Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana

Vernon Hills Regional Service Center

“ Through VISTAs, communities will understand the value of Girl Scouting! ”

Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Park Ridge, Skokie

  • 1,409 current girl members *
  • 480 current adult volunteers *

VISTA Meeting Detail

Service Unit 405 Meeting


Meeting Agenda:

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 7:00 pm

St. John Brebeuf Ministry Center, 8301 Harlem Avenue, Niles

no agenda defined yet

Meeting Minutes:

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 7:00 pm

St. John Brebeuf Ministry Center, 8301 Harlem Avenue, Niles


SERVICE UNIT 405 MEETING MINUTES

May 8, 2013

  1. WELCOME
    1. Thank you for coming to the Adult Recognition and Awards dinner. Thank you for being a Girl Scout volunteer!
    2. Sue S. (Park Ridge; Service Unit 405 Manager) gave a welcome speech and praised our entire Service Unit for being a great group of volunteers.
    3. A great big THANK YOU to the girls of Park Ridge Junior Troop 40651, their moms, and their leaders, Laura H., Sue S. and Karen H. (St. Paul of the Cross), for tonight’s wonderful event!
    4. These girls are in the process of earning their Bronze Award. They are working with the town of Park Ridge to replace the big evergreen tree in Hodges Park across from City Hall, and have set up a tree fund. This is the tree that each year during the winter holidays we request of our troops to create large, outdoor ornaments to hang on the tree. Unfortunately, the tree is dying. These girls are working to collect at least $600 to donate to Park Ridge to purchase a 12-foot Colorado Blue Spruce to replace the old tree. Donations will be accepted through the end of May. Please contact one of their leaders to help.
  2. COOKIE WRAP UP—Chris W. (Park Ridge)
    1. Thank you to the Service Unit 405 Cookie Managers, Troop Cookie Managers, Delivery Day Managers, and Site Sale Coordinators.
    2. We had a great Cookie Sale and could not have done it without everyone’s help, participation and co-operation! Although we did not meet our goal, we came really, really close!

                        Incentives

    1. The final incentives (earned after the initial order) have not been delivered. Hopefully they will arrive by early June. Please keep in contact with your Community Manager to see when they will be available.
  1. FALL PRODUCT / PLANNING AHEAD
    1. Please plan now to participate in the Fall Product sale.
    2. Although we do not have exact dates, the Fall Product sale usually takes place in October.
    3. This is a great way to start your Girl Scout year earning money for your troop’s service projects and special trips, not to mention an easy and quick way to earn money.
    4. If you are planning on having an alternative money-earning activity such as a garage sale or car wash, you must participate in both the Fall Product sale and Cookie Sale.
    5. Also, you are required to submit a Money-Earning Activity Application. These applications can be found at www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org under the Support Us/Current Volunteers tab. Click on Resources and Forms, and scroll to the bottom.
  2. REGISTRATION

