Our Promise, August 2022

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.