CEOupdateMARCH 2015

A tragic act leads to new opportunities for SinaiAs you may recall, last fall I visited many of our service centers to share the disturbing news found in a report called the State of Girls in Indiana. One of the awful statistics found in the report is that one in seven girls will experience violence in her neighborhood. Within just a few months of discussing that topic with community leaders, one of our own Girl Scouts was injured in a drive-by shooting outside of her own apartment.

Sinai was on her way to a Girl Scout meeting when she was shot, and within hours her tragic story was on the local news. And that following day, Sinai’s story had spread to California, Canada, Australia and many points in between. Girl Scouts from our community, from coast to coast and across the globe rallied to show their support for Sinai. They wrote letters, sent care packages, and did everything they could to show their love for Sinai.

The community showed their support, too, asking how to purchase cookies from this little girl who the media said was shot on her way to pick up her Girl Scout

Cookies. We found a parent who worked at Amazon Fulfillment in Whitestown, and she helped us forge a relationship with the company to help fulfill these cookie orders. Amazon was a terrific partner, and they even invited Sinai’s troop to their fulfillment center for a tour and to help pack the cookies side-by-side with Amazon volunteers. The shooting on February 3 was a senseless act of violence. Sinai and her family are grateful for the support shown to them since the tragedy. She has never had the opportunity to travel outside of Marion County, so her troop is planning a trip with their cookie proceeds.

Right: Sinai with Brent Yoder, senior opeations manager at Amazon’s IND1 center.

Bottom: Amazon fulfillment associates in Whitestown, Ind. celebrate with Sinai (middle) after her Girl Scout troop helped fulfill customer orders for Girl Scout cookies. Amazon fulfillment associates volunteered to prepare orders of Girl Scout cookies for Sinai, who was recently injured in a random shooting. Amazon fulfillment center in Whitestown has thousands of full-time employees.

This never should have happened, but through the community’s support Sinai and her sister Girl Scouts will have many positive experiences to help alleviate this very real fear of violence, and shape their young lives.

Sincerely,

Deborah A. Hearn SmithChief Executive Officer

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Left: Girl Scouts gathered at the dedication of the Program Center at Camp Dellwood in 1976.

Top: A Girl Scout climbs to the top of the rock wall at Camp Dellwood summer camp in 2013.

We got an early birthday present: Girl Scouts was recognized as one of Fast Company’s World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Not-For-Profit.Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA notes, “Girl Scouts is the only nonprofit or company focused exclusively on girls to be recognized in Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies 2015 issue, which means we are being celebrated for the values and ideals at the very core of our mission—the idea that girls matter.” This honor is a great reminder of the value of investing in girls—with girls at the center of everything we

do for over a century - giving them the confidence, tools, and support they need to succeed. Our council has experienced its own fair share of growth and change as well over the years, but our mission remains the same as we continue to provide girls the opportunity to learn, lead and grow.

Happy 103rd Birthday, Girl Scouts!

Girls have made their voices heard: they want to explore the outdoors.The results are in; girls and adults overwhelmingly selected Outdoor Explorer as the topic for the next series of outdoor badge offerings!In November, Girl Scouts voted on three themes for the Girls’ Choice Outdoor Badges:

Outdoor Recreation, Outdoor Environment, and Outdoor Survival. Outdoor Recreation won!In December, girls again cast their votes, selecting favorite topics from options within Outdoor Recreation. The choices were: Outdoor Challenge, On or In the Water, and Outdoor Explorer.Outdoor Explorer was the clear favorite. Girl Scout of the USA is rolling up their sleeves and are carefully

crafting the badge activities. Each badge will have five steps and three choices per step.

This month final badge activities will be announced!

NOW

THEN

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MARCH 2015

Girl Scout Junior Willow from Troop #3479 plays a Mongolian horse racing game made from sheep ankle bones during World Thinking Day festival.

Left: Girl Scout Cookie Cook-off Champion, Jerry Yilmaz proudly holding his trophy.

Top: Valeria, a Girl Scout Junior, and judge Sara Croft creator of Solid Gold Eats and recipe contributor at the Indianapolis Star pose together after the competition.

Girl Scout Daisy Troop #118 created a human symbol of peace in honor of this year’s World Think Day theme - Creating Peace Through Partnership.

Celebrating Peace through PartnershipsOn February 22 Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in more than 150 countries celebrated World Thinking Day. This year’s global theme, “Create Peace Through Partnerships,” offered girls the opportunity to think about, have conversations, and be a part of activities designed to help girls better understand our big world, enabling them to begin to make it a better place.Many troops planned and participated in activities and projects that carried a global theme to honor their sister Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in other countries and to celebrate this day.

Since 1926, World Thinking Day has not only given girls a chance to celebrate international friendships, but has also served as a reminder that Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a global community of girls.

Girl Scout Cookie Cook-OffOn Friday, February 27, the kitchen at The Varsity Club at Bankers Life Fieldhouse heated up as six Indianapolis chefs battled it out for the title of the 2015 Girl Scout Cookie Cook-off Culinary Champion. We challenged each chef to create a savory dish that incorporated at least one variety of Girl Scout Cookies as a main ingredient in honor of National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend.Eight judges taste-tested each chef’s creation and gave careful

thought to his or her score. In the event of a tie, Valeria, a Girl Scout Junior and judge, was the official tie breaker. It was a tough decision for the judges to make, but Chef Jerry Yilmaz of Marsh Supermarkets was ultimately announced as the 2015 Girl Scout Cookie Cook-off Culinary Champion for his dish, Savannah Crostini Chicken with Orzo.

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Suite 100 2611 Waterfront Parkway East Drive Indianapolis, IN 46214

SAVEDATE-the-

2015

March 23- April 18 Scouting for Food All Kroger locations in central Indiana April 27-May 23 Madison County Scouting for Food All Payless Supermarkets in Madision CountyApril 27 Annual Meeting Ivy Tech Conference Center IndianapolisMay 2 Lemonade Day BloomingtonMay 9 Girl Scouts for Old Glory Indiana War MemorialMay 16 Lemonade Day Indianapolis/Hamilton County

May 17 Lemonade Day Lafayette/RichmondJune 6 Girls of Distinction JW Marriott, IndianapolisJune 20 Lemonade Day Terre HauteSeptember 22 Hamilton County Breakfast The Mansion at Oakhill, CarmelOctober 11 Latinas Taking the Lead Graduation Embassy Suites North, IndianapolisNovember 10 Lieutenant Governor’s Leadership Luncheon Indiana Roof Ballroom, Indianapolis