                        Early Registration Incentives

    1. For each troop that registers by May 30, 2013, the troop will receive a coupon for 10% off in our Girl Scout retail shop, $5 off a Journey Facilitator Set, and a free tote bag.
    2. Register by June 28, 2013, and each troop will receive a coupon for 5% off in the Girl Scout retail shop, and a free tote bag.
    3. All shop discounts expire on September 30, 2013.
    4. Please refer to previous e-mails that were sent out for exact due dates to your Community Registrar. They differ from the due dates above.
    5. Leaders, please remember to ask your girls to contribute to Family Partnership.
    6. We encourage you to register using the NEW! registration process through eSubmit [www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/eSubmit]. According to those volunteers who have used eSubmit—it’s easy!
    7. For Park Ridge leaders: Kay S., Community Registrar (Carpenter School) still has registration packets that have not been picked up. If you have not received your packet, please call Kay.
  1. FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN
    1. If your troop participates in volunteer programs at the Feed My Starving Children [www.fmsc.org/home] organization, and you would like participation patches, they are available at the Girl Scout Express (Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois council), 200 Applebee St., Barrington, IL. Their phone number is 847-620-5043. Patches are $1.50 per patch.
  2. MEMORIAL DAY PARADE—Sandy H. (Park Ridge)
    1. Monday, May 27, 2013
    2. The entire Service Unit 405 is invited to march in the annual Park Ridge Memorial Day parade.
    3. Girls should assemble for lineup by 9:45 am in front of Roosevelt School, at the south end of Fairview Ave., just south of Talcott. This is the same spot as past years, right in front of the Boy Scouts.
    4. Parade steps off at 10:00 am.
    5. Girls should be in uniform, and troops may carry banners or a troop flag. Park Ridge would prefer that candy not be thrown to spectators (but there is no hard & fast rule against it).
    6. The Girl Scout group does not have a float. If your troop is interested in making a float, you will need to contact Park Ridge on your own to acquire a number and a spot in the parade.
    7. Parents should make arrangements to meet their girls at the end of the parade, however the area around City Hall gets extremely crowded at the end of the parade, and is NOT a good option as a meeting place.
    8. Please contact Sandy H. (Park Ridge) for further details.
    9. Trip Applications are needed for this event, and should be submitted to Sue S. (SU405 Manager).
  3. MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
    1. American Legion Morton Grove Post #134 invites Girl Scouts to march in the annual American Legion Memorial Day parade.
    2. Sunday, May 26, 2013
    3. Scouts are asked to meet in the Morton Grove American Legion Civic Center parking lot, 6144 W. Dempster, Morton Grove at 1:00 pm.
    4. The parade will step off at 1:30 pm.
    5. The parade will cross Dempster at Georgiana, go south to Crain, east to School, south to Lincoln, and west to the library. There will be a short ceremony at the library’s Doughboy statue. After the ceremony, the parade will re-form on Georgiana and march back to the Civic Center.
    6. Girl Scouts are asked to wear their uniforms.
    7. The American Legion will have juice and cookies available for the scouts.
    8. Please contact Jac Charlier at 773-266-1420 for further information.
  4. FOURTH OF JULY PARADE—Judie E. (Niles)
    1. Wednesday, July 4, 2012
    2. The entire Service Unit 405 is invited to march in the annual Niles Fourth of July parade. We would love to have many troops participate.
    3. Girls should meet at 8:30 am in the Notre Dame High School parking lot, 7655 W. Dempster St., at Ozark Ave., Niles.
    4. The parade steps off promptly at 9 am.
    5. The parade will proceed south Ozark to Main St.; east on Main St. to Harlem; south on Harlem to Monroe; west on Monroe to Grennan Heights, 8255 N. Oketo, Niles. The park district sponsors games, music and food for everyone in the park.
    6. Girls are asked to wear their uniforms, and may carry banners or flags. Also, it’s a great idea to decorate a wagon and pull it during the parade for the little ones. Same candy rules apply as in Park Ridge.
    7. As a service project, each year during the parade the girls from Judie E. (Niles) Cadette Troop 40791 and Senior/Ambassador Troop 41006 push shopping carts, loaned to us by Walmart, to collect food along the route for the Nile’s Food Pantry. The food is delivered after the parade.
    8. The food drive is advertised in the local newspaper, electronic boards in town, and we deliver fliers along the parade route a few days before the day of the parade. We would love to have all our Service Unit 405 troops participate in the food drive.
    9. If you would like to donate non-perishable, non-expired food items for the pantry, but cannot be at the parade, please contact Judie.
    10. Please RSVP to Judie if your troop can attend. Judie will take care of registering with the parade committee.
  5. CAMP ANOKIJIG—Nancy F. (Morton Grove)
    1. Friday, August 23 - Sunday, August 25, 2013
    2. Cost: $105 (two-night stay) and $80 (one-night stay)
    3. Horseback riding--$17 per camper (not available for adults)
    4. Coral rides (for campers 43" and shorter)--$5 per camper
    5. Climbing wall--$17 per camper
    6. We currently have 142 campers registered. There is room for about 200 more campers.
    7. Cabins are still available. They have not been assigned, yet.
    8. Please e-mail (preferred method) your reservations to Nancy, however your troop is not fully registered until you deliver your check to Sandy H.
    9. Things are looking good for the climbing wall. There are currently about 75 reservations. 100 are needed to secure the wall.

