In 2020 and 2021, Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Girl Scouts, volunteers, family, and friends made the most of what was a uniquely difficult year. Girl Scouts pulled through; and we deserve to celebrate and look back on last Girl Scout year with pride!
Let’s take a look back at what we got up to and what our Girl Scouts accomplished.
Girl Scouts Kept It Going
Advocating for menstrual justice; building groundbreaking robotics technology to serve incarcerated youth; creating sustainable solutions to environmental issues; these are just some of the things our Girl Scouts have been up to this Girl Scout year.
Girl Scouts, whether they met in-person or virtually, kept the rhythm going through programs like Spark Days and our first-ever Hackathon, special events like Pigtails, Puffs & Ponytails, and independent service projects and creative activities of their own! We’ve kept up with Girl Scouts every week on our blog; make sure to catch up and read our Girl Stories.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program kept going too, and our Girl Scouts did fantastic! During this unprecedented year, GCNWI Girl Scouts worked hard to reach their cookie goals and gave more than ever to our Gift of Caring program. We also celebrated our GCNWI Cookie CEOs, Girl Scouts who were the top sellers in the council!
Their efforts proved (like the 2020 Cookie Program theme) that no matter what comes their way, “We’ve Got This!” Congrats to these Girl Scouts and all of the volunteers AND our supporters that helped make this cookie season thrive!
GCNWI Girl Scouts Zoe and Mali had the amazing experience of connecting with former First Lady Michelle Obama in the Zoom of a lifetime at GSUSA’s exclusive Becoming Me event! The Becoming Me event prompted 2,000 Girl Scouts across the council to gather their closest family to participate in this inspirational event: read more on our blog.
Surrounded by family, friends, and cheers, the members of the 2020 and 2021 classes of Gold Award recipients stepped into the limelight to receive bountiful accolades for their accomplishments! We highlighted all of our Gold Award Girl Scouts from the class of 2020 on our blog; stay tuned to read about the class of 2021!
One of our Girl Scouts, Therese M., made history last October, as she was named one of the 2020 National Gold Award Girl Scouts. We sat down with Therese for an in-depth conversation about her Gold Award initiative, Project Dandelion, and the power of the Girl Scout in the mission toward equality and anti-violence; read more.
Therese is just one of these amazing 2020 National Gold Award Girl Scouts—be sure to meet all of them!
New Democracy badges from GSUSA required girls to engage directly with their local political representatives to learn more about the democratic process in a year where civic engagement became especially important. Girl Scouts worked hard to get out the vote, met with local judges and mayors for live virtual Q&As, and Service Unit Managers provided suffrage-themed programming in a hybrid in-person and virtual session.
Girl Scouts also responded to calls for racial justice and liberation; Troop 40681 hosted a Black Lives Matter demonstration and created their own action resource guide. You can read about these Girl Scouts in the Chicago Tribune.
The Girl Scouts of the USA 55th National Council Session (NCS) saw nearly 1,200 voting delegates, along with girls, volunteers, staff, and board members from across the country gathered virtually to celebrate Girl Scouts and consider six proposals affecting the Girl Scout Movement. For our council, this NCS was a momentous success! Two proposals authored and presented by GCNWI were passed, the first time two proposals from the same council have been approved! We are incredibly proud of everyone who made this happen; read more about it and our amazing National Council Delegates.
Twelve fantastic GCNWI Girl Scouts played an important role in the NCS proceedings: Leah, Alonda, Caroline, Dex, Alany, Emily, Ariana, Kate, Erin, Dakota, Carlie, and Laura. Read our blog to hear from Alaina Greene, a GCNWI staff member, who helped the girls take the lead and start their own girl-led forum!
Girl Scouts were not alone in their amazing work; volunteers have ALSO kept the rhythm going, and we can’t thank them enough! Whether they are our Council Historians who collect, preserve, and share the history and legacy of Girl Scouts across the nation and in our area, our troop leaders who supported their Girl Scouts by providing stability throughout the pandemic, or anything in between, we are so grateful for their sustained commitment to the Girl Scout mission.
You can read volunteer stories on our blog, too!
Last September, we hosted our first ever premiere virtual fundraising event, Smart Cookies: Stand for More, an evening dedicated to uplifting our tireless girls and members. The night showcased powerful stories from our members and Girl Scout champions, inspiring words from our CEO Nancy Wright and Associate Board members, and a council-wide and community pledge to support the future success of our girls.
Watch the Smart Cookies program above!
During this year’s Tribute to Achievement program, we focused on Moments that Matter: those moments in life, big or small, that forever change your future, your life, or the lives of those around you. And you, our supporters, made the Moment Matter like never before: thanks to generous donations, the council raised over $517,000 for our Girl Scouts! You can watch the program above if you missed it!
Thank you for an amazing year together!
We are so proud of everything our council members have accomplished and overcome this year, and we’re so excited for a year full of excitement, friendship, and even more fun!
Renew your membership today and make sure you come along with us!
Before we get to fall, though, there’s still more to do! Read our blog to learn about what’s coming up this summer and fall with Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GSGCNWI).