CitrusPeel_2019_Vol.12

citrus peel
2018-2019 | Vol. 12

MARYANN’S INSPIRATION LETTER
3
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
03 | Maryann’s Inspiration
Letter
04 | National Young
Women of Distinction
06 | Gold Award Girl Scout
Recipients
11 | Get Ready for
Fall Product Program
12 | Troop Stories
15 | G.I.R.L. 2020
Convention Teaser
16 | Camp Mah-Kah-Wee
Update
18 | Council Shop &
GSC Social Media
19 | Volunteer Spotlight
Happy Summer Citrus Family!
I hope that everyone had
wonderful end of school year
events and that you are enjoying
a relaxing (though VERY hot!)
summer! Many thanks to those
who invited me to share in their
bridging ceremonies…what a
treat!
I know I wasn’t able to attend
all of them, but I wish I could hit
every single one!! I do believe
bridging ceremonies may be my
all-time favorite Girl Scout activity
to attend, the girls, leaders, and
parents are always so proud!
As the staff team prepares for
the start of another traditional
Girl Scout year, I believe it is
important to take a few moments
to reflect upon and count the
many blessings we enjoy at
Citrus Council. At the top of my
very long blessings list is, as
always, our girls! They are our
inspiration, our guiding force,
and at the core of everything we
do. However, there is another
blessing that shares that spot on
my list and in my heart; it is the
blessing of many of you who are
reading this right now. We would
be nothing without the dedicated,
amazing, patient, and passionate
volunteers who deliver Girl
Scout programming and bring
our mission to life everyday out
in our communities. Without
our volunteers and community
partners, Citrus Council would
simply not be the powerful force
for girls that we are.
YOU are building the future in
partnership with and under the
lead of the girls we serve. YOU
are our secret sauce. I often
refer to our Council as the Citrus
Family, and I mean it. Our girls
inspire us to bond together,
amplifying our commitment
and creating the unique and
purposeful relationship we share.
The girls draw us together as a
family, and our caring volunteers
feed and nurture that family,
lifting us all up. I love our Citrus
Family and could not be more
grateful.
Enjoy the last vestiges of
summer, and may we have our
girls have their best year yet!

4
NATIONAL YOUNG
WOMEN OF DISTINCTION
Through their Gold Award projects, these women have exhibited the essence of
what being a Girl Scout is all about. Whether it be demonstrating perseverance
or working with the local community to further their cause, these women have
successfully changed the community and the world for the better.
5
These two women have been nominated for the National Gold
Award Girl Scout recognition, which honors Gold Award projects that
demonstrate significant sustainable impact, astonishing leadership
and tackle a local challenge related to a national issue.
NADIA CURRI | MASS FOR CHILDREN
BRIANNA BARRY | SELF GUIDED HIKING TRAIL
Brianna Barry created QR code
posts throughout the Wekiwa
Springs State Park that allowed
visitors to scan the code to
reveal information about the
different features the park
has to offer. She made map
dispensers throughout the trail
that highlight the location of all
the QR code posts for hikers
to follow. Brianna wanted to
create a way for technology
to compliment a person’s
experience with nature.
“I would like to make people
more interested in the park and
encourage them to spend more
time outdoors and possibly
even take steps to help the
environment,” said Brianna. “I
love the idea of knowing that
the posts of my trail will be
there for years to come and
will encourage people to have
a greater appreciation of the
environment.”
Brianna hiked the trail several
times with multiple people to
determine which spots would
be the best area to put the posts.
She created extra markers for
the posts and made extra maps
so that the project could be
sustained by the park rangers at
Wekiwa Springs State Park. She
believes everyone from frequent
hikers to out-of-state visitors can
use these codes to explore what
nature has to offer.
“My completion of this project
demonstrates my growth in my
ability to identify an issue within
my community and take steps to
resolve it,” said Brianna.
She hopes other Girl Scouts can
add to her project. Brianna also
wants to encourage other girls
to complete their Gold Award
because of her own personal
experience. She feels the journey
to earning her Gold Award has
given her confidence in her ability
to lead and make changes in the
community.
Nadia Curri created a missal
guide book to place in the pews
at her church so that children
could follow along during Mass.
With the guidance of her pastor,
Nadia wrote the entire book and
created the graphics so children
could visually understand what
was taking place. Nadia realized
that the church did not offer any
books or guides that catered
to children and helped in this
area. During the service she
would often notice that several
children were unable to follow
along with the service and
would get distracted as a result.
While attending several different
churches, she also realized that
this was a problem for other
churches as well.
In preparing for this endeavor,
Nadia wanted to make sure that
these books were kid-friendly
so children could have fun while
learning about the service. Her
goal was to help children and
families get the most out of their
church experience. She initially
set out to produce 200 copies
of the book. However the books
worked so well that the church
had to order an additional 200
copies to keep up with demand.
After the books went into
circulation, the level of distracted
children dropped significantly.
“In 5 years, I hope to see my
book in other churches across
the county and even across the
state,” Nadia said. Nadia believes
the most meaningful benefit this
project gave her, has been the
ability to see the children and
adults in her community use the
books to enhance their experience.
“It has been so rewarding seeing
so many people learning from my
books after all the hard work that
was put into the project,” Nadia
said. Nadia has been a Girl Scout
for eleven years and regards the
completion of her Gold Award as
one of her great accomplishments.
Throughout this process, Nadia
has been able to improve her
communication skills, advocate
for children, work with adults
and has executed a solution that
made a significant impact on the
children and families in the church
community.
“I would describe my journey
to getting my Gold Award as a
learning experience to prepare
me for my career. Now I feel like I
can do anything I put my mind to”
expressed Nadia.

