Presidential Service Awards

Pima coordinates ordering Presidential Service Awards twice a year.  If you wish to order for your girls, please send information to Annie (pima.4338@gmail.com) by Oct 30 or March 15 (to receive awards in time for end-of-the-year ceremonies).

This is great to have for college and scholarship applications! 

More information and submission form can be found here:

After the forms are received, Annie will let you know your total cost and you can pay Pima Neighborhood via check or Venmo.  Shipping and handling costs are divided among the girls.  

PRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD 

Presidential recognition sets you apart from your peers. It is a tremendous honor. Even though you may not seek recognition, your example can deliver a powerful message that encourages others to take action.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes United States citizens and lawfully admitted, permanent residents of the United States who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period or cumulative hours over the course of a lifetime.

HOW IT WORKS

Criteria

Individuals, families and groups that meet the criteria are eligible for the PVSA.

 Recipient(s) must be a United States citizen or a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States.

 Awards are issued for service hours served within a 12-month time period or over the course of a lifetime.

 Awards are issued for volunteer service only; additional levels of participation with the organization (i.e., charitable support) are not a factor considered for the award.

 Court-ordered community service does not qualify for the award.

 Awards are issued by approved Certifying Organizations.

 Service must be with an approved Certifying Organization that is legally established in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. territories.

Eligibility

Hours are measured over a 12-month period and awards are designated based on cumulative hours. The awards are offered in multiple levels and are designed to recognize each milestone of your service achievement. Levels include bronze, silver, gold and the highest honor, the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for those who contribute more than 4,000 hours of service in their lifetime.

Hours by Award	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Kids (5-10)	26 – 49	50 – 74	75 +
Teens (11–15)	50 – 74	75 – 99	100 +
Young Adults (16-25)	100 – 174	175 – 249	250 +
Adults (26 and older)	100 – 249	250 – 499	500+
Families and Groups*	200 – 499	500 – 999	1,000+
President’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Individuals who have completed 4,000 or more hours in their lifetime
* Two or more people, with each member contributing at least 25 hours toward the total

President’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Individuals who have completed 4,000 or more hours in their lifetime

* Two or more people, with each member contributing at least 25 hours toward the total along with the ultimate honor of presidential recognition, recipients will receive a personalized certificate, an official pin, medallion or coin and a congratulatory letter from the president of the United States.

For more information, please visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov

Banking Review

For an overview of money management, please refer to the council booklet.

Neighborhood Events

Here is the budget form that you should be using if you are planning a neighborhood event with your troop.

Here is a guide booklet that you should consult when planning a neighborhood event.  Neighborhood events should be designed to "break even," but the neighborhood will cover reasonable shortfalls.

All money paid in for any neighborhood event should go through the neighborhood account (for example, day camp, encampments, Juliette Low birthday, Father/Daughter dance).  You may not ask for payments to go into your troop account.  Save receipts and Lesley will reimburse you for expenses. 

Parents can Venmo to Diana's phone number, which is linked to the neighborhood bank account.  This route is used for neighborhood events that are being attended and paid for by girls/families individually, such as CPR/First Aid training, day camp, or theater events.  

Troops cannot use Venmo to pay out, therefore your only option is to pay by troop check to Pima Neighborhood.  This route is used for events attended by troops as groups (for example, Thinking Day, cookie rally)

You cannot take money from parents, put it in your bank account, and use your own Venmo account or write a personal check for payment.  All Girl Scout monies must go through the troop account.

Checks can go to the event organizer, Lesley (neighborhood money manager), or Diana (neighborhood manager), but they all ultimately go to Lesley.

If you drop off a check at Diana's, please do NOT put it in the mailbox.  This is illegal and my mailman has requested we comply.  You can put it under the doormat at the front door.

Troop Events

The same basic rules apply.  If you are not paying with troop funds for an event, parents may pay you via Venmo (as long as your troop account is linked to your Venmo account) or they can write a check to the troop.

