VISTA 5:

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1.    WELCOME and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

• Thank you for coming to our monthly Service Unit 405 meeting.
• Please sign in, and get a raffle ticket for the end-of-the-meeting drawing.
• For those in attendance at the meeting who are new leaders, Sue S. (Park Ridge), our Service Unit co-manager introduced herself and Karen H. (Park Ridge).
• Also for those new to scouting, in the past we were known as VISTA 5, as well as a SUVA for a short period of time. We are now called Service Unit 405. Please use this reference on any paperwork, such as Trip Applications, that requires your Service Unit number, except when writing a check to the Service Unit. Then we still require VISTA 5 per our bank account.
• IMPORTANT NOTICE: DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING ASH WEDNESDAY AND COOKIE SALE ACTIVITIES, THERE WILL NOT BE A SERVICE UNIT 405 MEETING IN FEBRUARY. See you on March 13th.

2.    CAROLING PARTY

• Thank you to all the troops that participated in this event and donated to the St. Paul of the Cross food pantry.
• Thank you to Cadette Troop 40532 and Junior Troop 40651 for helping to serve refreshments.
• Thank you to Chris W. (Park Ridge), Karen H. (Park Ridge), and Sue S. (Park Ridge) for organizing another successful caroling party.
• Although it was a bit chilly, the weather cooperated, and the girls had a great time.
• The food pantry collected food to help over 100 families in Park Ridge, as well as surrounding communities.

3.    FALL PRODUCT

• Thank you to Chris W. (Park Ridge), Sue S. (Park Ridge), Joyce M. (Niles/Morton Grove), and Susie S. (Skokie/Lincolnwood) for a successful Fall Product sale.
• Our Service Unit did a great job selling Fall Product considering our number of troops went down this year. Unfortunately we did not meet the goal that council set for us, but we came really close (93%).
• Thank you to the 30 troops that participated.
• If you have any questions regarding Fall Product, please contact your Community Fall Product Manager.

4.    SHARING TIME / COUNCIL UPDATE -- Sara N. (Membership Specialist)

• 2013 Leadership Conference

• Saturday, January 26, 2013
• Registration begins at 8:30 am. Program is from 9:30 am - 4:30 pm.
• Camp Butternut Springs Program Center, Valparaiso, IN
• Register on-line at register.girlscoutsgcnwi.org. Program code: 6331
• This is a day of learning and fun for adult volunteers who work with the girls.
• Cost: $15

• First Aid / CPR Training

• Interested in becoming a volunteer First Aid / CPR trainer?
• Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 16 & 17, 2013
• 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
• Camp Greene Wood, Woodridge, IL
• Call council, and ask for Debbie N., Director of Adult Development and Training Innovation

• Cookie Kick Off Rally

• A number of people from our Service Unit attended the Cookie Kick Off Rally on January 5th at the Allstate Arena.
• This event is offered to Girl Scouts of all levels and their families, however the booths and games are geared toward Daisy, Brownie and Junior levels. Everyone can enjoy the Chicago Wolves game in the evening!
• Word was that the organizers have simplified the process to pick up your free t-shirt. Yeah!
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• There is still time to earn the 100th Anniversary Service Patch
• Troops must do four service projects that benefit the community in our anniversary year. Deadline to complete this patch is March 11, 2013.

5.    LEADER / DAUGHTER EVENT -- Barbara M. (Morton Grove)

• Reservations are still being accepted for this great event!
• Saturday, March 9, 2013 @ 12 Noon – 3 pm
• The Tiki Terrace, Des Plaines
• Cost: $27.50 per person, and includes a sit-down lunch and luau show.
• Download the official event flier [www.ilcrossroads.org/vistas/5/events/detail/?eventid=1316] from our Service Unit 405 web site under Events, and send your reservation to Barbara. (FYI: Barbara’s e-mail address is incorrect on the first page of the roster. Please check page 3--Morton Grove/Niles...Melzer School--for her correct e-mail address.)
• Thank you to Barbara M. (Morton Grove) for organizing this event.

6.    LEADER APPRECIATION & RECOGNITION EVENT

• May 8, 2013
• Service Unit 405 is still in need of a leader and/or troop to volunteer to organize our end-of-year event. This could be as simple as dessert only, or a light supper. Please contact Sue S. (SU405 Manager) if you are interested.

7.    AWARDS AND RECOGNITION UPDATE -- Margaret T. (Park Ridge)

• Thank you to all of you who submitted nominations. The Service Unit 405 Task Force has completed their review, and all the paperwork has been sent to council for their approval.
• Thank you to the Service Unit 405 Task Force.
• As soon as council approves the nominations, letters will be sent to all the recipients letting them know that they will be receiving some type of recognition.
• Awards are given out at our May 8, 2013 Leader Appreciation Event (see #6). Award recipients will also be mentioned at the council luncheon.
  