                        TROOP LEADER REGISTRATION

    1. Registration packets for Troop Leaders have been sent via our Service Unit’s e-mail system, and are posted on-line at our Service Unit web site: http://www.ilcrossroads.org/vistas/5/events/detail/?eventid=1876  
    2. (The Parent Package is still available to download: www.ilcrossroads.org/vistas/5/events/detail/?eventid=723)
    3. As soon as you are ready to register your troop, please send to Nancy three forms--Camping Registration form (p. 3), Horse Ride Registration form (p. 4), and Wall Climbing Registration form (p. 5).
    4. Submit your troop check (made payable to Girl Scouts VISTA 5) ASAP to Sandy H. (Park Ridge), Finance Manager. Check should include a $50 deposit per camper plus $17 per wall climber. Also included with your check to Sandy should be a slip of paper with the leader’s name, number of campers, and amount for wall climbing fee.
    5. The balance of the paperwork and money is due June 30, 2013.
    6. As always, registration is on a first come, first served basis. The best way to register is via e-mail so that Nancy will have a time-stamp as to when she received your registration material. Incomplete forms or missing checks may result in your troop registration being pulled out of the line.
    7. We understand that cancellations may become necessary before the final amount is due. Cancellation information must be included in the June 30th information, after which no refunds can be made.
    8. Please remember that only checks and cancellation notices are sent to Sandy H. Paperwork goes to Nancy F.
    9. Get your registration in ASAP! The last few years, we have been almost filled to capacity.
    10. 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.
    11. www.anokijig.com

                        FIRST AID/CPR

    1. At least one volunteer trained in First Aid/CPR must accompany your troop to camp. Smaller groups may share a trained volunteer.

                        OUTDOOR TRAINING (for camping)

    1. 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:
    2. Outdoor Module 1 -- this is a self-study training, and a pre-requisite for Outdoor Module 2.
    3. Outdoor Module 2 -- for cabin camping
    4. Outdoor Module 3 -- for tent camping
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. Go to: www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/volunteer-resources to check the Spring/Summer 2013 Training Calendar for class dates.
    9. Go to register.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/ to register for classes. Search the on-line registration for Adult Training / Outdoor.
  1. RICHARDSON CORN MAZE—Scott B. (Park Ridge)
    1. Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013 from 12 Noon – 4 pm. (Once you are in the park, you may stay as long as you like with your own adult supervision.)
    2. This is a family event open to the entire Service Unit 405.
    3. Cost: $13 per person (children age 3 and under are free)
    4. Troops may reserve a campfire on their own.
    5. Girls are encouraged to make SWAPS, and trade with other girls they meet in the maze.
    6. Richardson Corn Maze, 9407 Richardson Road, Spring Grove, IL 60081
    7. www.richardsonadventurefarm.com
    8. 815-675-9729
  2. TRIP APPLICATIONS
    1. It is the responsibility of the troop leader to make sure that the facility you will be taking your troop to has a Certificate of Insurance (COI) on file with our council.
    2. One of our troops had their Trip Application denied by council because the art studio they were going to did not have a COI.
    3. Download the Approved Certificates of Insurance document from Resources and Forms under the  Support Us / Current Volunteers tab. Trip and Travel Applications are found here, too.
  3. END-OF-YEAR FINANCIAL REPORTS—Sandy H. (Park Ridge)
    1. Annual Financial Reports: please submit this completed form to your School Organizer by June 15, 2013.
    2. If your school does not have an organizer, please submit them directly to Sandy.
    3. Skokie/Lincolnwood troops: please submit your Annual Financial Report to Susie S.
    4. This is a 3-page form. Leaders only need to complete pages 1 and 3, and do not have to be specific down to the penny.
    5. Disbanded Troop/Group Form: if your troop is disbanding at the end of the school year, please complete this form and forward it with your Annual Financial Report to Sandy H.
    6. Financial Assistance Reconciliation Form: This form is only sent to troop leaders who requested financial assistance for any girl in their troop. Please complete this form and submit it directly to council (Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Lisle Regional Service Center, 2400 Ogden Ave., Suite 400, Lisle, IL 60532, Attn: Office of Financial Assistance).
    7. These forms are available on-line at www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org under the Support Us / Current Volunteers tab. Click on Resources and Forms, and scroll to the bottom.
  4. SHARING TIME
    1. The American Cancer Society FREE “Key of Life” program teaches girls about breast cancer prevention, and gives them a chance to participate in a service project.
    2. The girls will make a key chain craft. They get to keep one key chain for themselves, and send the rest back to the American Cancer Society.
    3. Materials will be mailed to the leader free of charge upon registration.
  5. COUNCIL NEWS—Sara N. (Membership ?)