To pay for troop events, you can use your troop debit card or you can pay with your own credit card and reimburse yourself with a troop check.

Remember that you should be tracking troop expenses via your detailed cash report and saving your receipts.  You will report all income and expenses at the end of the year in your Troop Financial Report.

October Leader's Meeting

October Leader's Meeting Agenda

Our leader's meeting will be at either 10 am or 7 pm on Monday, October 3rd.  

Where: Meetings will be held in-person at the Boys and Girls Club (10515 E Lakeview Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85258). 

Social gathering at Goldies following the evening meeting (approximately 8:15 pm)

AGENDA

Enrichment 

• Banking
• Car Packets
• Food Handler's Certification

Current Business

• Facebook requests 
• Newsies
• Outdoor Ed News (Hikes, Camp BASIC, Outdoor Skills Day)
• CPR/First Aid Training
• Adopt-a-Family
• Juliette Low Birthday Party
• Love our Schools: Community Service @ Redfield
• Fall Product Sales
• Father/Daughter Dance 
• Presidential Service Awards
• Cookies!

Old Business

• Financial Reports (make sure it's completed)
• Re-registration (make sure it's completed)
• Sampler Event recap
• Encampment recap

USEFUL LINKS

• Join the Robotics Team 
• Older Girl Opportunities
• Service Team Member Positions Available
• Troop Resources 101
• Youth Protection Training 

CALENDAR

2022-2023 calendar is a work in progress.  Check back for updates.

Leader Meeting Dates 2022-2023 

** Invite a Friend (Recruitment) Events

October

Community Service Event: Pumpkin Decorating and Halloween Candy Collection

October 7: Feed My Starving Children

**October 8, 2 pm: Newsies!

October 15, 8 am: Tom’s Thumb Hike

October 18 and 19, 6:30 pm: First Aid Training

Outdoor Event, October 22: Juliette Low Birthday Party (Cheryl G., Troop 4202)

October 30: Presidential Service Award deadline

November

Community Service: Adopt-a-Family

November 6: Outdoor Skills Training (Outdoor Ed team)

November 7: Cookie Training

November 13, 9:30 am: Granite Mountain Trailhead Hike

November 18: Songfest (Andrea A., Troop 7076)

November 19: Father/Daughter Dance (Kiri, Troop 7076)

November 30: Leader's Holiday Party

December

Community Service: Caroling

December 3: Robotics Team Competition

December 3: Volunteer Conference

December 10, 6:30 pm, Pima Astronomy Event

December 17, 8 am: Jingle Bell Hike

January 2023

Community Service Event: Canned Food Drive for the Navajo Nation

Pinewood Derby (Troop 4913)

January 6: Cookie Rally (Troop 2010)

January 14: Robotics Team Competition

January 14 or 15: Cookie Delivery

January 16: Cookie Sales Begin

January 28, 9:30: Morning Stroll

February 2023

February 25, 9:30: Morning Stroll

February 26: Thinking Day (Troop 2256/4727)

March 2023

Community Service: Jared Boxes and Treasures for Teachers

March 4-5: Camp BASIC

March 15: Presidential Service Award deadline

April 2023

Community Service Event: Earth Day and Women’s Shelter

April 3: Leader's Gala

April 15, 2 pm: Les Miserables, Student Edition

April 22: Annual Meeting (tentative)

April 29, 8 am: Morning Stroll

TBA: Mother/Daughter Tea (Troop 7076)

May 2023

Community Service: DIY Pet Toys

May 3: Older Girl Recognition and Bridging (Troop 2256/4727)

June 2023

June 10, 2 pm: Lion King, Jr

June 19-23 (tentative): Day Camp: Once Upon a Pima

July 2023

July 18-20: National Girl Scout Convention in Orlando

Robotics Team Competitons

Come cheer on the robotics team as they take the floor in their 2022-2023 matches.  The events last all day but competitions start at about 11 with the finals happening mid-afternoon followed by awards, ending at 5 pm.  I recommend coming around 1 pm to watch the regular matches.

