Camp Merewether was so-o-o-o good!

We had a great time, great weather, great food, great activities, and a great sense of caring for one another and for our neighboring Junior troop.  It was good.  Your trusty advisors were proud to be associated with such true Girl Scouts who really lived the Law this weekend – especially the part about “sister to every Girl Scout”.  No wonder Kat is so happy that some of our girls want to work for her next summer.  It has been suggested that we plan alumni camping trips or include our graduated members whenever they’re home in next year’s camping trips.  Sounds like a great idea! 

Next meeting October 24, and other events coming up

We will have special stuff about Juliette Low at this meeting - time for us old hands to think about what a wonder woman she was.  Paul Garguillo is working on arranging a ham radio event for us either during a meeting or on a Saturday soon.  James Unger is excited about planning a Car Care IPP workshop for us.  We need to pin down our schedule.  We are confirmed for the Empty Stocking Fund volunteering on December 19, 4:00-7:30 p.m., and we have to decide where we want to go out to eat afterwards.  What we really need is another month between now and winter holidays!

Family Partnership Reminder

Please bring your family partnership checks to the meeting this week.  By now you should have received Pattie's letter and brochure describing all the ways this money is used.  (Think of your yearly Family Partnership contribution as the "Booster Club Dues" for Girl Scouts!) We are hoping for a minimum donation of $40 per family - checks should be payable to the "GS Council of NW Georgia". Every girl should bring at least $1 of her own money to contribute in addition to her family check. Thanks!

Gold Award Reminder

The Gold Award Committee are the people who get your application form when you fill it out and mail it in.  They meet on the third Thursday of the month.  If your stuff arrives on the third Friday of the month, it will sit until the next meeting.  The next meeting is October 16.  That’s next week.  Get a move on, dear ones.

The Big Trip

Plans are being finalized, and it’s time to talk money.  At the October 24 meeting we will need to spend some time working on our London Experience schedule, how we’ll handle the money issues, and things we need to take care of before we go.  For example:

• Any girl going on this trip who does not already have a passport will need to get one.  It takes several weeks, so start now!  It’s expensive, so maybe it can be a Christmas present.  You need to go to Kinko’s or some other place to get a set of passport pictures, then you go online to get your application form at http://www.usaimmigrationservice.org/ .  Next you take the filled out form to the U.S. Post Office on Briarcliff Road near Clairmont because it is the nearest post offices where they accept passport applications.  You will need to bring forms of ID, like your old passport, birth certificate.  The list of acceptable ID is on the website.  It will cost $50.  Be prepared.  Then you wait until it comes back to you in the mail.  They send away your ID, but it comes back, too.

• We will be expected to dress in uniform.  If you don’t have a complete uniform or you need to replace some parts, tell Santa so that you will be prepared and not frantically shopping in May.

• There are several things like this that we need to be aware of that are part of the notebook we were sent from the Council Office.  Some Girl Scout troops have behaved in rude and thoughtless ways that have caused reprimands to be sent from the national Girl Guide office in London to our national office.  I doubt that we would cause such a thing, but some of the expected behaviors are a little different from American practices – like this uniform thing.  We need to be prepared.

Cost per person (still estimated – We’ll have the total from our travel agent soon.)

The schedule

The list

These are the people who have signed their commitment forms.  Right now our group consists of these 18 people:

See you at the meeting on Friday!