Connections Newsletter | January-February 2024

Cool Women Celebration 2024: Meet the Co-Chairs 

Honoring Cool Women...Investing in Emerging Leaders

At the Cool Women Celebration on Thursday, March 21, Girl Scouts San Diego will honor exemplary women who are outstanding role models for girls. Five Cool Women honorees will share the spotlight with 50 Emerging Leader Girl Scouts in grades 10-12 who are recognized for their achievements and leadership potential.  
 
It is our pleasure to introduce this year’s Cool Women Celebration Co-Chairs:  Barbara Bry (pictured right), 2001 Cool Woman; Chief Operating Officer, Blackbird Ventures and Divya Kakaiya, Ph.D., M.S., 2009 Cool Woman; Founder, Healthy Within

These fantastic volunteers will be instrumental in planning and championing this year’s event. Here’s what they had to say about why the Cool Women Celebration and Emerging Leader Girl Scout program are so impactful:   
   
“It is more important than ever to provide girls with opportunities like this. Emerging Leader Girl Scouts grow their leadership skills, spend time with remarkable women, and learn how to make their own positive impact on the community. The best part of the Cool Women Celebration is seeing the ways that the Emerging Leaders blossom right in front of us...their confidence and poise are outstanding.” - Barbara Bry and Divya Kakaiya  
   
Stay tuned…We will announce our five 2024 Cool Women honorees next month!
 
Reserve your sponsorships, tables, or tickets for the 2024 Cool Women Celebration today.

Unbox Your Future with the Girl Scout Cookie Program

We are excited to embark on another season of the Girl Scout Cookie Program—America’s sweetest and most beloved tradition—on Sunday, Jan. 28! As many of you know, this is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. Budding entrepreneurs from Daisies-Ambassadors learn five essential skills during the program—goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.

By participating in the cookie program, Girl Scouts can fund membership fees, uniforms, and field trips, and unbox a future of endless possibilities. Check out the 2024 Family Cookie Guide to learn about key dates, ways to participate, rewards lineups, and more. Do you need cookie marketing tools? Drop by one of our three store locations for lawn signs, cookie carts, door hangers, booth kits, and more!

Plus, we want to hear from our Girl Scouts and troops! What adventures have your cookie program proceeds funded? Email media@sdgirlscouts.org to share your stories and photos.

Shout out to to our partners at RJS Law for supporting our cookie program this year with billboards. Keep an eye next month to see our Girl Scouts San Diego billboards pop up around town.

Visit sdgirlscouts.org/cookies to learn more, or email cookies@sdgirlscouts.org with any questions.

Mark your calendars for these key cookie program dates: 

• Girl Scout Cookie Program Begins: Sunday, Jan. 28
• Cookie Booths Begin: Friday, Feb. 9
• National Girl Scout Cookie and Girl Scouts San Diego’s Cookies on Tap Weekend: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18 
• Girl Scout Cookie Program Ends: Sunday, March 10

Gold Award Girl Scout Theresa Aguilar Named 2023 Remarkable Teen

Congratulations to Gold Award Girl Scout Theresa Aguilar for being named one of the 25 Most Remarkable Teens in San Diego by the San Diego County’s Office of the Public Defender. A senior at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace, Theresa received the award in the Community Empowerment category. Theresa earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by completing a project to address literacy rates among children in underserved communities. She started a Reach Out and Read Club at her school, established a sustainable reading program at Neighborhood Healthcare Community Clinics, and created a trilingual video in English, Spanish, and Arabic that highlights the importance of reading to children. 

Girl Scouts Support PATH’s Toiletry Drive, Local Organizations During Holiday Season

Girl Scouts were out and about spreading hope and joy to our San Diego and Imperial Valley communities during this past holiday season.

More than 450 Girl Scouts participated in a fall donation drive in partnership with Brawley Feed the Need and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH). Girl Scouts collected and donated much-needed hygiene items like shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, lotion, wipes, and more. Because of these efforts, PATH’s facilities were completely restocked with necessary supplies for their clients.

Girl Scouts from Troops 6139, 2750, 2191, 6542, and service units 697 and 652 volunteered their time at the Chicano Federation’s holiday toy distribution event, helped the San Diego Botanic Garden with a restoration project in Encinitas, and supported Operation Courage is Beautiful. 

Troops 2948, 2169, and 2739 participated in projects with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for their “You Are Not Alone” program, supported Youth in Transition in the Poway Unified School District, and caroled for canned food donations for the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.

Girls from service units 674, 687, 662, 642, and troops 3154, 2011, 2933 supported animal shelters, laid wreaths for veterans at local cemeteries, and spread cheer to senior citizens with carols and gifts.

These are just a few of the many ways our Girl Scouts are giving back and making a difference. We are so proud. Way to go, Girl Scouts! 

Future of Balboa Park: Make Your Voice Heard 

Girl Scouts San Diego is grateful to be a part of the Balboa Park community. As the City of San Diego gathers feedback from Balboa Park visitors to identify strategic priorities for future investment and to inform decision-making, make your voice heard! Complete this brief survey before Sunday, Jan. 28 to provide input. The City is also hosting four public engagement sessions to gather additional feedback. Mark your calendars to join an upcoming meeting:
 

Tuesday, Jan. 30, 6-8 p.m. at Bankers Hill Club

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 6-8 p.m. at Balboa Park Club, Santa Fe Room 

Thursday, Feb. 1, 6-8 p.m. at Golden Hill Rec Center

Thursday, March 7, 6-8 p.m. at Balboa Park Club, Santa Fe Room (Balboa Park Committee Monthly Meeting)

Upcoming Events: 

Girl Scout Cookie Program Begins—Sunday, Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. 
National Girl Scout Cookie and Girl Scouts San Diego's Cookies on Tap Weekend— Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18
Girl Scouts San Diego 2024 Camp Registration Opens—Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m.
Cool Women and Emerging Leader Girl Scouts Celebration—Thursday, March 21 
Operation Thin Mint^SM Sendoff and Family Festival—Saturday, May 4