e-Notes

Recent e-Notes

Calling all women who are Camp Pin Oak Alumnae! There will be a reunion for women (adults only) of Camp Pin Oak from September 5-7, 2008 at the camp and a nearby hotel. The reunion is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Girl Scouts – Heart of Missouri Council. The Department of Natural Resources has a web site where you can request a registration brochure and find other information. In addition, if you know of someone who’s not currently a volunteer but loved Camp Pin Oak and should receive the mailing, please send names and current addresses and e-mail addresses to Executive Assistant Trish Austin

We are making plans for GSUSA’s 2008 National Council Session in Indianapolis. The event will take place from October 30, 2008 through November 2, 2008. The registration fee for adults is $245.00, and the fee for girls (ages 14 and older) is $195.00. We anticipate receiving information about hotels within the next few weeks. Anyone who would like to attend as a visitor should contact Executive Assistant Trish Austin before May 15th. Expenses for the five delegates who were elected at the annual meeting on March 8th are paid for by the council.

You may be wondering how our Council Realignment Committee work is coming along. Well, combining five Girl Scout councils into one high-performance council is hard work, but we’re making progress. For example, we received a technology proposal at our April CRC meeting which includes making sure that every service center has the same level of computer access. We also voted to fund a proposal which would allow us to set up a new telephone system. Although individual service centers will have their own telephone numbers, there will be a single toll-free number that volunteers may use. The receptionist will be able to connect callers to any staff member in any of the five service centers. We’ll let you know about other decisions, like online services, as soon as they’re finalized.

As always, feel free to contact the Danforth Service Center if you have any questions or comments!

 

Council Merger (posted 1/25/2008)

Sometimes in the process of merging, we discover something that has to be corrected so that the merger can proceed smoothly. Four of the five councils in our merging group (soon to be Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland) are incorporated under the revised Missouri non-profit statutes. The fifth council (Heart of Missouri) was incorporated under older statutes as a benevolent organization. To finalize the legal elements of our upcoming merger, the Heart of Missouri board adopted a resolution on January 23 to accept the revised statutes. This same resolution and new articles of incorporation must be approved at our March 8 annual meeting. They will be included in the delegate workbook, which will be mailed on February 6.

This is a really unusual situation, but we learned this was a technically important issue only a few days prior to the January 23 board meeting. Our attorney worked very quickly with GSUSA and board members to develop a resolution for board action. If you have any questions after you read this note and the resolution, please contact Mary Daly, Board Chair or me (Constance Bearnes, CEO). It’s urgent that voting members of the council be aware that the issue will be on our March 8 agenda and that they are welcome and invited to call or e-mail with any questions.

If we don’t adopt the resolution and new articles of incorporation, will we be excluded from the merger?

Heart of Missouri will become part of Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland and we’d like to do that as a full partner in discussion and organization. If our corporate documents aren’t in the best order, our partnership in the transition would be limited and our participation delayed. That’s not in the best interests of our members or the new council.

How much change will there be between our current articles of agreement and new articles of incorporation?

We’re working to make sure the new articles meet GSUSA recommendations and Missouri statutes, but we’re not making significant changes. After all, when we have our special corporate meeting later this year we’ll be acting on the plan for merger, which will include new articles of incorporation and bylaws for Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland.

I completed the governance survey last week and am wondering how the results are looking…

Thank you to all who have completed the governance survey! We have nearly 400 responses to date, with about two-thirds from Heart of Missouri. The survey will remain open until February 5 so that our sister councils have the opportunity to ensure their members know about the survey.

 

Realignment Update (posted 10/24/2007)

The Board Chairs and CEOs of our five merging councils met on October 19-20 – it was a very good, positive meeting.

The next Council Realignment Committee (CRC) will be November 16 – 17. We learned on October 21st that the November CRC agenda includes choosing up to three possible names for our new council. Those names will be forwarded to Girl Scouts of the USA, which makes the final selection. Several names have been suggested but more are needed. Please send suggestions to Mary Daly, Board Chair or Constance Bearnes, CEO. You may also leave a comment at the realignment web site.

Girl Scouts of the USA has set the following requirements for new council names:

* New name, no current/previous council name can be used (that would include councils which have been chartered in the past, but are no longer in existence). The name should be new to every council.
* Should start with “Girl Scouts” (to support a coordinated national identity)
* Should have a state and/or regional identity that the external market recognizes (name recognition should be reflective of a council’s state or regional identity that is easily recognized in a national context.

We should learn by the end of December whether any of our suggested names were selected by GSUSA. Some of the most recent new council names are:

* Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast
* Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey
* Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
* Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland
* Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys
* Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines

Thank you for your help and ideas. Send those name suggestions as soon as possible! Suggestions from girls are needed!

Constance Bearnes
CEO

 

A Letter from our CEO (posted 9/5/2007)

School has officially started. It’s a new Girl Scout year!

I’ve had an enlightening summer and have recently returned to work part-time following knee replacement surgery. It has been quite a lesson in learning about the complexities of living with a disability, even on a temporary basis! I want to tell you how wonderful the staff has been this summer. They kept things rolling, and when I was finally allowed out of the house, they took me on some short field trips so that I could see Jefferson City remains unchanged!

Camp Green Berry Acres: The camp has a new look at the entrance, and it’s starting to look really nice. Linn State Tech has finished grading. Concrete has been poured at the new camp gate and in the new turn around area. The flag pole has been moved. Retaining walls in front of and beside the cabin are complete. The electric line, which used to run right down the middle of the camp has been moved to the camp border and part of the line to the cabin has been buried. We will start seeding this month.