6
GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS
These 2019 Gold Award Recipients will be joining the legacy of more
than 1 million girls who have earned their Gold Award since 1916.
7
BRIANNA BARRY
Self Guided Hiking Trail
ABBY BIGGS
Mural for Munchkins
ELENA BRACE
Environmental Education
Program in Haiti
ANNELISE CURTIN
Mindfulness Garden
SARAH DAVIS
Guitar Club
JE’DION DUMAS
100 Bras for a Cause
MIA BRUNE
Canine Companion
Room Rehab
ERICA CHASAR
De-Lightful Bird
Geocaching
HANNAH COLLINS
Breast Cancer
Awareness 5K
KATIE FARELL
Volunteering 101 Video
KATE FILLENFARTH
Peer Meditation Club at
Bay Meadows Elementary
HOLLY GATES
North Orange Animal Hospital
Memorial Cemetery
LAYTON CORLESS
Beach Volley Ball Court @
Red Bug Lake Park
NICOLE COURTENAY
Music Library
NADIA CURRI
Mass for Children
AMANDA HURST
Feline Enrichment
ALIANA KAHN
Inspiration Boards at One
Heart
CHLOE KIERNAN
Blankner Aid

8
GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS
9
EMMA KLIEM
American Flag Etiquette
RACHELLE KOOKEN
S.T.A.N.D. the Movement
ANNABELLE LAWTON
You’re Going to Camp Book
RACHEL STEINKE
Aware 101
ELEANOR STETTNER
Life Jacket Station
LEXI TETER
Gotha Middle School Band Room
Improvements & Trophy Case
ISIS MASTERPALO
New Beginnings Mural
ADELLE MITCHELL
Frame Your Future
Career Fair
CHLOE OAKES
Readily Available
NATALIE TRIO
Reforestation of Haiti
ISABELLA VALDIVIA
Emotional Behavior Disability
Reinforcement Survey & Store
JESSICA VAZQUEZ
Food Allergy Awareness Week
REAGAN POMP
Sensational Science
Station
ANNE SCHWEITZER
Connecting Youth Caregivers
(w/Relay for Life)
MEREDITH SHAW
Saint Luke’s Clothing
Racks
EMILY WHITE
Sensory Room on a Budget
KATIE WILLIAMS
Ready for Recruitment
KARINA WILSON
In & Out of Bullying
Comic Book

Get ready for
Fall Product
Program!
Girl Scouts Celebrate
Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthday
Sat Oct 26 • 1pm | DJ Dance Party at 11:45am
Come celebrate Juliette Gordon Low’s birthday with some of your closest friends here at
Medieval Times! Birthday party complete with balloons, cake, meet and greet with some of
the show characters and DJ dance party before the show! Also includes a unique birthday
patch for all the scouts!
Contact Group Sales at 407-396-2900 ext 2119 or email Caitlin Williamson
at Caitlin.Williamson@medievaltimes.com to book today!
Fall Product Season starts
September 6 TH , 2019!
Participate in the 2019 fall product
program and 2020 cookie program to
be eligible for free entry into the
G.I.R.L. 2020 Convention!
For more information visit
www.citrus-gs.org.
4510 W. Vine St., Kissimmee FL 34746 • medievaltimes.com • 888-WE-JOUST