Troops working on their robotics badges can attend the events to meet one of the requirements! Anyone attending must fill in this waiver.

The team has adopted the name "Techalongs" in tribute to one of their favorite cookies and their number is 17062.

Their first competition will be December 3rd in Glendale at 

Cactus High School: 6330 W Greenway Rd, Glendale, AZ 85306

Their second competition will be January 14th in Goodyear at 

Trivium Prep: 2001 N Bullard Ave, Goodyear, AZ 85395

Their final qualifier will be January 21st in Chandler at Valley Christian High School:  6900 W Galveston St, Chandler, AZ 85226 

Competitions are free to attend and troops attending will receive a robotics participation patch. Just let Diana know how many patches you will need.

For more information, you can visit the Arizona FTC page.

Adopt-a-Family

 

All families for the 2022 holiday season have been adopted!

Vista del Camino’s Adopt-a-Family Program

Pima has been participating in Vista del Camino’s Adopt-a-Family Program for 20+ years and generally adopts 35 or more Scottsdale children each holiday season.  

The Adopt-a-Family event is a partnership between City of Scottsdale and Scottsdale Community Partners, the non-profit philanthropy arm of COS. Families are interviewed by social workers, who record children’s requests for three gifts for the holiday as well as clothing and shoe sizes.  Susan Vargas matches up adopters and adoptees and emails assignments and full information in mid-November.  Every effort is made to match troops with a child near their age if possible.  

Then, you purchase at least three gifts of at least $100 in total value for each child based on their wish list.  You also provide a $30 gift card to the family’s grocery store to help provide a holiday meal.  Troops frequently supplement the three main gifts with clothing, stocking stuffers, or other items, and sometimes also include a small gift for the parents.  Many troops also include gift wrap, bows, and tape for the families to wrap the gifts with. All gifts are given to the families unwrapped, so the parents can have the pleasure and dignity of wrapping their own children’s gifts. The total expenditure per sponsored child is at minimum $130.

You will drop off a donor report and all the gifts, bagged and labelled for each recipient in mid-December to either Vista del Camino (if you sponsor all kids in a family) or to Susan Vargas's home (if you are sponsoring some but not all kids in a family).  

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/naeCTZCJprHfQGXp8  (All families have been assigned for 2022!)

Thank you for making a child's holiday special!

Candy Donation: November Service Project

Candy Donation: November Service Project 

Have any leftover Halloween candy or don’t want it sitting in your house? You can donate to Treats for Troops. We will have several drop off locations from Nov 1st to Nov 10th. Watch your email for addresses or just drop at Diana's.

Treats for Troops is a project run by Soldier's Angels that provides aid, comfort, and resources to the military and veteran community! These candies give our troops a piece of home and is a great way to bring them comfort.

The Pumpkin Project

 The Pumpkin Project

Community Service Event sponsored by Troop 4401

Sunday, September 25, 2022

1:30pm-3:00pm

Scottsdale Ranch Park, Ramada 10 (west side of the park)

Kick off the Halloween season and join us to paint/ decorate pumpkins to be distributed throughout the community!

$5/ girl and includes a fun patch

Please remember to wear painting clothes and bring a water bottle.

RSVP to Emily (check roster for her email) with “Pumpkin Project” in the subject.

 Payment can be made to Pima Neighborhood via check or Venmo.

2022 Fall Product Progam

The 2022 Fall Product Sale begins on October 1, and the theme this year is the Monk Seal.  The chocolates and nuts are delicious, and it’s a great way to earn some money for your troop.  They also make great gifts for teachers, coaches, neighbors, and co-workers, just in time for the holidays.  Online sales platforms make payments easy, with options to ship or free girl delivery.

The product manager for each troop needs to sign the online TPM Agreement.  Our service unit is SU610-Pima. Our service unit email is pima.neighborhood@gmail.com.

Review the troop program guide here. If you're new and/or want more detailed instructions, access the training here.

