We're excited to announce the Momma Scout Blog! Susan Faler, our membership services manager from the Emporia Region, will be giving weekly updates with advice, insight and ideas to improve your Girl Scout experience. Susan has earned the name "Momma Scout" from years of experience with Girl Scouting. Read the article below to get to know Susan a little better, and let her know what you'd like to read about by sending her an e-mail at
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What Girl Scouts means to me I'm Membership Services Manager, Susan Faler, from the Emporia region. I'm a lifetime Girl Scout (GS) and was an Emporia leader for nine years. I was a girl GS through 6th grade and worked for the Meadowlark GS Council in Independence, Kan. (my hometown) right out of college. I've been a GS volunteer in Pensacola, Florida; Independence, Topeka and Emporia.
I attended GS camp Wah-Shah-She as a girl and have volunteered the past several years as a counselor. It was there I received my camp name - Momma Scout. (This is how the girls spelled it, it's just stuck!)
Since I work for the Council I can no longer be a leader, I sure miss it! BUT, am loving the opportunity to help girls in the counties I cover, discover Scouting! The thrill of helping girls discover new interests, make new friends, explore new communities while learning how to plan detailed trips and raise the money to get there is so exciting!
Momma Scout Says
Susan Faler, Membership Director in Emporia, Kansas will be giving weekly updates with advice, insight and ideas to improve your Girl Scout experience.
It's hard to imagine that one woman founded Girl Scouts. She just had a passion for girls to grow strong, feel successful, support each other and become accomplished at doing things girls just ordinarily didn‘t do. What insight and ability to see the big picture!
Juliette Gordon Low, or Daisy, started her idea of a program for girls when she made a call to a distant relative stating, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" On March 12, 1912, Daisy gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member. The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts of the USA in 1915.
It's hard to believe, but from the original 18 girls, Girl Scouting has grown to 3.7 million members in more than 100 countries around the world. Girl Scouts is the largest educational organization for girls in the world and has influenced more than 50 million girls, women and men who have belonged to it.
Our Girl Scout Birthday is around the corner, how will you show your Girl Scout pride? March 11 and 12 has been designated as "Wear Your Uniform to School or Work." Girl and adult Girl Scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms those days to let your peers see how proud you are to be a Girl Scout. And of course, "Proud Girl Scout 2010" patches are available; contact your local regional office for information.
I say let's have a Girl Scout Spirit Week. Here are some ways you can be Girl Scout proud every day the week of March 7:
Wear your Girl Scout uniform.
Wear your Girl Scout pin.
Wear a Girl Scout shirt.
Wear green.
Paint or dye your hair green (thought that'd get you fired up!)
Wear your jacket or vest with participation badges and fun patches
Wear a bandana (in honor of camping).
Decorate your office, cube or school with green streamers and balloons.
Make a Girl Scout good deed catcher and encourage co-workers to play a quick game.
Ask former Girl Scouts to recite the Girl Scout Promise or Law.
Gather former members and sing Girl Scout songs.
Create a Friendship Circle and do the Girl Scout squeeze
Give the Girl Scout handshake when passing each other in the hall
Post your favorite Girl Scout memory on the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland Facebook page (we'd love to read them)
Wear your Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere (SWAPS) a keepsake craft Girl Scouts give as gifts or trade with other Scouts.
Bring SWAPS for the people in your office.
Make s'mores for your friends.
Take GORP to work. You know "good old raisins and peanuts," "granola, oats, raisins and peanuts" or "gobs of raw protein." (Be sure you check to see if your co-workers are allergic to any of these items first.)
Do a good turn daily, it is our slogan you know.
Do a service project.
Click here to learn more about the history of Girl Scout, the life of founder Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low.
Share with your co-workers and friends, how much you enjoy being a Girl Scout. I'm sure they have no idea how much fun they are missing!!
Wouldn't it be great if all companies presented awards for outstanding achievement, dedication and teamwork? How about a nice pat on the back for being the parent that never misses PTO or a parent-teacher conference? What about all the other thankless jobs we perform daily, just because? Now of course, the majority of us don't offer to help others, do our job well or volunteer just to be recognized. We do it because it makes us feel good. And that my friends, does the body and mind good!
