 |
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS Why was the “Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana” name chosen? This new name clearly identifies the regions to be served by the new council. It also reflects the GSUSA recommendation to offer a geographical reference in new council names. As we use the name in the coming months, we must include the names of our four councils to recognize the councils coming together to form our council. For example, “the new Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana council, being formed by the merger of Girl Scouts of Limberlost Council, Indiana Lakeland Girl Scout Council, and areas of Girl Scouts of Singing Sands Council and Girl Scouts of Tribal Trails Council,” would be appropriate. What happens now that the new jurisdiction has been identified? The first step in the realignment process was the appointment of the Council Realignment Committee (CRC) in Fall 2007. The CRC includes the Board Chair and CEO from each merging council and one or two additional appointed members from each council who offer the skills and expertise needed to guide the local council realignment efforts. The CRC is supported by Girl Scouts of the USA professionals and a realignment consultant. Who is serving on the Council Realignment Committee (CRC) and what are they doing? The CRC members continue to learn from merger experts and representatives of councils that have already concluded their realignment efforts. Representatives from each of the four councils also attend Girl Scouts of the USA program opportunities and strategy sessions. CRC members are: To learn more about these CRC members, click here. Who is serving on the subcommittees? Members are asking questions, doing research, and consulting experts who can contribute to the discussions. Subcommittees include: To learn more about the activities of the CRC and the subcommittees, check out the Merger Uplink newsletter. When will “Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana” be operational?
Where will the headquarters be? Where will local services be provided? Our new larger council will serve girls and adult volunteers in 20 counties across northern Indiana and two counties in southwest Michigan. To ensure membership accessibility and visibility, Girl Scout service centers will be located throughout the new council jurisdiction. This access will further reinforce the commitment to providing community-based and community-connected programs and services that meet girls’ needs. The decision to recommend the Fort Wayne facility as the headquarters for the merging council was difficult. The guiding factor was the girls who are members of Girl Scouts and which location would best accommodate the needs of the newly merged council as it serves them. The Property Subcommittee making the headquarters recommendation was impressed by the locations and facilities of all four merging councils. In making its recommendation, members reviewed these factors:
The Leadership and Learning Center in Fort Wayne opened in October 2006 and was designed specifically for Girl Scouts. Accessibly located off I-69, near the intersection of I-469 and I-69 in northern Allen County, it offers 18,000 square feet of program, meeting, training, and work space for girls, volunteers, and staff. No other recommendations or decisions about properties, including camp properties, or programs, have been made or even discussed. No properties have been sold. Detailed review of and discussions about any properties in the merging councils will not begin until a Board of Directors for Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana is in place. What will happen to current camps and outdoor facilities? The Council Realignment Committee (CRC) will not make decisions about property. Instead, we are working to understand the strengths and potentials of each of our councils and outline the efforts to be completed. In fact, detailed discussions about properties, including the opportunities for outdoor program facilities, will not begin until a new board of directors is in place. Then, with the merger of our councils, we will be in a better position to modernize properties and offer even stronger outdoor education experiences to meet the needs of today’s girls. When the new council is operational, properties and programs may be reviewed to determine how to best serve all girls, and opportunities for new and enhanced services will be identified. How will Girl Scout troops be affected? The CRC has approved a system for numbering troops within Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana. All troop numbers will become five-digit identifications. To form the five digit number, current troops will add a prefix to their troop number. The prefix will correspond to the troop’s legacy council. Prefixes will be as follows: 1 = Indiana Lakeland To create the five-digit identification, troops now using three-digit numbers will add the legacy council number followed by a 0 and their current troop number. Troops now using four-digit numbers will add the legacy council number only. For example:
