To our Girl Scouts, families, volunteers and
supporters,
While much is uncertain, we
know one thing for sure—Girl Scouts will always be a
force for good and a place where girls can find support,
resources, and a community ready to champion her. Now
more than ever, we see that challenging times are when
Girl Scout grit shines through the most! We are glad to
be part of that, and we’ll continue to be here for
families. I encourage you to renew your
Girl Scout's membership during this early renewal
season to continue her skill-building experiences. We
are incredibly proud to bring the exploration, fun, and
learning of Girl Scouts to your family even when
circumstances are keeping Girl Scouts from meeting up in
person. After all, Girl Scouts isn’t somewhere girls go
or something they do—it’s who they are day in, day
out.
Girl Scouts at Home
The launch of Girl Scouts at
Home free virtual programming has been
tremendously successful! Girls have been able to
connect with one another and meet sister Girl Scouts
from across the country and around the world as they
learn something new about STEM, life skills,
entrepreneurship, and the outdoors.
With
over 7,000 girls from all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, Canada, England, South Africa, and
the Netherlands participating so far, we are proud to
be the one constant your girl and family can count
on.
Summer Camp
As we plan our 2020 Summer Camp season, there
is nothing we take more seriously than the safety and
well-being of our campers, their families, and our
staff. We have been in constant communication with
GSUSA, the American Camping Association (ACA), and the
County Health Departments to decide our next
steps.
As we continue to weigh options,
we are considering the ways in which our decision
would impact our members’ experience, our commitment
to inclusion and equity, and—above all else—the safety
of our campers and camp staff. Regardless of whether
we can convene in person, we will be ready with
virtual experiences for our camp community.
As Governor Murphy has unveiled his Three-Stage
Reopening Strategy, we have also jumped into action
with planning in-person outdoor activities that are
permitted during Stage One. We will announce
further details regarding these in-person outdoor
activities and Summer Camp in early June.
In-Person Activities and Programs
Out of an abundance of caution for our Girl
Scouts and extended Girl Scout family, most in-person
activities, programs, and property reservations are
suspended until further notice. Those impacted by
these cancellations will receive an email with
additional details about their full refund for any
payments made.
We will communicate
further specifics about in-person programming as soon
as we are given the okay to resume by local and
national health authorities.
At GSCSNJ, we
are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic with a
hopeful eye toward the future. As a council, we continue
to face the reality that we don’t know when we will
return to “business as usual.” We will keep looking to
the experts at the CDC and our state and city
governments for recommendations on social distancing and
remote work, always keeping the safety of our staff,
members, and community top of mind.
We are
looking forward to continuing to leverage our technology
and talents to engage our members as well as welcoming
new girls and grow our Girl Scout Family.
Thank you for your help in keeping Girl Scouts a safe,
fun space for everyone!
Yours in Girl
Scouting,
Ginny Marino
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of
Central & Southern NJ
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