Girl Scout volunteers help mold girls to do their best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and strong and responsibility for what they say and do and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, and just make the world a better place. And to be a sister to every Girl Scout. Sound familiar? It should, it's the Girl Scout Law.
Our volunteers devote hours, effort, energy and sometimes expense to provide Girl Scout programs of substance. Let's face it, adults who participate, encourage and support Girl Scouts are the foundation of our organization!
Did you know the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland have 3,149 adult registered members and 982 lifetime members backing our organization? By golly, I say let's recognize some of these dedicated folks!
Send in the names of your leaders, arts and crafts specialists, parent helpers, summer camp directors, Service Unit managers/team and product sales chairpersons, any volunteer you believe should be recognized for their Girl Scout involvement. Anyone can submit a nomination!
Initial cookie orders are placed and the numbers look great! (1,185,189 boxes sold as of Feb. 5 from Scouts in the Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s entire 80 counties! AWESOME!)
Has your Scout reached her cookie goal? If not, have no fear the cookie sale isn’t over yet, it runs through March 7. Yes, March 7! AND in our experience, the people who missed pre-ordering come out of the woodwork! You can still call on customers you couldn’t catch during pre-order collecting. You know what this means? Yes, girls can still reach their goals…or go over them.
Don’t forget your troop also can hold a cookie booth! Interested? Your Troop Cookie Manager can set it up, refer to the “Cookie Booth Guide.”
Soon it’s on to the delivery stage of the cookie season. Taking pre-orders is a blast for the girls, but delivery is not quite as exciting, well, for anyone but the customer. Let’s face it, it’s a lot of hard work! For everyone!
Here are a few delivery tips:
Do you keep missing that customer? Give them a call, hopefully they wrote their phone number on the order form. Or call first!
On weekdays, we like to deliver between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., yes, I know it’s dark, it’s easier to tell if the customer is home, they usually have lights on. Then we go back and deliver/call those we couldn’t tell were home.
Be prepared with notes stating, “We stopped by to deliver your cookies, we’re sorry we missed you. Here’s our phone number to call us with convenient time to stop by. Thank you, {Scout’s first name}.”
Don’t carry ALL the checks and money collected. Leave enough in the envelope to make change for a $20, that should do ya. Put additional collected money a safe place.
Take a note pad to tally additional boxes sold while delivering. If Aunt Madge has a friend at her house when you’re delivering, the new potential customer may want to purchase a couple boxes. Go ahead and sell to her, then tally the boxes you sold. This really helps your record keeping, especially when you need to replenish those boxes.
Did your Scout have a lot of pre-orders? Create a spreadsheet and place (or sort) customers in the same neighborhood together so you’re not driving all over town.
If parents took the form to work, it would be a great gesture for the Scout to write a personal thank you on an address label to stick on the cookies when delivered. Actually, it would be great for everyone customer to get a thank you note.
Some folks package their customer’s cookies in plastic sacks and write their names on the outside of the bag. This can be very helpful. We prefer to have the cases in the van and pull the boxes as they are delivered.
Most importantly, encourage Scouts to verbally thank their customers for spending their hard–earned cash on Girl Scout cookies from them! We can’t say thank you enough, after all, our customers are helping our Scouts learn about goal setting and achievement, responsibility, business, math, attend camps/activities and learn some great life-long lessons.
Do you save your money for a special treat? Like a trip to the salon, night stay at a bed and breakfast, you know something “just for fun.”
That’s how I look at the year-end plan to use product proceeds and close the school year. The girls have worked hard for their money, now be sure to reward them with an awesome year-end activity, “just for fun!” While adults like to make the trip plans, encourage the girls to take part. They can research some communities, see how much it costs to travel and entrance/registration fees.
I asked a troop last night if they could think of some fun things to do…once we got past Hawaii and Disney World, I learned there are additional kid-friendly opportunities nearby. I’m never disappointed when I ask the girls what they think!
Crayola Café, Kansas City, Mo. www.crayolacafe.com (Don’t take children with peanut allergies.)
Over the years, Girl Scouts have gone on amazing trips. I want to share some ideas. (Forgive me for not knowing more about the western half of Kansas! But this is a perfect opportunity for our western Kansas friends to share some of the fun things we can do out there!)
