Girl Scouts In The Community
The Girl Scouts from Sahuaro Girl Scout Council make big impacts on our community! Great job girls!
My perspective on: Girl Scouting, The girl effect, by Maria-Elena Ochoa
Some of these women are still with us today. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court. We've had four women governors: Rose Mofford, the first woman to serve as governor of Arizona; Jane Dee Hull, the first woman to be elected governor of Arizona; Gov. Janet Napolitano, and Gov. Janice K. Brewer. During Gov. Hull's administration from 1998 to 2002 and for the first time in U.S. history, the state's top five government positions were held by women: Gov. Jane Hull, Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, Attorney General Janet Napolitano, Treasurer Carol Springer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Keegan. As a member of the board of directors for Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC), I discovered that all five women either are or were involved in Girl Scouts. Looking through my new Girl Scouts "lens," I now wonder who else in our state's history was in Girl Scouts. I have since found out that one of the women being celebrated in the Arizona Women's Heritage Trail, Plácida García Smith, was on the board of Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council in the 1960s. This celebration of women is my point. Tamara Woodbury, CEO of Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, is not surprised that many influential Arizona women have been Girl Scouts. She is very cognizant of the correlation between Girl Scout leadership development and women making history. After all, the organization's mission is "Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place." Building leadership is the core of the Girl Scout program. Tamara and the council embrace The Girl Effect, "where change starts with a girl - invest in her and the world will change." With eyes wide open, Tamara and the council's board, which includes five Latinos/as, have made a commitment to embrace Latinas as the new wave of Girl Scouts in Arizona. The council is so committed to this cause they have established an advisory group. They are the council's "Latina Circle of Influence." When I add my Latina lens to my Girl Scout lens, I now see that many Latina Girl Scouts have been making history in Arizona and nationwide. Just to name a few: Linda Mazon Gutierrez, president and CEO of the Hispanic Women's Corporation, influences Girl Scout policy through her work as secretary of the Girl Scout National Board. Anna Maria Chavez, former policy advisor to then Gov. Napolitano, is the new CEO of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas based in San Antonio. Anna Maria has made history by being among the first Latina Girl Scout CEOs in the country. Eunice DeDios, recently retired deputy director from the Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, was interim CEO before Tamara came on board. Olga Aros, president of Ora y Dia Management Group, co-founder of Mujer Inc. as well as the Hispanic Women's Corporation, whose efforts are paving the way for Latinos, has added to Arizona's legacy of Girl Scouts, with her history-making work on the Latina Circle of Influence. Grace Salinas, vice president of the Marcos de Niza Tenant Council, co-leads three Girl Scout troops - approximately 70 girls (80 percent Latinas). With her guidance, they are developing an all-important component of leadership: self-awareness. Last but not least, Gabriela Marie Guerra, at age 18, was the recipient of the 2009 Girl Scouts Young Women of Distinction World of Humanity Award for her volunteerism serving homeless adults and children. This year she has already been recognized by the Arizona League to End Regional Trafficking, a program of the International Rescue Committee, for her international work through the Girl Scouts to end human trafficking. This extraordinary young woman has only begun to leave her mark. The women of Arizona's history are truly inspiring. To learn more, I encourage you to visit the websites for the Arizona Women's Heritage Trail, the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame, the Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, and The Girl Effect. I anticipate Latinas will continue to make history and shape our state's future. Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council is a powerful vehicle for this trajectory, and that simply makes my heart soar with pride and hope.
March is National Women's History Month. In our state, a number of organizations celebrate women who have made a historical impact, such as the Arizona Women's Heritage Trail and the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame. The women honored have paved the way for all of us.
Please vote for SGSC to have our Break the Cycle, Speak, Act, Change program funded!
Our Council has been selected as one of 6 council's across the country to participate in a anti violence project with Break the Cycle called Speak, Act, Change! Similar to the recent Chase bank public voting campaign, Pepsi is running a voting program to fund a project. We need your votes. If the project (ranked #19 today!) receives the money, we will be able to send girls and volunteers to DC for a training retreat.
Won't you please vote today and every day so we can win?!
In the U.S., 1.5 million teens experience dating abuse each year. Research has found that young women ages 16-24 experience the highest rates of violence-nearly triple the overall average. If we are to help our girls create lives free from violence and fear, we must empower them to speak out on their own behalf.
With $250,000, Break the Cycle will invite 120 Girl Scouts ages 15 - 17 and 40 college-age women volunteers to become peer ambassadors to end dating abuse. Participants will travel to Washington, DC for a 2-day retreat in June, 2010 to be trained to use our resources to become leaders in this movement!
Over the next year, these young women will educate and inspire other Girl Scouts in their troops and groups, using service-learning activities to reach over 50,000 girls. If those 50,000 youth then educate five others, 250,000 young people will gain the life-saving knowledge needed to create a safe, healthy and happy future.
Here is the link to vote...
http://www.refresheverything.com/breakthecycle
World Care: Emergency Relief Haiti
GSUSA National Board Ratifies Policy to Allow Girl Scouts to Raise Funds for Haitian Relief Efforts
Dear Girl Scouts,
World Care's response to the massive earthquake in Haiti is well underway. We have been asked to collect donations by several federal relief agencies and international non-profits.
Ways you can help:
1. Collect donations:
Set up a collection site in your neighborhood or office. Forward this email to friends and family who can donate.
2. Donate Money:
We need funds to help support shipping and purchasing costs to aid in the relief effort.
3. Volunteer:
World Care is open Monday-Saturday 9am-3pm. Come by and fill out an application to get started!
Volunteer Now!