• Council Adult Recognition Luncheon

• Saturday, April 20, 2013 @ 12 Noon - 3 pm
• White Eagle, 6839 N. Milwaukee, Niles
• Cost: $27 per person.
• Full registration details coming soon.
• This year’s theme is "Celebrate: Leadership in Action" which indicates that it is time to recognize and celebrate all the hard work of our adult members in this past year.

8.    FUNDRAISERS

• Troops are allowed to have extra fundraisers ONLY IF they have participated in both the Fall Product sale (selling at least 20 items) and the Cookie Sale.
• Troops are not allowed to sell other organization’s products or brand name items. They can do fundraisers such as offering a service, like a car wash, selling hand-made crafts, having a garage sale, etc.
• Troops must submit a Money-Earning Activity Application [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources] to their Community Manager.
  
• Troops may raise funds for Hurricane Sandy without satisfying the requirement of participating in the Fall Product and Cookie Sale.

9.    TRIP APPLICATIONS

• New year...new procedures! Previously, if your troop was taking a council-sponsored trip, or going to a council facility, no trip application was required.
• Now...if your troop is taking a council-sponsored trip, or going to a council facility, AND drivers are only driving their own children, then a trip application is not required.
• If your troop is taking a council-sponsored trip, or going to a council facility, AND drivers are driving children other than their own, then a trip application is required.
• Anytime you go on a non-council-sponsored trip, or go to a non-council facility, a trip application is required.
• However, if the activity you are doing is not dangerous, and parents are driving their own children, a trip application is not required, BUT you must let Michael, Sue or Susie know that your troop is taking a trip.
• Check the Safety Activity Checkpoints which can be found at www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org under Support Us/Current Volunteers/Resources and Forms [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources]. And check page 14 of Safety-Wise [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources] for girl to adult ratios.
• Best practice: complete and submit a Trip Application!
• Trip applications can be found on pages 119-120 of the current Volunteer Essentials 2012-13 [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources] booklet, in the Support Us/Current Volunteers/Resources and Forms [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources] section of council’s web site, or in the Events [www.ilcrossroads.org/vistas/5/events/] section of our Service Unit 405 web site.
• Trip Applications should be submitted one month prior to an overnight trip and two weeks prior to a day trip to:
• Michael M. -- Niles/Morton Grove
• Sue S. -- Park Ridge
• Susie S. -- Skokie/Lincolnwood
• The following information must be included on the trip application for each driver: driver’s name, driver’s license, driver’s insurance carrier, policy number, and license plate number.
• Your troop’s First Aid/CPR volunteer’s name, phone number, copy of verification of certification, and date completed training must be included on the Trip Application. (This information is not kept on file and must be included each time a Trip Application is submitted.)
• Approved Certificates of Insurance (COI) can be found under Resources and Forms [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources].