Moon Marble Company, Bonner Springs, Kan. This is great for all ages! www.moonmarble.com
Be sure to check out our “Council-Operated Facilities and Other Properties” along the way. They make great places to spend the night. A list can be found in Leader-Wise pages 24 through 38 or check with a Council representative.
If your trip takes you over night on a non-council owned property or a destination that is more than 120 miles, one-way (240 miles round trip) in –council and ALL out-of-council trips, you need to complete and submit to your local Girl Scout Center, the “Overnight and Troop Trip Application.” Click the link below for the application and guidelines. The form also may be found in Leader-Wise, pages 62 & 63. www.kansasgirlscouts.org/images/stories/forms/overnight and troop trip application.pdf
I’d love to hear about troop trip/activities you have planned. Facebook me at “Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland.”
Peace out, Girl Scout!
Numbered bullets indicates Momma Scout’s tried and recommends.
World Thinking Day, Feb. 22, is the birthday of both Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes. They lived in England and started the first troop of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. This is a special day for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides everywhere to think about each other. This special Girl Scout holiday provides an opportunity to learn about different cultures and maybe even try something new.
Great resources to assist you in learning about other cultures are high school foreign exchange students and international students from colleges. Maybe you can invite someone to your meeting who grew up or often visits other countries. Even Scout Troops who have visited our World Centers would be a great resource. (Contact your regional Girl Scout office for a list of troop contacts.)
One year my Brownies were introduced to some international students from Emporia State University. The students told us the history of their country, taught us games and brought us some popular dishes from their home land. All Scouts took at least one bite of each dish. The noodles from South Korea seemed to be the favorite. While other foods brought expressions that were priceless.
Another year my friend Rosa, who had just moved to the United States from Peru, attended our World Thinking meeting. She told us about her culture, climate, family etc. She kept telling the Troop that they have man “yamas.” She was very proud of these “yamas,” however with her dialect, we just couldn’t understand what she was saying. We kept asking her to repeat the word. Finally she pulled out a prop. She was saying “llama.” She was thrilled when the young American Girl Scout Troop finally figured it out.
It may take a little more of your time and few more phone calls to find a presenter to come to your meeting, but it’s worth it. To hear first hand about other countries cultures is well worth it!
Don’t let World Thinking Day pass you and your troop by! Pick up that phone or shoot some e-mails to make one of your most memorable meetings!
The holidays are over and you know what that means…it’s Girl Scout (GS) cookie time! Here are some cookie selling thoughts and stories. My two daughters; Abby, 13, and Riley, 10, ordinarily sell more than 1,000 boxes each, however, now that they are getting older, I’m not holding my breath! They are both active in dance, sports, music etc. so as many of you are aware, time to knock on doors is limited. As a Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout, selling is a challenge and the girls are easily motivated by each box sold! My older Scout’s motivation is the cookie credits earned to attend Resident Camp, GS activities and saving for a long trip somewhere outside Kansas! (We love this new Opt-Out Option for Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Troops. If the entire troop chooses to “Opt-Out” the troop receives $.40/per box as opposed to $.35/per box.)
Since I have two girls selling, we attempt to cover neighborhoods with about the same number of houses on both sides of the street. Each girl has one side and they go door-to-door. It’s fun to see which side enjoys which kind of cookie! A bonus for going around your neighborhood, your Scout might stumble across a Mystery House! Girls who find Mystery Houses receive $5 to be used in the Council Shop AND their troop will be entered in a drawing for a special troop party. YIPPEE!!
When I was a girl GS, I sold at the normal places, church, school, etc. but the majority of my sales came from door-to-door. My father was in the Chamber of Commerce business and didn’t feel it was appropriate to take an order form to work. Mom didn’t work outside the home, so every day after school, I was knocking on doors. To sell 500 boxes was quite an accomplishment for me. I remember other Scouts discussing how many boxes they’d sold and being so excited to tell everyone my total, but was usually outdone by the girls whose parents worked at corporations. All that hard work, to be outdone by a parent! Dad would say, “But doesn’t it make you feel good to know you sold all those boxes on your own?” Now, looking back, yes it did! Something to truly be proud of, I was motivated!