12
TROOP STORIES
SWAPS Station
13
SWAPS station allowed the girls to learn
all about those Special Whatchamacallits
Affectionately Pinned Somewhere, that Girl
Scouts love to pin on each other.
Camp Set-Up Station
TROOP 9797
Discover Camping was a South Lake Service
Community event hosted by Girl Scout Troop
9797. It was an afternoon at Lake David Park
in Groveland where Girl Scouts of all ages
come together to learn about the joys of
camping the Girl Scout way. There were four
stations, each station with a different agenda.
Flag Etiquette Station
Flag etiquette station taught the girls how to
fold an American Flag, how to “hand off” and
how to treat an American Flag. Each troop
in attendance was given an American Flag
for their own use, and to promote more flag
related meetings.
Camp Set-up station allowed the girls to learn
• How to roll up their own sleeping bags
• The difference between a campfire used to
cook with versus a campfire used for light and
warmth
• Campfire safety
• How to make firestarters by using candle
wax, sawdust and egg crates
• About mess kits and how to clean them
properly
• About sit upons, why we use them and how
they help us follow the Girl Scout Law of
“use our resources wisely”
The afternoon ended with a demonstration
of SKITS, campfire songs, and of course the
friendship circle and song. All Girl Scouts then
participated in Kapers and learned how to Leave
No Trace.
We were also able to use this event as a location
for a Reuse Collection where we received over
1900 pounds of donated items for Gifts for Girls,
which was hosted by Girl Scout troop 1717. We
had over 100 Girl Scouts (girls and adults) in
attendance and there has been a request for
this to occur next year.
Box Oven Cooking Station
Box oven cooking station allowed the girls to
bake chocolate chip cookies using a cardboard
box, aluminum foil, HVAC tape and
charcoal. This was a huge hit.

14
TROOP 1777
Over the holidays, Troop 1777 did two amazing
community service projects.
The first was a collective donation comprised of toys
and candy. These were used for 250 stocking stuffers
that were donated to 250 children at Arnold Palmer
hospital over the holidays.
The average amount of kids in the hospital during the
holidays is estimated to be 250. A representative from
the hospital, and lead on the project also came and
shared how the troop’s donation makes a difference
and the girls really enjoyed hearing this.
The second one was another collection focused on
household necessities. Items such as toiletries, gift
cards to Publix, water and food items were donated to
the Ronald Mc Donald house. The troop also went and
baked cookies and brownies for the guests staying
there over the holidays.
The girls helped clean and got a guided tour of
the facility. The troop had so much fun and really
appreciated learning about the house and the impact
it has on families. This is a new troop and their troop
leader would like to encourage the girls to do more
acts of kindness and serve our community.
OCTOBER 23-25
2020
ORLANDO,
FLORIDA
TM
Excited? So are we!
G.I.R.L. 2020 Convention is just around
the corner! Don’t miss out!
Orange County
Convention Center
9800 International Dr,
Orlando, FL 32819

16
CAMP MAH-KAH-WEE UPDATE
17
Campers visiting Mah-Kah-Wee
this summer are the first to stay
at Eagle’s Roost since the wildfire
tore through the west side of
the camp more than two years
ago. Thanks to the generosity of
donors and volunteers, the west
side is coming back to life.
Girls have been visiting Mah-Kah-
Wee since the 1970s – making
life-long friends, learning about
the importance of preserving
our natural environments, and
creating lasting memories. “My
heart swells with pride when I
think of all the hard work staff
and volunteers have put into
making our camp whole again”,
said Maryann Barry, CEO of Girl
Scouts of Citrus. “Seeing the
girls traipse along the trails,
enjoying all the property has to
offer diminishes the struggles we
encountered over the past two
years.”
In addition to the opening of
the trails and Eagle’s Roost, the
campsite at Shady Oaks will be
ready for campers this fall. Yurts
have been ordered and will be
put up in the coming weeks. And,
as a special treat, Walt Disney
World donated a glamping tent
that was an integral part of the
grand opening of Pandora at
Animal Kingdom. That tent and
the yurts will be air conditioned,
making camping in Florida’s hot
weather more comfortable.
Treehouses at Turkey Run and
boathouses on the lake are also
in the plans for the west side. The
timeline for those projects, which
will include new bath houses
and unit houses, is uncertain as
necessary funding is not yet in
place. “When I look at all we’ve
accomplished, I am confident
that all friends of Girl Scouts will
continue to rally behind Mah-
Kah-Wee, making dreams come
true”, added Maryann.
Thanks to the generosity of the Crymes family and
other donors, ground was broken in January of 2017 on
renovations to the Eco Center. Plans are to transform
the building into a STEAM center where girls can explore
science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Unfortunately, after the wildfire swept through three months
later, construction stalled. All that has changed in recent
months. The first phase of construction is nearly complete
and Council is looking at options for moving directly into
phase two. That phase will include construction of the
second level with a sky observatory and hammock hotel
where girls can sleep under the stars. A third and final
phase will include an outdoor stage and seating area.
There is still much to be done to bring the project to fruition.
Funding is being sought to offset construction costs and to
purchase equipment for the makers lab, arts barn, and sky
observation deck.