We have been working on education and medical projects in Haiti for over 5 years. We truly appreciate your continued support. We would not be able to reach the tens of thousands of people affected by this disaster without your generous donations.
Lisa Hopper
World Care
Items in need:
First Aid Supplies: Antibiotic creams/ointments, Antiseptic wipes, Bleach in tablet form, Band-Aids, Gauze and tape, First Aid kits and supplies
Over the counter medications: Pain relievers, antacids and tummy aids (i.e. pepto bismol, liquid bandage, etc.
**Please make sure medications are not expired**
Emergency Needs: Flashlights, DRY goods (beans, rice, etc.), infant formula, powdered milk, supplemental drinks, gently used or new blankets
We are NOT accepting clothing donations
Hygiene: Toothpaste & toothbrushes, nail clippers, wash/face cloths, non-alcohol and baby shampoos, Bar soap
Emergency Needs: Flashlights, DRY goods (beans/rice), infant/powder milk, blankets
Deliver donations to our warehouse:
3538 E. Ellington Pl.
Map to World Care warehouse
Mail checks to:
Re: Tools for ER or Haiti Relief
World Care
3538 E. Ellington Pl.
Tucson, AZ 85713
Visit our website:
www.worldcare.org
The Partnership for Women and Girls
Girl Scouts has partnered with the Tucson YWCA and the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Violence to create the Partnership for Women and Girls.
From Pat Sturmon, Tucson Region
To all Girl Scout Board Members and Advocates for Women and girls!
See below for a wonderful article from today's Star. In addition to being such a great article, it was on page 2 of the paper. The article was about yesterday's presentation by Sheryl DuWunn sponsored by the partnership of the YWCA, Girl Scouts and EMERGE.
Several Board Members attended Sheryl's presentation about the book she co-authored with her husband, Nicholas Kristof, Half the Sky. They were the first couple to win a Pulitzer for coverage of China as New York Times correspondents. Kristof also has won another Pulitzer for his columns.
The presentation provided dramatic and horrific information about the slavery and abuse of women and children worldwide. It also helped us focus on the needs of women and children locally. This was an excellent opportunity for the YWCA, EMERGE and Girl Scouts partnership to demonstrate commitment to the 60,000 women served in our area. And, it is an important start to our conversation about this mission.
And, for all of you facebook users, you can become a fan of Nicholas Kristof and receive updates on world projects helping women.
I purchased the book (Sheryl stayed and autographed books) and am looking forward to a poignant read.
I took a few notes:
- Seven percent of foundation monies go to women
- Decisions about women are made at the family level
- Women and girls aren't the problem - they are part of the solution
- It's the culture that needs to change
A big thank you to Debbie and the leadership of two other organizations for organizing this fabulous presentation. This event really promoted our efforts.
Journalist discusses plight of women
By Patty Machelor, ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.11.2009
Think of it as a local approach to an international problem.
Tucson's new Partnership for Women and Girls formed not only to help women and their daughters escape poverty and domestic abuse, but also to enable them to become successful community members.
On Thursday, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sheryl WuDunn spoke as a Partnership guest about her most recent book, "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide." WuDunn co-authored the book with her husband, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.
While slavery and totalitarianism were the biggest moral challenges of the last two centuries, WuDunn said, the current century's great task is overcoming the oppression of women and girls. WuDunn has traveled extensively with her husband to report on the plight of women and girls worldwide.
"The challenge of our time is to address the brutality that so many people around the world face because of their gender," WuDunn wrote in response to e-mail questions from the Arizona Daily Star.
"Equally important is that, aside from the right or wrong of it, one of the best ways to fight poverty and terrorism is to educate girls and empower women, bringing them into the formal labor force."
WuDunn said the challenges for women and girls in the United States and abroad are similar, varying only by degree.
"Throughout the world, health care delivery, even maternal mortality in the U.S., should be a much higher priority," she said.
The Tucson partnership, which formed last January, includes the Sahuaro Girl Scout Council, YWCA Tucson and Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse. The collaboration provides 99 percent of all services for women and girls in Southern Arizona, said Janet Marcotte, executive director for YWCA Tucson.
Emerge is a result of a 2008 merger between the Tucson Centers for Women and Children and the Brewster Center. The program serves about 2,000 women a year in support groups, and also provides 120 beds at two crisis shelters.
"We don't have bride burnings here and it may not look the same, but we have women being abused every day here and we have women being attacked every day here," said Sarah Jones, Emerge's CEO.
The partnership helps each agency provide more for the women and girls, she said. Those who seek help with Emerge then go on to receive job training and financial education through the YWCA of Tucson.
More than 86 percent of the women in Emerge's shelters are unemployed, Jones said, and about 60 percent have children.
Inviting the girls and teen-age girls to participate in Brownies and Girl Scouts is another critical part of the new partnership, Jones said.
"A lot of the girls have grown up in abusive households so they don't have a model for what a healthy relationship looks like," she said. "We want the girls to know that there's a whole other life out there and you aren't only a person who has lived in an abusive home."
WuDunn praised the agencies for their efforts, and said more communities should form similar collaborations.
"Often, women aren't given the training or the chance to work productively, so programs that help address violence against women should also be coupled with programs that help empower them economically," she said.
Contact reporter Patty Machelor at 235-0308 or
Emerge Center in need of holiday gifts and volunteers
If you are looking for a meaningful way to give this year, please consider donating new, gift items for the Holiday House or donate your time to set-up, clean-up, gift-wrap or be a shopping buddy for moms or kids. We have a great need for mom gifts and teen gifts this years, as well as gift wrapping items. Please download the wish list for gifts. More info