The parent product responsibility form is here.  This form is good for both fall product and cookie sales.  Please share these "how to" videos with your families to help them navigate the online site.

 

If you haven't already done so, pick up packets for each participating girl and a receipt book at Emily's or Diana's house.  

DATES

September 23:

You will receive access to the online platform if you have submitted the TPM.  Girls also get a welcome e-mail and can begin to set up their sites for online marketing (friends and family only).

 

October 1:

Sales begin online and in person

October 24:

Sales end

 

November 19-20: Products will be delivered to the neighborhoods for distribution. 

 

 

Additional Information from the Council Site:

https://www.girlscoutsaz.org/en/cookies/fall-product-program/program-
resources.html

First Aid/CPR Training

Sign up here for Pima's annual First Aid/CPR training

This year the training consists of an online First Aid portion and then an in-person CPR portion.  Once you pay $40, you will be emailed a link to take the online First Aid part of the training.  You must complete the online class and either print or take a screenshot of the completion notice at the end of the online class.  Bring that completion proof to the in-person CPR class.  

There are two date choices for CPR: either October 18 or 19, both of which will start at 6pm and will be held at the Congregational Church of the Valley at 120th and Shea.  Space is limited, so sign up soon to ensure you may attend.  The sign up link provides the options for paying Diana and for choosing which CPR date you prefer.

Girl Scout Basics

The Girl Scout slogan is “Do a good turn daily.” 

The Girl Scout motto is “Be prepared.” 

The idea of the Girl Scout Sign, three fingers held up on the right hand, came from the days of chivalry, when armed knights greeted friendly knights by raising the right hand, palm open, as a sign of friendship. 

The left-handed handshake represents friendship because the left hand is closer to the heart than the right. Girl Scouts shake their left hands while making the Girl Scout sign with their right hand. 

The Girl Scout Trefoil has three leaves. Each leaf in the traditional or contemporary Girl Scout trefoil stands for a part of the Girl Scout Promise:

1. To serve God and my country

2. To help people at all times

3. To live by the Girl Scout Law. 

The Girl Scout Quiet Sign is a way to silence a crowd without shouting at anyone. The sign is made by holding up the right hand with all five fingers extended. It refers to the original Fifth Law of Girl Scouting: A Girl Scout is courteous.

SONGS

Make New Friends

Brownie Smile Song

ON MY HONOR

(Great site, find more Girl Scout favorites here: https://www.youtube.com/user/girlscoutsnv)

Do you Know Juliette Gordon Low?

 

Who is Juliette Gordon Low?  

Girl Scouting was founded in the United States with Juliette Gordon Low.  Low was born on Oct 31, 1860.  Her father, William Washington Gordon, owned Belmont Plantation in Georgia, which put him at odds with his northern-born wife, Eleanor Lytle Kinzie. 

The Gordons were uniquely placed to emerge from the war fairly unscathed because of Eleanor's northern ties. Eleanor took her children north at the war's end to live with her family in Chicago while the south underwent reconstruction.

While in Chicago, Low first met and gained an appreciation for Native Americans and their culture.  These early lessons in diversity stayed with her throughout her life.

Because of Eleanor's ties to northern wealth and influence, the family was able to recover from the war rather quickly and return to live at Belmont where Daisy (as Low was known) began a lifelong search to make a difference in the world. From an early age, Low was known for her empathy towards others and her acts of kindness and good deeds, as well as a love of being active in the out of doors.

Married at 26 to William Mackay Low, Low moved to Warwickshire, England to live a life of wealth and privilege. Low 's husband was often absent, however, spending time drinking and gambling and eventually in the arms of a mistress.  Deeply unhappy, Low filed for divorce but William died before it could be finalized.  

William left the bulk of his fortune to his mistress, forcing Low to contest the will. Emerging victorious, Low again turned her attentions to finding her life's work.  In 1911, she met Lord Robert Baden-Powell, who is credited with the founding of the Boy Scouts in England, almost accidentally as a result of writing a book intended to help boys learn how to be prepared in the case of a military invasion.  Baden-Powell emphasized that training should be fun for the boys, which was an idea that Low embraced.  

