing them to thrive today and in the future. As we stay focused on our mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character, I am thrilled to share that Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri has raised $50 million in support of the Her Future is Our Future comprehensive campaign! We are excited about all that this campaign is making possible for our girls—capital improvements at our three camp properties; continuation and expansion of current programming as well as innovative new programming; scholarship assistance so that every girl has access to the Girl Scout leadership experience; and a significant investment in our endowment ensuring that Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri will be serving girls in our region for generations to come! I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our donors, community partners and Girl Scout families who supported this campaign with time, talent and treasure! We are forever grateful for your investment. All campaign

supporters are invited to join us for a Community Celebration on September 25 at Camp Fiddlecreek. You will be receiving your invitation with all the details in the mail. Please be sure to RSVP to let us know you will be attending! If you haven’t had a chance to support the campaign, it’s not too late to be a part of this exciting moment in Girl Scout history—every dollar we raise puts a big green Girl Scout bow on this already amazing gift for our girls. Throughout the coming year Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri will continue to provide project announcements and updates. We have many that are currently underway or in the planning phases, so stay tuned! Thank you for your commitment to girls across eastern Missouri. You support ensures that every girl in our region has the opportunity to learn to lead.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Bonnie Barczykowski CEO, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri

Meet the Board Chair

Dawn L. Kotva, Board Chair At the 2022 Representative Assembly, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s annual meeting, Dawn Kotva was installed as board chair. Dawn has served as a member of the board of directors since 2014, including chairing the Board Development Committee. A results-oriented leader, Dawn will work with Girl Scout staff, board, and volunteers to strategically guide the organization for our future leaders, today’s Girl Scouts. Dawn is Chief Operating Officer, at MTM, a healthcare and transportation management company. With a focus on providing a best-in-class customer and client experience, Dawn guides the overall operational direction of the organization. Prior to joining MTM, Dawn spent more than 20 years in executive management roles for organizations like Penske Logistics, Express Scripts, and Cigna. Dawn earned her MBA fromWashington University. She is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, and she holds a GE Master Black Belt certification.

Welcome New Board Members

Clara Bonstead Girl Scout Ambassador Francis Howell North High School

Jenny Bartlow Strategic Client Executive Microsoft

Eric Eoloff President Mercy Hospital Washington

GSEM Partners with FIRST ®

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is committed to developing the future female leadership and workforce pipeline, including in the field of STEM. One of the ways that we do this is through our partnership with FIRST ® . FIRST ® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international robotics community that prepares young people for the future with their inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18. GSEM is proud to work with our local affiliate, FIRST ® in Missouri. GSEM initially launched our Robotics program in 2014 with five all-girl Robotics teams. Today we support 80 teams comprised of 387 Girl Scout members and their volunteer leaders. Our Robotics teams have competed in local, regional, national and global FIRST ® competitions, creating technological masterpieces that can move, perform designated functions and much more.

In addition to our robotics teams, we also offer the SeaPerch program which combines the skills and ingenuity of robotic construction and engineering with lessons in soldering and wiring and the overall operation of a custom-made machine in water.

Supporter Spotlight: George H. Riedel Foundation

At Girl Scouts, we are dedicated to bringing all aspects of Girl Scouting—including STEM and Robotics— to every girl, everywhere throughout our region. Community partners and financial supporters like the George H. Riedel Foundation in Hannibal, MO help us achieve this goal by removing barriers to participation in their communities. Since 2010, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri has creatively collaborated with the Riedel Foundation on bringing traditional Girl Scouting activities, as well as specialized programming to young girls in Hannibal. The Hannibal Troop Start-Up initiative brought 10 new Girl Scout troops to Hannibal in 2019-2020. The success of this initiative inspired us to scale Troop Start-Up throughout eastern Missouri, resulting in nearly 100 new troops in rural areas. Most recently, we combined the Troop Start-Up concept with the FIRST ® Robotics program to deliver two brand new, Brownie-level (grades 2-3) Robotics

teams in Hannibal in 2021-2022, sponsored by the Riedel Foundation. These teams join the Hannibal Gear Gals, led by long-time Hannibal Girl Scout volunteer, Deb Ziegler. Today, thanks in part to the support of the George H. Riedel Foundation, Hannibal is home to 14 Girl Scout troops comprised of 177+ Girl Scouts. Through new and innovative programming efforts and creative collaboration, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri looks forward to continued membership growth and participation in Hannibal in the years to come.

2022 Reflections Ceremony

Eastern Missouri Girl Scouts put their ideas into action while earning one of the highest community service awards in Girl Scouts. Each June, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri celebrates the achievements of Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold Awardees at the annual Reflections Ceremony. Since 1916, the Girl Scout Gold Award has stood for excellence and leadership for girls everywhere. Girls who earn the Gold Award dedicate, on average, more than 80 hours over months, or even years, tackling issues dear to them and creating a positive, sustainable change in their communities and beyond.

Highest Awards in 2022

16,900 Hours of Service

31 Gold Award Girl Scouts Girls grades 9-12

150 Silver Award Girl Scouts Girls grades 6-8

351 Bronze Award Girl Scouts Girls grades 4-5

7 Steps to Earning Gold:

1. Identify an issue 2. Investigate your issue thorouhly 3. Get help and build your team 4. Create a plan

5. Present your plan and gather feedback 6. Take action 7. Educate and inspire

To learn more about the Highest Awards, visit girlscoutsem.org/highestawards .