We are seeking funds to add a new deck to the back of the cabin, another retaining wall, landscaping, and fencing before next spring. So, we have been making fund development calls as the work will require nearly $80,000 more dollars (hopefully some labor and materials will be donated so that cost will be reduced). The cabin also needs a new roof (three old layers of roofing need to be removed). If you have a suggestion of a prospective donor who might be interested in supporting the work at Green Berry Acres, please contact Angela Robinson, who was promoted to Director, Fund Development this summer. We are mindful that the United Way blackout began September 1, so we will not be making external donor calls in September and October. If you have an idea, call and we’ll make contacts in November! This is also a project that can be supported financially by troops and individuals who have a long term attachment to the camp. Every contribution helps. Contact Carolyn Imhoff or Angela Robinson with any questions.

Camp Sacajawea: We are applying for funding from the Sedalia-Pettis Council United Way to begin work at Sacajawea so that the restrooms will be accessible. We will also be doing work to improve the storage area. A Sedalia architect, Robert Rollings, has drawn some basic plans so that we can get the work underway this fall.

The other exciting development for Sacajawea is that GSUSA has given us 95 pine seedlings for planting at the camp. This is in celebration of the 95th anniversary of Girl Scouting.

Camp Silver Meadows: We have applied for grant funding to extend the new dry creek bed and pave the road from the lodge to the lake. We’ve not had a response to our proposal yet.

Re-alignment: There is a new realignment web site for our five council group. You can go directly to the site or link to it through the home page of our web site. There is a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section with the most current responses for volunteers in all councils – it has been updated from the realignment Q & A we have in our Answer Book. The new realignment website also has a section where you can send your questions and ideas. In the interim, please gather ideas and send them to Mary Daly and me by October 15 for the following two things:

Suggestions for a new council name (I don’t know how this will be decided, but we’ve been asked to gather ideas now. Please spread the word.)

Ideas for how the Council Realignment Group and sub-committees should work together (basically, ground rules and suggestions for ways of work that will make our negotiations and planning go smoothly and happily. For example, should decisions be made on a majority or consensus basis?)

Are You Ready for Rendezvous 2008? This year’s theme is “Continuing the Legacy.” A group of creative volunteers has been working with Tammy Nobles and Shannon Pantukhoff to develop fun, FABULOUS ideas for the April 19 event at the Sedalia Fairgrounds. Information packets should be ready for troops within a few weeks, so watch for them by the end of October. Talk about swaps with your leaders and remind them that it can take a group of little girls a long time to make 30 or 40 (or more) swaps.

Annual Meeting and Annual Recognition Luncheon: Our final regular annual meeting will be held on March 8 in Columbia. A few things to remember:

Diane Neterer and her daughter Melissa Caroll have agreed to lead a Girl Scout Chorus for the annual meeting. They are in need of SINGERS OF SONGS! We have not discussed a rehearsal schedule, but it will not be extensive. If you know of volunteers willing to share the special GS music we’ve known for decades, please send names and contact information to Trish Austin or call her at 1-800-707-1917 or 573-893-5505.

Please start work on nominations for adult recognitions. Information about the various recognitions and forms is located in the Answer Book. Wouldn’t it be great if there were someone from every service unit who is recognized at the luncheon? The recognitions don’t happen if the nominations aren’t submitted. Please help make this a special final recognition luncheon for our council. There will be another silent auction on March 8. Individual and service unit baskets are welcome!

Magic of Chemistry: Attendance at Magic of Chemistry fell below expectations last year, and we’re eager to get it back up to 200 Junior Girl Scouts and about 50 volunteers. Please remind your Junior Girl Scout leaders that this really is an extraordinary opportunity. Dr. Tucker, creator of the program, has even received a Presidential Citation (as in President Bush) for her work with Magic of Chemistry. It’s a great program. Dates are November 3 and March 15. Both sessions are held on campus at MU. Fee per person is $10.

Women’s Night Out: Is November 15 on your calendar? That’s the date for our third Women’s Night Out. It features a fashion show, entertainment, speakers, silent auction, jewelry show, booths, wine and hors d’oeuvres. To learn more about this fund development event, click here. Tickets are $35 per person if purchased prior to November 1. After November 1, ticket costs go up to $45 per person.

That’s all for now! May the year ahead be a truly wonderful one for you, our girls and our volunteers.

Best Wishes,

Constance Bearnes

CEO

Girl Scouts – Heart of Missouri Council  

Welcome to the New and Improved e-Notes! (posted 4/24/2007)

After much research and technological wrangling, Girl Scouts – Heart of Missouri Council is proud to introduce its new e-Notes blog to our administrative volunteers and trainers. We believe that this blog will provide up-to-date information in a format that will make it easy for you to retrieve whenever you need it.

You’ll find articles in this space. Every time a new article is posted, it will go to the top of the page, and we’ll send you an e-mail to let you know there’s a new posting. At your convenience you can check out the information. So, instead of having to read through a full newsletter every two months, you’ll be able to read smaller bursts of information in a more timely fashion. The articles will include links to other web pages and e-mail contacts, so you can check out or ask for additional information with the click of a mouse. All articles will be archived; when an article moves off of the list, you can find it by searching the “e-Notes by date” to the right.

On the right side of the page you’ll also find links to current activity grants, financial assistance, and membership numbers data. The data is organized by county, and will be updated regularly. Any time you need to find this information, just click on the link, and numbers will be there.

We think you’ll get the hang of our new blog quickly, and we hope you’ll check it often. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail VP – Marketing Penny Brooks.  

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