With the
purchase
of our Go
Green Bag,
every time you
shop in store
(with the bag)
you will receive
5% OFF your
purchase until
September
2020.
THE ADULT VEST
FOR VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF
Retail Price: $30
Sizes Available: XS - 5XL
Sku #’s:
Adult Girl Scout Kits are now available at the Citrus Council Store!! XS-04010 2XL-04015
S-04011 3XL-04016
M-04012 4XL-04017
L-04013 5XL-04018
XL-04014
The following items can
be added to your vest:
Stay connected to Girl Scouts of Citrus Council! Use our social media handle
to follow us on Facebook @GirlScoutsofCitrus and Instagram and Twitter @
girlscoutscc. Of course, don’t forget to check us out on YouTube, Pinterest and
Linkedin!
• American Flag
• Council Identification
• Volunteer Insignia Patch
• Volunteer Of Excellence Award Pin
• Lifetime Membership Pin
• Troop Numeral
• Volunteer Pin
• Adult Insignia Tab
• World Trefoil Pin
• Girl Scout Pin
Front
Back
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Shera Felske | Osceola
Shera, is a true leader who leads by
example and has led the Mishawaka
community for over three years. She
has an amazing passion for showing
girls how to “Give Back” to the
community. Shera is also a member
of the Alumni team that really puts
the “Fun” in “Adult Fun”. With Shera
leading the way, the Mishawaka
community was able to exceed their
Gifts for Girls goal by a whopping
221%. She has helped put together
a supportive Core Team, which in
turn has allowed the Mishawaka
Community to grow year after year.
Lisa Sanchez | Orange
Lisa Sanchez has served as the East
Orange Community Cookie Chair for
more than five years. She is a leader
by heart and has a passion for Girl
Scouts. Every year during cookie
season; she and her husband open
their home for the community. She
makes sure that she is available for
the leaders in the community to come
and get their orders. She also makes
sure everyone gets their orders in a
timely fashion. Lisa is always eager
and available to answer any questions,
email, text messages and she does it
with a smile and positive mindset.
Mequel Franz | Volusia
Mequel, has a gift for supporting all
girls. She has served as the lead for
the Gifts for Girls campaign in the
Roadrunner community. Each year,
her passion for serving others shows
through her encouraging Facebook
posts; the get up and go challenges
that have enticed the community to
meet its goals. In the last two years,
the community has exceeded their
goals. In the coming year she will be
focusing on the older girls camping
and outdoor experience.
Katie Ramsey | Seminole
19
Katie is a real Go-Getter. From
her troops to the community,
she is all about Girl Scouts and
what girls can do. She has been
her community’s Cookie Chair
for the last few years. She is
always encouraging, supportive
to new members, and she leads
by example. As a troop leader,
she always keeps her girls top of
mind. Her girls are always on the
move and have recently traveled
to Savannah. Knowing Katie, she
made sure they stopped by all
the Girl Scout sites first.
Susan Roberto | Lake
Susan is all about outdoor
skills and camping. You
can see how passionate
she is when leading the
leaders and girls in an
outdoor skill session. She
believes in the importance
of knowing yourself and
knowing the outdoors.
Susan believes there is
so much to learn from
the outdoors and she is
always willing to help girls
discover this.
Kerri Callahan | Brevard
Kerri is an amazing G.I.R.L. She
is a Go-getter, Innovator, Risktaker
and Leader all in one! She
is a troop leader for her two
daughter’s. Daisy and a Junior.
Each of her troops are very active
in setting goals for products and
cookies. They do fun activities,
learning as they go through their
journey in Girl Scouting. Kerri also
serves as a Community Cookie
Chair and a mentor on our Citrus
Gold award committee.

GIRL SCOUT PROMISE
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
GIRL SCOUT LAW
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Girl Scouts of Citrus
341 N. Mills Ave.
Orlando, FL 32803
800-367-3906