When I worked for a large company, I’d ask my friends if were interested in purchasing cookies and if so, they would give me their phone number, I wouldn’t take the order. My girls HAD to contact them for the order. They would call each and every person. If the customer said, “Just take the order, they don’t have to call,” my girls would either call them anyway or sit down and hand write thank you notes to attach to the cookies at delivery time. I know, it’s just easier to take the form to work, but remember the girls are the ones selling. They can learn so much from this business opportunity, this is a chance many children never experience until they are in the world doing it as a living. And they have no idea where to begin. Cookie sales help the girls learn about setting goals, developing action plans, working as a team, the importance of customer service, math, they meet new people and learn how to communicate.
Words to the wise:
• Keep order forms from year-to-year. They come in handy when trying to remember who purchased previous years.
• What does your Scout want to do with the cookie credit she earns? Look at our Calendar of Events at www.kansasgirlscouts.org and select a camp or activity for her to attend and get the calculator, how many boxes must be sold to get to go to camp? There’s your goal!
• Checks are much easier to work with, for everyone.
• Wear Girl Scout uniforms or at the minimum a GS shirt. Here’s what my daughter Abby said after breaking the Emporia Council record twice as a Brownie, “I think I sold so many boxes because I was wearing my (Brownie) beanie.”
• Didn’t reach your goal during order taking? Have no fear, meet that goal by holding a cookie booth!
• Bad weather is the perfect time to hit the neighborhood. People are actually home AND sometimes you get sympathy orders!
• When combing neighborhoods, pick those with houses closer together, you can cover more ground. And of course, always, always, always have an adult go with the girls when selling! Even if they are older Scouts.
Leaders:
o ALWAYS have the person picking up the cookies count the cases/boxes and you double check them on the receipt. (Trust me on this one!)
o Complete and turn in to your bank, the “Bank Authorization Form,” just in case a check bounces. (If you filled one out for the nuts/candy sell, you do not have to do it again.)
o Be sure parents complete and return the parent permission slip to you. Scouts should not sell until this slip is received by you. If girls are living with just one parent and both parents are planning on helping with the sell, they should both fill one out.
I have several funny memories of the girls selling, but my favorite is when Riley was about four, we had been selling the entire weekend and were driving by the GS Council office going home. She was taking everything in, not fussing, just strapped in her child seat and blurts out, “When I’m a Gurl Scout, I’m not going to sell de Girl Scout cookies, I’m going to sell de Brwnies!” What a hoot! With her speech impediment it put a smile on an exhausted mom’s face!
Did you know that plastic soda/water bottles can be recycled as a see-through mail package?
After you’ve finished your 16-oz. beverage, wash and dry the bottle and remove the label. You can use rubber cement thinner or Goo Gone to remove the residue. Then cut a long vertical slit in one side by scoring it with a craft knife. The bottle will be weakened at the curved top/bottom section, so avoid cutting there. About half-way down, cut a horizontal slit no more than two inches on each side of the vertical slit.
Get your small gifts…ornaments, gum, mittens, candies, socks, small picture frame, costume jewelry, lotions, perfume etc. (Cut a photo for the receiving person to piece together.) Insert them into the bottle by pressing the cut edges in. Begin with the small items to fill the bottom, then add larger pieces, then fit more small pieces at the top. Fill spaces with shredded paper, tinsel, tissue paper.
If you want to move something you can’t reach, try using a pencil inserted through the bottle’s mouth.
Screw the top on and secure with clear packing tape. Seal slits with tape, then adhere your address/return-address label to the bottle over the slit and add more tape.
Take the bottle to be weighed at the U.S. Post Office. I called the local Post Office and they said it’s best to contact your local post office if they have restrictions on what can be placed in the bottle.
What a unique gift for grandparents, friends and pen pals! Try creating a theme bottle and don’t forget to include a hand-written note to make it more personal.
Momma Scout is all about recycling…so here’s an idea to recycle holiday cards. Ask friends and family to donate leftover or last year’s cards to your troop. Most businesses receive cards from their vendors, partners etc. and many of those businesses have newsletters, so place a brief article asking for card donations for your troop. You’ll receive plenty. Have Scouts cut pictures, words etc. from the cards, arrange them on contact paper, then place another piece of contact paper over the top...instant holiday placemat.
