Volunteer Appreciation Week

I'm a bit late with this one but that's ok, because judging from the number of great GS volunteers I know, one day or one week isn't enough.

New Member of the Hospitality Committee

This adorable little girl joined us last week and we've already awarded her a campership for Great Escape this September!

Her job will be to teach a workshop on slowing down and cooing gently.

Mom and baby are doing fine!  Congratulations to proud parents Danielle and Nick.

Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 6

If you had to wash two custom made chintz window valences, bras, pantihose, socks, a new 'bateau' sailor top, a pair of 'good' charcoal gray pants and 6 scrubby bathroom nylon net puffs (the kind that come with shower gel, etc.) how many loads of laundry would you need to do?

If you use laundry bags, the answer is one.  All of the items above can be washed together in cold water if they are placed in these handy dandy bags!  These are available at TJX stores (Marshall's, Home Goods, TJ Maxx.)  I've seen some at Market Basket and the Dollar Store.  And yes, the basic model is better known to all Girl Scouts as a 'dunk bag.'  Some tie closed; but the ones that zip are a good investment.  Save money, save time, save water, save the earth - it's easy and fast.

These bags make a great graduation gift for high schoolers about to go off to college and be responsible for their laundry for the next few years.

I hope you enjoyed these posts in the run up to Earth Day.  Teach your children well!

Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 5

Plastic bags.  Have you ever stopped to reflect how much of our food comes in plastic bags?  Reusing those bags can help you reduce your purchases of - plastic bags.

The bread, cheese, chicken and lettuce in this sandwich all came packaged in plastic bags.  All of those bags can be used as lunch bags.  Or, as packaging for other food stuffs - a loaf of home made banana bread can be slipped into a bag like the one shown above, rather than being wrapped in new plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

So save those bags.  I stuff them into an emptied tissue box, and pop one out when I need it.  If you make lunches every day, as I do (sometimes one, sometimes three depending on our work schedules) you will find that you save money and reduce your trash output!

Volunteer Appreciation - Lois Harris

http://blog.girlscouts.org/2015/04/volunteer-spotlight-cape-full-of.html

For volunteer week, the Girl Scout blog features Lois Harris and her famous cape!

Lois was a famous Girl Scout volunteer in Lexington and at the Dennet Museum of Girl Scouting in Cedar Hill, until she retired and moved to New Jersey, when she started all over again with Daisy Girl Scouts!  Happy Patriots' Day, Lois!

Pat Ross

Once again I'm sorry to have to tell you that Girl Scouting has lost a great friend.  Pat Ross died this week.  Pat may have known more about Girl Scouting than anyone else ever has - certainly more than anyone I've ever met.  Our Girl Scout museum at Dennet House at Cedar Hill is her monument.  I knew that if I showed up there at noon on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, Pat and Janet and perhaps other members of the museum crew would be there eating their lunch and ready to receive a donation or hear about what my Lexington Girl Scouts were doing.  I will miss her.

Pat attended our Girl Scout dance on February 28th at Brookhaven, where she had lived for the last 25 years.  Nothing could keep her from a Girl Scout event.

When we started Lexington troop 1775, Pat provided us with a chance to do spring trail clearing behind Brookhaven and showed us how to do it too.

Here's the obituary from the Boston Globe.  If you attend the memorial service, the family has requested that Girl Scouts wear full uniform.

Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 4

You can get into the reduce/reuse cycle at Great Escape this year.  Sue's workshop will help you make beauty from trash - chipboard boxes such as those that hold your breakfast cereal.

http://gsgreatescape.org/workshops/  for more.