Celebration Luncheon: Mentoring Girl Ambition

When women come together in support of a common goal, they are unstoppable. Through the Women’s Leadership Network, members uplift girls’ big dreams and bright futures.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) is more than a program—it is a community. As the premier women’s network in the region, the WLN provides women the opportunity to support one another on their own leadership journeys while working with Girl Scouts to encourage and inspire the next generation of leaders, today’s Girl Scouts. In July, the WLN hosted its annual Celebration Luncheon at the St. Louis Club. More than 150 attendees engaged with 2022 Gold Award Girl Scouts who presented their inspiring highest award projects. A seated lunch followed with remarks by Karen Miller, WLN President and Mira Iyer, a Gold Award Girl Scout, who served as the afternoon’s keynote speaker.

Scan the QR code or visit girlscoutsem.org/wln to join today!

Campaign Update

We are excited about all that the Her Future is Our Future Comprehensive Campaign is making possible!

Projects Underway

Prairie Grass Camp Fiddlecreek

Play Experiences Camps Cedarledge & Fiddlecreek

Trail System Camp Cedarledge

We are thrilled to share that Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri has raised $50 million in support of the Her Future is Our Future Comprehensive Campaign! We are excited about all that this campaign is making possible for our girls—capital improvements at our three camp properties; continuation and expansion of current programming as well as innovative new programming; scholarship assistance so that every girl has access to the Girl Scout leadership experience; and a significant investment in our endowment ensuring that Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri will be serving girls in our region for generations to come!

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this campaign with time, talent and treasure! We are forever grateful for your investment. All campaign supporters are invited to join us for a Community Celebration featuring an afternoon of family-friendly camp fun and refreshments at Camp Fiddlecreek on Sunday, Sept. 25. Watch your mailbox for your invitation! If you haven’t had a chance to support the campaign, It’s NOT TOO LATE to be a part of this exciting moment in Girl Scout history—and thanks to Nance Frost’s increased “Dreaming Green” Challenge Match, every gift and pledge received between now and December 31, 2022 will be MATCHED dollar for dollar to put a big green Girl Scout bow on this already amazing gift for our girls! With a gift of $100 or more, your support will be recognized on the donor wall in the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri Service Center. And with a gift or pledge of $1,200 or more, your family will be recognized with an engraved brick paver at your choice of our three camps!

Scan the QR code to make a gift and register for the celebration today!

vr.girlscoutsem.org/celebrate

The Bonnie B. Endowment Fund After more than a decade, Bonnie Barczykowski, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, has announced she will leave Girl Scouts in January 2023.

Since joining Girl Scouts in 2012, Bonnie has helped expand membership opportunities for girls across the region, transform program experiences and engage community partners—all to match the dreams and ambitions of girls with the resources they need to be successful. Additionally, under Bonnie’s leadership, Girl Scouts raised $50 million in support of the “Her Future is Our Future” campaign, which will fund capital projects, scholarships, programs, and the organization’s endowment. Bonnie will continue leading Girl Scouts as the board searches for the next CEO.

To celebrate Bonnie’s incredible legacy at GSEM, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Bonnie B. Endowment Fund as part of the Her Future is Our Future campaign. This permanently restricted fund will help ensure that GSEM will be serving girls in our region for generations to come. We invite the community to join us in honoring Bonnie’s decade of leadership with a gift to the Bonnie B. Endowment Fund. As part of the campaign, all gifts and pledges (up to $500,000) will be generously matched by the Nance Frost “Dreaming Green” Challenge Match. “I am proud of all we do to help girls build the skills they need to lead in their homes, in our workplaces and in our communities. While I will miss working with my GSEM colleagues and volunteers to advance our mission, the time has come for me to pass the baton of leadership.”

Memorial and Tribute Gifts

With sincerest appreciation and gratitude, we recognize those who made a memorial or tribute gift to Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri from November 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022.

In Honor of Mary Ann Altergott Mary Tangari

In Memory of Elsie St. Cyr Mrs. E. Katherine St. Cyr and Mr. Peter H. Hubbell

In Honor of Richard K. Heidbrier Dr. and Mrs. Larry Gelb

In Honor of Bonnie Barczykowski Mr. and Mrs. Douglas H. Yaeger

In Appreciation of Sandra L. Norkaitis Dr. and Mrs. Larry Gelb

In Memory of Janet Downey Gerrie Gradle

In Honor of Dawn L. Kotva Mr. and Dr. Robert Schuette

In Honor of Jo Ann Taylor Kindle Jack and Becky Hood James Mann and Janet Schoedinger

In Memory of William Garrett Mr. and Mrs. Delores Garrett

In Memory of Dorothy S. McMein Sue Clancy Kathleen Dabrowski Linda K. and Michael E. Gilbert Carolyn W. Losos Sally Shepherd Becker and Linda Spaun

In Appreciation of June M. Fowler Mrs. Joan M. Newman

In Memory of Pamela Vickers Paula Vickers

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri 2300 Ball Dr. St. Louis, MO 63146 314.592.2300

WLN Networking Reception November 16, 5-7 pm Upcoming Events

Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri invites you to the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) annual Networking Reception, a special event for women interested in paying it forward, connecting with a diverse network and lifting up our next generation of leaders.

Dessert First February 23, 6-9 pm

Join us for the sweetest event in town as we celebrate three remarkable Girl Scouts and the extraordinary achievements and contributions of three Girl Scout Legacy Builders. The night begins with a one-of-a-kind Girl Scout Cookie-inspired dessert tasting followed by a seated dinner. Sponsorships available. All proceeds support our girl leadership development programs.

Register for these events at supportgirlscoutsem.org/events.