The use of the new five-digit troop identification numbers will begin when the new council is operational. What about the annual Cookie Program and Fall Product Programs? Fall Product Program: The 2008 Fall Product program will be held by each merging council. Members of Girl Scouts of Singing Sands Council, which has not previously participated in this program, will join the activities of one of the other merging councils. Cookie Program: The Girl Scout Cookie program will be a unified Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana activity. It will be held January-March 2009. The CRC has accepted a three-year contract with ABC Bakers to provide Girl Scout cookies for the Cookie Program within Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana. ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers both made presentations to the Service Delivery subcommittee, and each has built positive relationships with legacy councils in the past. ABC Bakers has been a licensed Girl Scout cookie baker since 1939, two years after the first sale of commercially baked Girl Scout cookies took place. It is part of Interbake Foods LLC, a Richmond, Virginia, based manufacturer that has been baking cookies and crackers for 100 years. ABC Bakers is one of two licensed Girl Scout Cookie bakers that serve councils across the country. Each council chooses its baker independently. Bakers can offer up to eight varieties of cookies, three of which must be: a mint cookie in a 10 oz. package (Thin Mints), a peanut butter sandwich cookie in a 9 oz. package (Peanut Butter Sandwich), and a shortbread cookie in a 9 oz. package (Shortbread). In 2008, ABC Bakers also offered Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel deLites, Thanks-A-Lot, Lemonades, and Cinna-Spins. All varieties were “zero trans fat per serving” (in compliance with FDA regulation). In addition to cookies, ABC Bakers provides its Girl Scout council partners with marketing, training, and girl activity materials to support girls and volunteers and to make the cookie sale activity a fun and developmental learning experience. To learn more about ABC Bakers and their Girl Scout cookie products, visit www.girlscoutcookiesabc.com. How will staff be impacted? Because the structure of the new council will offer new opportunities, staff members from throughout our merging councils will be able to apply for the positions that best suit their interests, talents and strengths. Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana has not yet incorporated and staffing is not yet determined. Therefore, no resumes or inquires are being accepted at this time. Once the new council has established the time frame for hiring and positions available, postings will be made as appropriate. When will a CEO be hired? The national search firm Evergreen, available as a courtesy from Girl Scouts of the USA, is conducting a national search. The CEO Search Subcommittee has worked with Evergreen representatives to formulate criteria, interview questions, and topics to discuss with candidates. This will ensure that the strongest candidates are interviewed and that the most appropriate person is ultimately selected. Information about the CEO position has been posted on the Girl Scouts of the USA Web site, www.girlscouts.org, and added to this Web site. What do I do now? As a parent, you can be confident that your Girl Scout will continue to have access to the world’s premier leadership program, one that can change the way girls see the world and their place in it. Throughout these realignment efforts, your Girl Scout will continue learning the importance of personal responsibility, the value of goal-setting, the spirit of teamwork, and the thrill of accomplishment. Volunteers should maintain their primary focus of mentoring girls and providing the finest troop, service unit and council programs and activities that enable Girl Scouts of all ages to grow strong. Each volunteer can also remain personally committed to meeting individual volunteer development goals and telling others about the benefits of the Girl Scout experience. Donors remain vital to the Girl Scout experience, and each of you is a treasured gift. As we develop this new high-capacity council to even better serve girls in our community, your ongoing financial support is necessary to continue providing the community-based programs and services that help girls realize their dreams and become tomorrow's leaders. It’s a busy and exciting time in Girl Scouting, and each of us must remain committed to working together to deliver the most successful girl-focused programs and services possible as we build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place! How do I keep up-to-date on the realignment during the coming months? You can also read the Merger Uplink issues. The newsletter was created to you up-to-date on realignment activities and progress, and all issues are posted under the “Realignment Process and Next Steps” tab. If you want Merger Uplink sent directly to your e-mail, just click here to send an e-mail to MergerUplink@gsssc.org; put "Subscribe" in the Subject line and we'll add you to the e-distribution list. We also encourage you to use the “Share Your Comments” opportunity on this Web site to offer your vision for the new council and ask the questions that will give you the information you need as we plan for our successful future together. What does this all mean for our councils? Each of our councils brings key strengths, which the new council will rely on, and challenges, which can result in new opportunities and improvements. We are excited about the collective wisdom and experience the four councils bring to the new council, which will continue to provide girls with unique experiences that will be unmatched by any other organization. Why is Girl Scouts realigning council jurisdictions? Over the last two years, Girl Scouting conducted a comprehensive review of the organization with a membership-wide team that included volunteers and girls across the nation. With the information gathered, the organization is now further strengthening the organization for girls and volunteers in the 21st century. Throughout the realignment process, Girl Scouts across the nation will continue celebrating everything girls love about Girl Scouting – troops, camping, the Promise and Law, badges, uniforms, and so much more that will remain the same. As Girl Scouting honors the traditions that have always made it such a positive experience, it is also moving forward and making the experience even better. |
 |
 |
|
|
 Members of United Way and United Fund agencies |
|