One of my troops also made slipper candy holders from cards. We cut the cards into two pieces, one for the bottom of the slipper and the top to bubble up for the top part of the slipper. We used a hole punch and yarn to hold the two pieces together.
Susan Faler, our membership services manager from the Emporia Region, will be giving weekly updates with advice, insight and ideas to improve your Girl Scout experience. Susan has earned the name "Momma Scout" from years of experience with Girl Scouting. Let Susan know what you'd like to read about by sending her an e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
What Girl Scouts means to me I'm Membership Services Manager, Susan Faler, from the Emporia region. I'm a lifetime Girl Scout (GS) and was an Emporia leader for nine years. I was a girl GS through 6th grade and worked for the Meadowlark GS Council in Independence, Kan. (my hometown) right out of college. I've been a GS volunteer in Pensacola, Florida; Independence, Topeka and Emporia.
I attended GS camp Wah-Shah-She as a girl and have volunteered the past several years as a counselor. It was there I received my camp name - Momma Scout. (This is how the girls spelled it, it's just stuck!)
Since I work for the Council I can no longer be a leader, I sure miss it! BUT, am loving the opportunity to help girls in the counties I cover, discover Scouting! The thrill of helping girls discover new interests, make new friends, explore new communities while learning how to plan detailed trips and raise the money to get there is so exciting!
My biggest challenge is helping potential leaders understand the significance they can have on girls' lives! It's very rewarding and has given me additional purpose in life! At the time I was a leader in Emporia, I worked out-of-town, driving two hours round trip, and working anywhere from an eight to 12-hour shift and two young daughters. I'm no stranger to not having a lot of time on my hands, but I made the time to be involved with my girls, their friends and parents. I helped one of my daughter's troop make 98 homemade pies for a fundraiser last week. The joy and happiness I felt in watching them learn how to make apple, cherry and pumpkin pies from scratch was motivational for me. How recently have you taken the time to teach a youngster how to cook or bake? We're so busy with our lives, we forget those staple things our children need to know and it's not a teacher's responsibility to teach that. Scouting is a great way to use a couple hours to teach girls lessons that will come in handy for life! WOW! It's awesome to have the power! I have the best job! I get to work full-time with an organization that has served as my passion for years- Girl Scouts - ahhh, life is great!
Susan Faler, our membership services manager from the Emporia Region, will be giving weekly updates with advice, insight and ideas to improve your Girl Scout experience. Susan has earned the name "Momma Scout" from years of experience with Girl Scouting. Let Susan know what you'd like to read about by sending her an e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Momma Scout Blog
We're excited to announce the Momma Scout Blog! Susan Faler, our membership services manager from the Emporia Region, will be giving weekly updates with advice, insight and ideas to improve your Girl Scout experience. Susan has earned the name "Momma Scout" from years of experience with Girl Scouting. Read the article below to get to know Susan a little better, and let her know what you'd like to read about by sending her an e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Create a Friendship Circle and do the Girl Scout squeeze
Be prepared with notes stating, “We stopped by to deliver your cookies, we’re sorry we missed you. Here’s our phone number to call us with convenient time to stop by. Thank you, {Scout’s first name}.” 
World Thinking Day, Feb. 22, is the birthday of both Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes. They lived in England and started the first troop of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. This is a special day for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides everywhere to think about each other. This special Girl Scout holiday provides an opportunity to learn about different cultures and maybe even try something new.
One year my Brownies were introduced to some international students from Emporia State University. The students told us the history of their country, taught us games and brought us some popular dishes from their home land. All Scouts took at least one bite of each dish. The noodles from South Korea seemed to be the favorite. While other foods brought expressions that were priceless. 
We can all learn from Girl Scout cookie sales!
Did you know that plastic soda/water bottles can be recycled as a see-through mail package? 
Momma Scout is all about recycling…so here’s an idea to recycle holiday cards. Ask friends and family to donate leftover or last year’s cards to your troop. Most businesses receive cards from their vendors, partners etc. and many of those businesses have newsletters, so place a brief article asking for card donations for your troop. You’ll receive plenty. Have Scouts cut pictures, words etc. from the cards, arrange them on contact paper, then place another piece of contact paper over the top...instant holiday placemat. 