10. COOKIE SALE

• Initial Cookie Sale
• Girl Scout Cookie Sale has begun. Selling continues through January 25th, although troops may require money and cookie cards to be turned in prior to that date.
• It is a great idea to set troop goals with your girls. What do you anticipate doing with the money that the girls earn? This may help the girls in their sales process when a prospective customer asks them, "What are you going to do with the money that you earn?" Help the girls be specific, instead of having to reply, "I don’t know."
• Please remember that although it is a great idea to set troop goals, you cannot mandate that a girl sell a specific number of boxes.
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• Entering Orders
• Cookie sale orders are to be entered into EBudde on January 26 and 27.
• Cookie managers should be able to get into the system on or around January 18th.
• All registered girls will have been added to the EBudde program prior to the cookie managers being able to access the system, and they will not be able to make any additions or deletions to their list of girls.
• Don’t forget--on March 5, 2013 council will automatically withdraw half the money it is due for cookies from each participating troop’s checking account.
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• Incentives
• Incentives will be sent based on initial orders.
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• Cookie Delivery
• Cookie delivery for the entire Service Unit 405 is February 9th.
• The delivery process is entirely new this year. Instead of each community sorting their own cookies and troops picking them up at a designated location, our entire Service Unit 405 will be picking up their cookies at a "drive through line" near the Target store in Golf Mill.
• How will this work? Three (3) trailers will be lined up end-to end in the parking lot. At their designated timeslot, each troop will "drive though" the line, stopping at each trailer, collecting their cookies and loading them into their vehicles. Each car will need two (2) volunteers. One to drive the car; one to load the cookies. (If your troop requires more than one vehicle, you will need two volunteers per car [2 cars = 4 volunteers].) There will be Service Unit staff on hand to help count and load your cookies. Cookies will not be sorted before you arrive.
• Other Service Units in our council have used this process with great success. We anticipate that the whole process should be completed within three to four hours. (Please remember that this is the first time we are using this system. Please be patient.)
• Cookies managers will be getting an e-mail about cookie delivery, and information about scheduling their timeslot.
• If you have any questions, please contact Allison B. (Park Ridge/Emerson), our Cookie Delivery Manager.
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• Site Sales
• According to council, site sale sign up opens on January 20, 2013 at 7:00 PM. In the past, the system has been available before that time. So, if you want a specific place on a specific day at a specific time, go on-line as early as you possibly can on Jan. 20th in case it opens early.
• Unfortunately, we (Service Unit 405) have lost some of our favorite locations, but the Site Sale Managers are working on acquiring others. However, you, as a troop, are not limited to only our five communities. You can go anywhere in our council (and other Service Units can sell in our communities.)
• The site sale program runs during 6 weekend periods (Fri., Sat. & Sun.), starting Feb. 15 and ending March 24. That does not mean that every merchant has to allow Girl Scouts to sell at their location for the entire duration.
• If you have a special connection with your place of worship, or a specific local store, and you want to sell there, you are welcome to create a "My Sale" through EBudde. You can enter your site sale information anytime between Jan. 20 and March 22. Again, this is NOT for the Jewels, Walmarts and Walgreens-type stores.
• Wherever you sell, please make sure your girls act appropriately. Do not harass or pounce on the customers. There is no better way to tarnish the reputation of Girl Scouts than to stick a box of cookies in someone’s face to get them to buy.
• Also, it is strongly suggested that you do not have your entire troop at your site sale for the entire site sale. Rotate the girls. You only need 2-3 girls per 1 - 1 1/2 hours, especially if it’s cold. Set up a schedule prior to the sale so that the girls and their parents know when they are supposed to be at the site.
• If you have any issues with scheduling your site sale, please contact Barbara M. (Morton Grove) or Jennifer M. (Park Ridge/Lincoln) as early as possible.
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• Cookie Costumes
• If your troop is having a site sale, and you would like to use the cookie costumes, please contact Joyce M. (Niles/Morton Grove).
• Use of the costumes is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Please submit your request to use the costumes to Joyce (preferably by e-mail) no later than Tuesday, Feb. 5th. Once Joyce has received all the requests, she will create a schedule and notify each troop by e-mail as to when they will get the costumes.
• Please include your troop number in your e-mail correspondence.
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• Community Cookie Sale Managers
• If you have any questions, please start with your Community Cookie Manager:
• Park Ridge and Service Unit 405: Sue S. and Chris W.
• Niles/Morton Grove: Joyce M.
• Skokie/Lincolnwood: Susie S.

11. CAMP ANOKIJIG UPDATE -- Michael M. and Nancy F. (Niles/Morton Grove)

• Patches from this past camporee (Aug. 2012) will be available at the next Service Unit 405 meeting.
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• Dates for the August 2013 camporee have yet to be determined. Nancy is waiting for confirmation from the camp. As soon as they have their summer schedule determined, they will let us know our camp dates.
• Registration will open in March.
• Nancy needs volunteers to help with simple jobs (sorting colored bracelets, making table signs, etc.), some of which can be done prior to camp (late July/early August), others to be done at camp. Please let Nancy know if your troop would like to help out.

• Outdoor Training (for camping)

• At least one volunteer from your troop must be trained and present during your camp stay. Camp Anokijig is not a Girl Scout camp. The following modules are required:
• Outdoor Module 1 -- this is a self-study training, and a pre-requisite for Outdoor Module 2.
• Outdoor Module 2 -- for cabin camping
• Outdoor Module 3 -- for tent camping
• If you are going to a Girl Scout owned camp, and food and activities are going to be done for you, leaders do not need to be trained.
• If you are going to a Girl Scout camp, and you and the girls are preparing your own food and activities, leaders need to be trained.
• If you are going to a non-Girl Scout camp, even if food and activities are going to be done for you, leaders do need to be trained.
• Click here [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources] to check the 2012-2013 Training Calendar for class dates.
• Go on-line [register.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/] to register for classes. Search the on-line registration for Adult Training / Outdoor.

12. RAFFLE

• Congratulations to those volunteers who won a raffle prize! 
  

Thank you for coming to our Service Unit 405 meeting!

-- NO SERVICE UNIT 405 MEETING IN FEBRUARY --

Next Service Unit 405 Meeting:

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 7:00 pm

St. John Brebeuf Ministry Center