Search and Register at register.girlscoutsgcnwi.org for these great events available through our council…

    1. May 18, 2013—Global Awareness at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie

      Take a Stand-Memory, History and Culture (Program Code: 16518)

      In Our Voices (Program Code: 165182)

    1. May 18, 2013—Introducing India at the Joliet Gathering Place (Program Code: 160024)
    2. May 18, 2013—Star Party at Camp Greene Wood Program Center, Woodridge, IL (Program Code: 1031123)
    3. June 15, 2013: Dancing Horses Show in Lake Geneva, WI (Program Code driving: 321473; Program Code bus from Vernon Hills: 321483)
    4. June 22, 2013: Six Flags Great America in Gurnee (Program Code: 360063)
    5. June 23, 2013: Deep River Waterpark in Crown Point, IN (Program Code: 460173)
    6. STEM Summer Camps in Vernon Hills

June 24 – 28, 2013—Fun with the Sun Day Camp (Program Codes: 321213 / 5-day; 321223 / 3-day)

July 22 – 26, 2013—Kitchen Science Day Camp (Program Codes: 321253 / 5-day; 321263 / 3-day)

    1. July 13, 2013: The Jungle Book at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago (Program Code driving: 161031; Program Code bus from Vernon Hills: 161035)
    2. July 27, 2013: Outdoor Module 2 & 3 Combo from 9 am – 3 pm; Northcroft Park, 1365 South Ridge Rd., Lake Forest; Cost $18 (Program Code: 3449)

Note: If you have already taken Outdoor Module 1 you do not need to repeat the course and will be reimbursed the $3 at the training in July. If you have not completed Outdoor Module 1, then ten days before the training an Outdoor Essentials book will be mailed to registered participants. The next day an e-mail will be sent to you for a learning log to be completed for Module 1.

    1. August 2, 2013: Just Dance…Your Story in Vernon Hills (Program Code: 1065203)

Other great programs available…

    1. LEGO Robotics at www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/stem to download official flier.

May 22, 2013: Informational Session at Journey World

June 7, 2013: Application due

June 14, 2013: Notification of Acceptance.

    1. June 9, 2013: Chicago Sky/Summer Move-a-Palooza. Contact Bryan at bvandenbosch@chicagosky.net

Search the calendar at register.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/calendar for these exciting programs…

    1. July 26 – 28, 2013: You and Me: Older Girls Only! At Camp River Trails in Sheridan, IL
    2. Sept. 6 – 8, 2013: Me & My Pal at Camp Juniper Knolls in East Troy, WI
    3. SAVE THE DATE! Nov. 23, 2013: Museum of Science and Industry. Registration begins in September

Download the 2013 Summer Essentials booklet (www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org; GIRL SCOUT INFO / Camp) for summer camping options.

  1. AWARDS PRESENTATION—Margaret T. (Park Ridge)
    1. Thank you to each and every one of you, our Girl Scout Leaders and Volunteers, for all of your hard work and dedication.
    2. Thank you to all of our Service Unit 405 Team, Community Managers and School Organizers.
    3. Congratulations to those volunteers who were recognized for their Years of Membership and Years of Adult Service.
    4. Congratulations to those volunteers who were added to the Service Unit 405 Honor Roll of Service.
    5. Congratulations to those volunteers who received the New Found Treasure award and Volunteer of Excellence award.

Have a safe and relaxing summer!

The next meeting of Service Unit 405 will be

Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 7:00 pm

St. John Brebeuf, 8307 N. Harlem Ave., Niles

 
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