Agnes Baden-Powell, with the support of her brother and Low, soon was formed the first Girl Guide groups in England. The movement spread quickly and Juliette was instrumental in forming troops in Scotland and London, crossing social and economic boundaries to do so.  The positive impact these troops had on girls' self-esteem convinced Low to take the idea back home to Georgia.

The perhaps apocryphal account of a phone call made by Low in which she is believed to have said, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" is not likely to be true.  Girl Scouts celebrate March 12 as the Girl Scouts birthday but that date was chosen because one of the girls in the troop (Florence Crane) turned 11 on that date, which was the required age to join Girl Scouts.

That first "official" troop also included Low's niece and namesake, Margaret Daisy Gordon. Margaret is remembered as the "first" member of the first troop in America, which  began under Low's leadership in Savannah, Georgia, but she was not even present at the investiture that was held on March 12, 1912. 

What is also lost in this early history is how truly forward-thinking Low was.  From its inception, Girl Scouts was a fully female-led organization in a time when women were not even allowed to vote.  In addition, the registry for the first Girl Scouts in Savannah lists the names of 17 girls residing in the local orphanage before the names of the girls in the troop that included her niece.  Given Low's lifelong interest in assisting the poor, it is not surprising that her initial instinct was to offer the program to the girls living in the orphanage.

African-American girls were also among the first to join Girl Scouts, with an early segregated patrol being led by Daisy's maid, Mamie, long before the first official African-American troop was recorded in 1917.  Troops of Native American girls and Hispanics were also established in the 1920s.  The hidden history of the founding of Girl Scouts is scattered with these examples of inclusion, diversity, and equity that are based on Low's vision of a movement for ALL girls everywhere.  

Fall Encampment

Pima Fall Encampment

What: Camping and fun in the pines!
Where: Shadow Rim Ranch
Who: Troops, grades 4+ and grades 2-3 leaders and their daughters
Cost: $56 per person (+ program fees)
Registration due: Sept 11 or ASAP

See the Encampment flyer for full details and registration link!

We are having our Fall Neighborhood Encampment at Shadow Rim Ranch, our Girl Scout camp located near Payson, about 1.5-2 hours from Scottsdale. It's a beautiful camp. You'll love it!

Programs: Canoeing, Slingshot, Climbing wall, Archery, Zip line, Campfire, Swaps, and more!

Required Training: Current First aid/CPR and Troop Camp Certification 1 & 2 (both).

To Sign Up: See the encampment flyer for details and registration link.

Payment: Send to Lee (sorry, no Venmo; see address on roster)

More Resources:
General encampment packet (camp rules, directions, schedule, etc.)
Shadow Rim map.
Roster/Car Form (sample roster to send with your registration)
Troop Trip Form (submit to Kelly Bellas, see email on Pima roster).

Juliette Low Birthday Party

 

 

Celebrate our founder's birthday with Pima Neighborhood and enjoy face painting, a craft, cake, a pet contest and parade. Patch included!

Date: Saturday 10/22 at 3-5pm

Location: Horizon Park, Ramada 3

Register by Saturday 10/15. Any reservations not paid for within 5 days of submission will be cancelled. 

Cost is $5 per girl (no charge for leaders). Checks should be made to Pima Neighborhood or parents may Venmo to Diana. 

Bring your pet on a leash or in crate or container and enter the cutest pet contest!  (Sorry, no horses allowed per City of Scottsdale.) If your pet can't join you, draw and color a picture at the party to share with the judges. We end the party with a parade and cake. Don't forget your water bottle!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/nrwikPgxUWdDfCzi7

 

Who is Juliette Low?  Juliette Gordon Low was the founder of Girl Scouts. She was born on October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia -- this is why we celebrate her birthday on Halloween! She started the first Girl Scout troop in 1912 in Savannah.